NationStates Jolt Archive

I'd just like to ask: What makes Faith (in God - whatever he's known as) in a person, and maintains it? Is it through an event, logic, or awe at something?
Just curious

EDIT: For religious people: What gives you faith?

I'd just like to ask: What makes Faith (in God - whatever he's known as) in a person, and maintains it? Is it through an event, logic, or awe at something?
Just curious

The desire for God's existence overwhelms the person's ability to think rationally.

People are naturally inclined to believe stuff. the problem is drawing the line between faith and gullibility.

I'd just like to ask: What makes Faith (in God - whatever he's known as) in a person, and maintains it? Is it through an event, logic, or awe at something?
Just curious


faith itself. you have to believe in something you cannot see

faith itself. you have to believe in something you cannot see

in that case everyone has to have faith, even atheist, to believe the earth is round, how do you know? have you been to space and seen the earth from afar?

what about the milky way, if someone shows you a picture of a spiral galaxy, you may say its the milky way, how do you know? no space craft has ever been so far out to get an image of our galaxy

faith itself. you have to believe in something you cannot see

But what is the motive for it?

I'd just like to ask: What makes Faith (in God - whatever he's known as) in a person, and maintains it? Is it through an event, logic, or awe at something?
Just curious
For most people, the notion of Faith is one that comes to be through co-analysis of personal experience and one's own culture-imposed world view.

IMHO, the idea of Faith as something not based on knowledge is a relatively new phenomenon. Faith is trust that the patterns you have observed the universe and its inhabitants to work in previously will continue. In the middle ages this meant trusting that Saint Such-and-Such would find your socks, as prayers to Such-and-Such led to your finding your socks in the past, and your knowledge of how the universe worked suggested that Saint Such-and-Such would actually take an interest in your socks.

But what is the motive for it?

that depends on the religion. resurrection, rebirth, heaven, something that is positive somewhere no one has returned from

in that case everyone has to have faith, even atheist, to believe the earth is round, how do you know? have you been to space and seen the earth from afar?

what about the milky way, if someone shows you a picture of a spiral galaxy, you may say its the milky way, how do you know? no space craft has ever been so far out to get an image of our galaxy

what's your point?

that depends on the religion. resurrection, rebirth, heaven, something that is positive somewhere no one has returned from
Buddhism strives to -prevent- afterlife, yet it's still a "religion".

that depends on the religion. resurrection, rebirth, heaven, something that is positive somewhere no one has returned from

Would faith as a safegaurd to a good afterlife or resurrection really be sincere faith?

what's your point?
no point, just ramblings, ussual day in the life of me

Well, for me as an individual, my faith is based simply in what feels right to me. Not correct, not proven.....just right. True, I have sometimes had my doubts, as many people often do, but nothing else stirs my soul in such a way as renewing my faith in God.

However, I doubt that's what most people will use as their reasoning, as I've never met anybody else whose basic response is "*shrug* Just feels right".

I've been looking for the answer to this question, and I'm not sure it can be found. It's something you have to believe in yourself; no one can convince you of it.

I'd just like to ask: What makes Faith (in God - whatever he's known as) in a person, and maintains it? Is it through an event, logic, or awe at something?
Just curious

EDIT: For religious people: What gives you faith?

Faith is knowing, believing, or understanding something beyond the scope of your physical sensory. It’s a lot more common then you may think, and most of what we thing we “know” is nothing more then faith taken for granted.

For example…

*Faith understood to be such*
Person 1: Do you believe in God?
Person 2: Yes.
Person 1: Have you ever seen him?
Person 2: No, but I have faith in him.

*Faith taken for granted*
Person 2: Do you believe in the Himalayas?
Person 1: Huh, what?
Person 2: I asked if you believe in the Himalayas.
Person 1: Yeah, I guess why?
Person 2: Have you ever seen them?
Person 1: Umm, eh no…
Person 2: Then how do you know that they are real, moreover how do you know they actually aren’t like say; the Andes and everyone has been lying to you? Would it matter?
Person 1: Huh? O_o

Virtually everything we read in textbooks, everything we learned in school, everything we come to know about the world beyond us and beyond this world is taken on the basis of “faith.” Besides, say the matter at hand is Zimbabwe; sure you could look at a map and see where it is but is that really different from reading the Bible? If you get off the plane and step into Zimbabwe couldn’t you just adamantly insist that you are actually in Liberia and that everyone else is full of shit? Would it even make a difference? The land obviously exists after all, or does it?

At this point it should be fairly clear where this is leading… a Tommy Lee Jones quote of course!

“1500 years ago, everyone knew that the Earth was the center of the universe. 500 years ago, everyone knew that the Earth was flat. 15 minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll 'know' tomorrow.”

:D

I'd just like to ask: What makes Faith (in God - whatever he's known as) in a person, and maintains it? Is it through an event, logic, or awe at something?
Just curious

EDIT: For religious people: What gives you faith?
Although I'm not at all religious now, I can say with a fair amount of confidence that most "faith" is based on emotional comittment. My current beliefs are based almost exclusively on information and logic, thank God! :D

-snip-

That has seriously given me a lot to think about...I think almost everything I believe in just got completely warped.

My head hurts...

Although I'm not at all religious now, I can say with a fair amount of confidence that most "faith" is based on emotional comittment. My current beliefs are based almost exclusively on information and logic, thank God!

Just interested, what information and logic have you based your beliefs on?

It's called imprinting, when a child is young, in a certain period if ideas are told to the child he will accept them as true and in later life it's really hard for the child to break lose of them how redicilus they may be.

Other examples of this are that rape and murder are actually bad things and of course the total nonsense that you must like someone just because he was born earlier.

That has seriously given me a lot to think about...I think almost everything I believe in just got completely warped.

My head hurts...

Bwuahahah! pwnt1! ;)

Other examples of this are that rape and murder are actually bad things and of course the total nonsense that you must like someone just because he was born earlier.
It's not a matter of liking them, it's a matter of respecting them. You can do that in the most amazingly rude and biting ways, as long as you're polite about it. I do it all the time.

And are you implying that rape and murder are actually good things?

Just interested, what information and logic have you based your beliefs on?
Mostly this (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0006547516/202-8266110-2479019) sort of information.

Simonist']It's not a matter of liking them, it's a matter of respecting them. You can do that in the most amazingly rude and biting ways, as long as you're polite about it. I do it all the time.

And are you implying that rape and murder are actually good things?I'm implying that there is no such and right and wrong and it's all imprinted on the youth. Fundamental things about right and wrong are differend through time and space. It's not genetic or anything, children are just brainwashed.

I'm implying that there is no such and right and wrong and it's all imprinted on the youth. Fundamental things about right and wrong are differend through time and space. It's not genetic or anything, children are just brainwashed.

Quick question. Do you presume to be an exception of that rule?

I'm implying that there is no such and right and wrong and it's all imprinted on the youth. Fundamental things about right and wrong are differend through time and space. It's not genetic or anything, children are just brainwashed.

I think that if you were raped, murdered, etc, you would think that it was wrong, wouldn't you?
(well maybe you wouldn't be able to think if you were murdered, but you get the idea)

Mostly this (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0006547516/202-8266110-2479019) sort of information.

Sweet, 34% off!

Bwuahahah! pwnt1! ;)

Stop it! You don't exist! There is no proof! Argghhhhh!

*curls into a shivering ball of insanity* :p

Sweet, 34% off!
Buy it and read it, dude. Changed my thought processes BIG time. :D

Once again... TOK class... theory of knowledge, what is knowledge, how do you 'know' something is true... different for everyone, somethings seen as fact by one person while not the case for others... need i say more... does this need to turn into an essay? -->'knowing' god is 'there' (or however you want to describe it)

Buy it and read it, dude. Changed my thought processes BIG time. :D

Actually, I'm fairly certain that my sister owns a copy. I know I recognise the author and cover. Barring that, I might check out the local library and see if they have a copy, if it's as intriguing as you seem to think it is. Most of my disposable income is already committed for the near future, unfortunately.

*Faith taken for granted*
Person 2: Do you believe in the Himalayas?
Person 1: Huh, what?
Person 2: I asked if you believe in the Himalayas.
Person 1: Yeah, I guess why?
Person 2: Have you ever seen them?
Person 1: Umm, eh no…
Person 2: Then how do you know that they are real, moreover how do you know they actually aren’t like say; the Andes and everyone has been lying to you? Would it matter?
Person 1: Huh? O_o

Virtually everything we read in textbooks, everything we learned in school, everything we come to know about the world beyond us and beyond this world is taken on the basis of “faith.” Besides, say the matter at hand is Zimbabwe; sure you could look at a map and see where it is but is that really different from reading the Bible? If you get off the plane and step into Zimbabwe couldn’t you just adamantly insist that you are actually in Liberia and that everyone else is full of shit? Would it even make a difference? The land obviously exists after all, or does it?


Specious reasoning... the difference between having "faith" in God and having "faith" in some geological feature that you, yourself, may not have personally visited is incredibly vast. God is an intangible. NO ONE has seen God. You CANNOT fly to some other part of the planet and visit God. If you could, there would be no need for faith. Mountains, however, exist whether you personally believe in them or not. If I were to take you to the Himalayas and stand you on one of them and tell you it was the Himalayas, no amount of you hollering that it is the Catskills will change the fact that the Himalayas actually exist. Your personal experience with the Himalayas may only be through a map, but that does not change the fact that they have been and continue to be physically tangible to anyone who goes to see them.

So unless you are a solipsist, and believe that you are the only person who actually exists, and the universe is of your creation, it makes no difference to its existence if you have experienced another part of the physical world. It makes a great deal of difference to God, without people's faith, God would not exist. A person's faith in something that has an actual, real, physical presence, however, is just him deciding whether or not he wants to sound like an idiot.

Actually, I'm fairly certain that my sister owns a copy. I know I recognise the author and cover. Barring that, I might check out the local library and see if they have a copy, if it's as intriguing as you seem to think it is. Most of my disposable income is already committed for the near future, unfortunately.
I can definitely understand THAT! Heh!

The book can be a bit heavy going in places, but it really is an eye-opener. Great information.

Once again... TOK class... theory of knowledge, what is knowledge, how do you 'know' something is true... different for everyone, somethings seen as fact by one person while not the case for others... need i say more... does this need to turn into an essay? -->'knowing' god is 'there' (or however you want to describe it)
That there are variants of empistemology does not mean there can be no generally accepted, repeatable process for determining the nature of things. Most call it the Scientific Method. :)

I think that if you were raped, murdered, etc, you would think that it was wrong, wouldn't you?
(well maybe you wouldn't be able to think if you were murdered, but you get the idea)Where was I saying I didn't think it was wrong? I'm also a human susceptive of brainwash, I'm not an exception.

I think that it requires an inborn capacity. It's not a matter of intelligence or lack thereof. I know many quite intelligent people who, in the face of complete lack of supporting evidence, believe in God. Some people are simply able to ignore that lack. Some can't

Where was I saying I didn't think it was wrong?
Here:

It's called imprinting, when a child is young, in a certain period if ideas are told to the child he will accept them as true and in later life it's really hard for the child to break lose of them how rediculous they may be.

Other examples of this are that rape and murder are actually bad thing...

It implies it. You might not have meant it that way but that seems to be how it came out.

Here:



It implies it. You might not have meant it that way but that seems to be how it came out.Hmm, well, what I mean is that I personally find it wrong but by fact it's not wrong because there is no such as right and wrong but I personally find it wrong.

There goes my credibility.

Hmm, well, what I mean is that I personally find it wrong but by fact it's not wrong because there is no such as right and wrong but I personally find it wrong.

There goes my credibility.

I getcha now, although as humans we percieve it as wrong, there is no such thing as right and wrong - rather events or actions that can be viewed as right or wrong.