Faith can't live without it

[B. W.]

Faith, no one can live without. Even the most militant atheist has faith, faith in science, faith in one's five senses and reason. However, they most likely do not like to use the word faith to describe their belief system. It takes faith to believe in that there is no god.

How many inventions came from dreams? An inventor, like Thomas Edison, needed faith to apply science to make his dreams a reality. Yes, we all have a measure of faith. This measure maybe in other things rather than God but it is faith nevertheless.

So what is the difference between Christian Faith and other types of faith?

As Christians, what is our faith grounded on?

Let's re-open this Theology Forum...

Ideas — comments?
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[Cross.eyed]

Right on. Man lives by faith and little else.

Even the seemingly simplest of things require faith. Take for instance the events that go through our minds about what we're planning to do tommorrow: First, we will wake at a certain time- all faith- we have no idea whether we will wake up at all.
Next, we will go downstairs and have breakfast with our family- all faith- they might not be there.
Then we will load up the car and go to the beach-all faith-we might not make it.
We will all have a good ol' time-all faith-one or all of us may be miserable.
And so it goes.

The truth of it all is we take so much for granted (faith alone) that we don't even know how much faith it takes to get through an average day. Without bothering to consider it any other way, the sun will rise in the east, when we put the key in the ignition, the car will start, and even though we can't see it, or hear it, or smell it, when we flip the switch, electricity will cause the light to illuminate.

We have faith in our family that they love us, that our boss will be cranky Monday morning, and the bagels at the corner pastry shop will taste great, etc. etc.

It is a great thing this faith that we have been given to by GOD, for without it, life would be terrible.
If we were to reduce all our faith to only one half of what we have, every day would carry with it a great deal of uncertainty and worry. Our thinking capacity would shrink, our concentration efforts would be useless, and our consiousness would be in the proverbial hole.

Faith is a larger part of the human world than we ever bother to think upon.

[Furstentum Liechtenstein]

Faith, no one can live without. Even the most militant atheist has faith, faith in science, faith in one's five senses and reason. However, they most likely do not like to use the word faith to describe their belief system. It takes faith to believe in that there is no god.

Even my dog has faith. My wife tells me that every evening, just before I get back home from work, my dog expectantly looks out the front window and waits.

Why would this be?...what is the metaphysic behind faith? Who created faith and why? Why does faith even exist?... why not just nothing, no-faith?

It is a great thing this faith that we have been given to by GOD, for without it, life would be terrible.

Terrible? Could life even be without faith?

FL

[Zebulon]

Faith, no one can live without. Even the most militant atheist has faith, faith in science, faith in one's five senses and reason. However, they most likely do not like to use the word faith to describe their belief system. It takes faith to believe in that there is no god.

How many inventions came from dreams? An inventor, like Thomas Edison, needed faith to apply science to make his dreams a reality. Yes, we all have a measure of faith. This measure maybe in other things rather than God but it is faith nevertheless.

So what is the difference between Christian Faith and other types of faith?

As Christians, what is our faith grounded on?

Let's re-open this Theology Forum...

Ideas — comments?
-
-
-

Yup I will go for that. Faith.

If you have a bit of faith you would move this mountain (or something like that) as He said.

How many of us have stories from our friends, relatives, where miracles appened out of faith?

I have few of them. But I do have some.

Zebulon.

[Cross.eyed]

Terrible? Could life even be without faith?[

Only in the broadest sense of the term.
I have met a few people who seem to have very little faith in anything, up to and including themselves.
That is why I gave the example of reducing faith by only one half, I was being very conservative as to how much faith we really need to have any kind of life at all.

In the most strict of sense, I wholeheartedly agree with you that life, without a great deal of faith, would be impossible.

(I hope there is a grace period in effect at least until inaugrual day for using the word conservative.)

[jenna]

I definitely agree with B.W. on this one. It takes alot more faith to believe there is no God, than to believe in Him.

[Cross.eyed]

I definitely agree with B.W. on this one. It takes alot more faith to believe there is no God, than to believe in Him.

Agreed, it takes a GIANT leap of faith to believe this entire universe formed itself by chance. In the book I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist the odds of that happening were stated: 1 in 10 to the 40,000th power.

[Furstentum Liechtenstein]

Terrible? Could life even be without faith?[

Only in the broadest sense of the term.

I was referring to the metaphysic of faith: the reason behind the existence of faith, or that which makes faith a necessity in the creation. As I stated in my original post, even my dog has faith according to Hebrews 11:1, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The atheist has faith according to this narrow definition as well, be it Hebrews 11:1, or a firm and unquestioning belief in something for which there is no proof, (Merriam Webster Dictonary.)

I would even say that my dog, the atheist and the religionist all have faith of similar merit, a firm and unquestioning belief in something for which there is no proof, for my dog doesn't know if I will appear at the appointed time, the atheist believes in evolution even though it is without proof, and the religionist believes unquestioningly.

So, «faith» appears to be part of life, sentient life at least.

FL

[Cross.eyed]

Terrible? Could life even be without faith?[

Only in the broadest sense of the term.

I was referring to the metaphysic of faith: the reason behind the existence of faith, or that which makes faith a necessity in the creation. As I stated in my original post, even my dog has faith according to Hebrews 11:1, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The atheist has faith according to this narrow definition as well, be it Hebrews 11:1, or a firm and unquestioning belief in something for which there is no proof, (Merriam Webster Dictonary.)

I would even say that my dog, the atheist and the religionist all have faith of similar merit, a firm and unquestioning belief in something for which there is no proof, for my dog doesn't know if I will appear at the appointed time, the atheist believes in evolution even though it is without proof, and the religionist believes unquestioningly.

So, «faith» appears to be part of life, sentient life at least.

FL

Then we are in agreement.
Thanks for explaining this further and my apologies if I wasn't very clear.
I sometimes get a heavy fog that surrounds my pea sized brain.

[cslewislover]

Yes, I think most people have faith in something. I truly don't know how you can live without having faith. Personally, it wasn't until after I decided I didn't want to live anymore - before I had faith - that I became a Christian. I think people are drawn in the direction of their faith, too. When I was working on my BA in anthropology, I took the regular classes for the major, but I originally was focusing on human evolution (instead of archaeology, which I ended up doing). I wanted to know; know about humans and where they came from (I was not raised a Christian). Between the biology classes and the human evolution classes, things just didn't seem to add up to me. I think, like others have said here, that you have to have more faith to believe in those things than to believe in the God of the bible, the creator God.

As an aside, I notice that some older people walk around with the worst expressions on their faces. They look so angry and hopeless (and if you encounter them, they're invariably rude). These people, it seems to me, have no faith in anything and are totally miserable. If anyone has any comments on that, it would be interesting.

[JCSx2]

I have faith that science will open peoples eyes to a God, the more we learn the more we realize there is more to it than a big coincidence.

.

Faith, no one can live without. Even the most militant atheist has faith, faith in science, faith in one's five senses and reason. However, they most likely do not like to use the word faith to describe their belief system. It takes faith to believe in that there is no god.

How many inventions came from dreams? An inventor, like Thomas Edison, needed faith to apply science to make his dreams a reality. Yes, we all have a measure of faith. This measure maybe in other things rather than God but it is faith nevertheless.

So what is the difference between Christian Faith and other types of faith?

As Christians, what is our faith grounded on?

Let's re-open this Theology Forum...

Ideas — comments?
-
-
-

[Furstentum Liechtenstein]

So what is the difference between Christian Faith and other types of faith?

You may be interested in knowing what the Koran* says about Jesus:

They do blaspheme who say that Allah is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except One God. If they desist not from their [blasphemy], verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them... Christ, the son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger; many were The Messengers that passed away before him. -sura 5:73, 75a

By 620AD - when Satan inspired his prophet to recite the Koran - Christians must have been a thorn in Mohammed's sandal to have incurred such attention because the Koran is full of references to Jesus.

The popular view today is somewhat similar to the above. Jesus is seen as a Great Man, a Wise Soul, a Philosopher's Philosopher...but he is not God, at least outside the USA.

The USA still maintains lip service to the Christian faith, but that should change...for the worse.

FL

*quotes from The Holy Qur'an, translated by 'Abdullah Yusuf 'Ali, Amana Corp., Brentwood, Maryland, USA

[Harry12345]

Faith, no one can live without. Even the most militant atheist has faith, faith in science, faith in one's five senses and reason. However, they most likely do not like to use the word faith to describe their belief system. It takes faith to believe in that there is no god.

How many inventions came from dreams? An inventor, like Thomas Edison, needed faith to apply science to make his dreams a reality. Yes, we all have a measure of faith. This measure maybe in other things rather than God but it is faith nevertheless.

So what is the difference between Christian Faith and other types of faith?

As Christians, what is our faith grounded on?

Let's re-open this Theology Forum...

Ideas — comments?
-
-
-

When push comes to shove, I cannot explain my faith that God is One and His Son came to die for my sins. I heard the word, and believed without question.

[FFC]

Faith, no one can live without. Even the most militant atheist has faith, faith in science, faith in one's five senses and reason. However, they most likely do not like to use the word faith to describe their belief system. It takes faith to believe in that there is no god.

How many inventions came from dreams? An inventor, like Thomas Edison, needed faith to apply science to make his dreams a reality. Yes, we all have a measure of faith. This measure maybe in other things rather than God but it is faith nevertheless.

So what is the difference between Christian Faith and other types of faith?

As Christians, what is our faith grounded on?

Let's re-open this Theology Forum...

Ideas — comments?
-
-
-

When push comes to shove, I cannot explain my faith that God is One and His Son came to die for my sins. I heard the word, and believed without question.

Me too

[B. W.]

While pondering what faith is in regards to faith in God — I am beginning to see that an attribute of faith is — clinging too the Lord.

What do you all think about this? Faith — Believe in the Lord paints a picture of a person who spends their mortal days clinging to the Lord in all they do and say…

Does this make sense?
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