NationStates Jolt Archive

"Faith is something very different from belief. Belief is the systematic taking of unanalyzed words much too seriously. Paul's words, Mohammed's words, Marx's words, Hitler's words---people take them too seriously, and what happens? What happens is the senseless ambivalence of history---sadism versus duty, or (incomparably worse) sadism as duty; devotion counterbalanced by organized paranoia; sisters of charity selflessly tending the victims of their own church's inquisitors and crusaders. Faith, on the contrary, can never be taken too seriously. For Faith is the empirically justified confidence in our capacity to know who in fact we are, to forget the belief-intoxicated Manichee in Good Being. Give us this day our daily Faith, but deliver us, dear God, from Belief."

-Raja of Pala
(in Aldous Huxley's Island)

Has anyone read this - or the rest of the book, for that matter?

Incidentally, I added this not as flamebait but because I thought it would get lost in the longer faith thread, where the existence of god has come around again. It seems to be a book that next to no one has read (although Brave New World has attracted a number of literates). In a sense it's Huxley's positive vision - Pala is not dystopic. The ideas in it are interesting and may touch upon the ambiguity of where faith and religion part ways.

I understand what you are trying to discuss here, but from reading all the other fourms, I can only see this turning into another religion is bad science should rule the world forum. Then it will be a counter attack of take your test tubes and shove it up your...

But in response to your question although i have not read it, I can see validity in his point. I would need to read the entire book though before actually agreeing or disagreeing or commenting on this further.

The book is not only about religion. It describes a fictional island in the Indian Ocean visitied by a journalist with a cynical mission who is rather surprised at what he finds there. The poeple there have a culture based on both Oriental and Occidental ideas that met and molded sometime in the 19th century.

In places it contains snippets from the thinking of the Raja who headed the original transition... such as the quote above.

Years ago I had an epiphany (sp?). I was in seminary at the time. It was this:

Faith is the absence of doubt. Throw out everything you doubt and whatever you have left, no matter that it may be as tiny as a mustard seed is absolute faith.

From that point on, my advise to others has been; if you doubt the Old Testament, throw it out. If you doubt Revelations, throw it out. If you doubt the whole Bible, throw it out. Somewhere there is something you do believe and can make sense out of logically. Somewhere there is something about God or the Universe that you do not doubt one little bit--that is your faith. Its that thing that you know that there is no empirical science to support (yet), but you have no doubt of its reality. Its measure is insignificant.

I think the important thing that people miss is that you don't have to be coerced with threats of hell or heresy or whatever to have absolute faith. Faith is uncoerced. I agree that it is confidence. Confidence is a good word to describe faith.

Years ago I had an epiphany (sp?). I was in seminary at the time. It was this:

Faith is the absence of doubt. Throw out everything you doubt and whatever you have left, no matter that it may be as tiny as a mustard seed is absolute faith.

From that point on, my advise to others has been; if you doubt the Old Testament, throw it out. If you doubt Revelations, throw it out. If you doubt the whole Bible, throw it out. Somewhere there is something you do believe and can make sense out of logically. Somewhere there is something about God or the Universe that you do not doubt one little bit--that is your faith. Its that thing that you know that there is no empirical science to support (yet), but you have no doubt of its reality. Its measure is insignificant.

I think the important thing that people miss is that you don't have to be coerced with threats of hell or heresy or whatever to have absolute faith. Faith is uncoerced. I agree that it is confidence. Confidence is a good word to describe faith.

Very nice summary about faith. Great work.