Faith (588 hits)
Category: GeneralRating: 1.2 on 10 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by St_Jimmy (View user info) at 2007-02-07 14:55:02 EST
*** Idea from scourge's bandwagon http://www.ubersite.com/m/98517 ****
*** Although, I don't know if you can call it a bandwagon if only one person participates. It's cold and lonely on this wagon. ***
Faith has quite the influence on the world today. Faith in an idea or a religion can start wars. It can start charities. It can kill and it can comfort. What a peculiar thing faith is. Such extremes embodied in a single word.
What is faith exactly? I know! She's a big-boobed model from the U.K. (NSFW link http://www.inbedwithfaith.com ).
While that may be true, most people think of faith in terms of religion. Webster.com defines faith (in the religious sense) as: "firm belief in something for which there is no proof"
Hmmm, belief in something which you cannot prove. That's a succinct way of putting of it. It makes sense in way. There are a lot of things out there that cannot be proved one way or the other. God. The afterlife. Whether or not Tyra Banks' boobs are real. Anyone's answers to these things are nothing more than beliefs with no proof.
So these groups of unprovable beliefs can get people fighting, killing, reconciling, helping, donating, welcoming and ostracizing. Such major, life-changing actions/decisions based on unprovable beliefs. What exactly then is a belief? Again, Webster.com defines belief as: "conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or phenomenon especially when based on examination of evidence"
Well, that's something. In fact, that is almost, but not quite contradictory. Faith is an unprovable belief, but the definition of belief mentions "especially when based on examination of evidence" which almost implies you could prove a belief, or least that there exists hard evidence supporting it. It would seem then, that by definition, for you to call something a belief, you don't need to prove it, but it should at least be rational.
Back to religious faith, since it seems that religious faith motivates far more actions than non-religious faith. For example, a lot of people had faith in the Bears to win the superbowl, but no one was blowing anything up over it. Since religious faith is primarily concerned with God, using the definitions stated above, religious faith could be described as: firm conviction of the reality of some being (God) especially when based on examination of evidence, for which there is no proof."
So, in keeping with our definitions, the primary tenets of any religion, although they do not have to be provable, must have some evidence backing them up. I don't know about you, but I've never heard of such evidence supporting the claim that God spoke to Moses, or that Jesus was God's son, or that God ever talked to Muhammad. Religious faith, the Crusading-blowing up-beheading kind of faith seems more like a bunch of foundationless ideas used by people to justify their own way of thinking.
Faith can be a good thing, however. It can be used to bridge the gap between idea and proof. For example, years ago Stephen Hawking believed in the existence of black holes. There was evidence supporting their existence, but it was inconclusive. Hawking's faith in the idea kept it alive long enough to amass enough evidence to prove it.
User Reviews
Submitted by lungfish (user info) at 2007-02-08 00:38:16 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
+1 text, +1 picture
Submitted by bob (user info) at 2007-02-07 22:20:25 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Richard Dawkins owns all.
Submitted by homer42 (user info) at 2007-02-07 16:49:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
"Whether or not Tyra Banks' boobs are real."
I can, just give me 30 seconds alone with her.
"Well, that's something. In fact, that is almost, but not quite contradictory. Faith is an unprovable belief, but the definition of belief mentions "especially when based on examination of evidence" which almost implies you could prove a belief, or least that there exists hard evidence supporting it. It would seem then, that by definition, for you to call something a belief, you don't need to prove it, but it should at least be rational. "
Are you trying to say that my belief in a magic, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, absolutely 100% superior being that lives in the sky and whose only concern is that I visit his magic house on Sunday, follow some goofy rules and give him some money is irrational and without evidence? How dare you!
Submitted by kaos-king (user info) at 2007-02-07 16:12:15 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2007-02-07 16:07:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
GOOD SHOW.
Submitted by i_can_get_you_a_toe (user info) at 2007-02-07 16:04:58 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Now i've got that stupid limp bizkit song in my head.
Submitted by Foolproof (user info) at 2007-02-07 15:34:41 EST (#)
Ranking: -1
I will never rate anything with South Park positively.
Never.
Submitted by Axolotl (user info) at 2007-02-07 15:27:46 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
She has massive breasts.
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2007-02-07 15:18:14 EST (#)
Ranking: -1
stick to posting bra adverts
Submitted by firefly (user info) at 2007-02-07 15:00:36 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment