Difference between revisions of "Faith"

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[[Image:Prayer.jpg|thumbnail|right|200px|[[prayer|Praying]] Hands.
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'''Feminism''' originally was an expression used by [[suffragettes]] - who were predominantly [[pro-life]]<ref>[http://www.godlessprolifers.org/library/wallace4.html ''Susan B. Anthony opposed abortion'']</ref><ref>''"There is no question that she deplored the practice of abortion, as did every one of her colleagues in the suffrage movement."'' [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/13/opinion/13schiff.html?_r=1&oref=slogin ''Desperately Seeking Susan''] [[New York Times]] (13 October 2006)</ref><ref>[http://www.feministsforlife.org/history/foremoth.htm ''Voices of our Feminist Foremothers''] Feminists for Life</ref> - to obtain the right for women to vote in the early 1900s in the [[United States]] and the [[United Kingdom]].  By the 1970s, however, [[liberals]] had changed the meaning to represent people who favored [[abortion]] and identical roles or quotas for women in the military and in society as a whole. Specifically, modern feminists tend to:
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The [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologist]] [[Gary Habermas]] wrote: "Double-blind [[prayer]] experiments: where people pray for others with a terminal illness. Habermas admitted that most such experiments have not worked, but the three that he knows of that have indeed worked were cases of orthodox Christians praying for the sick."<ref>[http://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-apologist-10-reasons-for-the-fall-of-atheism-106531/ Christian Apologist: 10 Reasons for the Fall of Atheism] by [[Gary Habermas]]</ref>]]
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'''Faith'''<ref>Etymology: a very early English term dating from 1200-50, based on the Middle English term "feith" (Anglo-French fed,  Old French feid, feit, Latin fidem, accusative of fidēs meaning trust, akin to fīdere meaning to trust).</ref> (Greek: pistis/πίστις) is trust, [[confidence]] or [[belief]] about something unseen, such as attaining [[God]]'s will.<ref>Also, the website Bible Odyssey notes about certain contexts in the New Testament: "By the late first or early second century, Christians were beginning to stretch the meaning of pistis to describe the distinctive nature of their relationship with God and Christ. When the [[Letter of Jude]] exhorts a [[Christian]] group “contend for the faith (pistis) which was once delivered unto the saints” ([[Jude|Jude 3]]), it may be using pistis to refer to a body of teaching or even the “new covenant” in Christ." [https://ww.bibleodyssey.org/articles/faith-word-study/ Faith (Word Study)]</ref><ref>Faith in God is mentioned first in the [[Bible]] concerning [[Abraham]], at [[Genesis]] 15:6: "And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him as [[righteousness]]."</ref> It is faith that overcomes [[addiction]], and heals.
  
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* believe that there are no inherent differences between men and women and that all inequality is the result of men oppressing women<ref>The most significant belief underlying contemporary feminism is that there are no sex differences; therefore advocacy for equal rights must be extended to advocacy for equal results or outcomes. [http://www.endeavourforum.org.au/frauds1.htm]</ref>
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Faith goes beyond [[materialism]] to include beneficial use of the unseen, [[spiritual]] reality. [[Jesus Christ|Jesus]] taught that even a little faith (the size of a [[Mustard|mustard seed]]) can move mountains ([[Matthew, Chapter 17#20|Matthew 17:20]]).  
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* believe that "it takes a village to raise a child" and deny the exclusive role played by parents in raising children.<ref>Leading feminist [[Hillary Clinton]]'s famous book was entitled, "It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us," in reference to raising children.</ref>
 
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* view traditional [[marriage]] as unacceptably patriarchal
 
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* prefer role-reversal, like men baking cookies for women<ref>"But sometime between the Ides of March and Canada Day, I remembered that I'd given up baking cookies as a political act in 1975. ...  No self-respecting feminist could be found in the company of cookie dough." [http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/arts/story.html?k=60432&id=3b3c71f6-0d7d-4e1a-b8fb-cf8d5b1af478]</ref>
 
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* seek to abolish all-male ''private'' clubs
 
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* insist that childrearing activities be shared equally by men and women in every respect, rather than a productive division of labor
 
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* support [[affirmative action]] for women
 
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* detest women who are happy in traditional roles, such as housewife,<ref> "Being a [[housewife]] is an illegitimate profession... The choice to serve and be protected and plan towards being a family-maker is a choice that shouldn't be. The heart of  [[radical feminism]] is to change that." - Vivian Gornick, University of Illinois, "The Daily Illini," April 25, 1981. [http://www.ladiesagainstfeminism.com/artman/publish/LAF_Theme_Articles_13/You_Don_t_Know_Feminism_744100744.shtml        "You Don't Know Feminism"] </ref> and especially dislike those who defend such roles
 
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* prefer that women wear pants rather than dresses, presumably because men do<ref>"[T]he wearing of pantsuits is often a useful feminism signifier, depending on the culture of the law firm." [http://feministlawprofs.law.sc.edu/?p=2640]</ref><ref>"I was part of a growing tribe of pesky women called feminists by friends and enemies alike.  We women stormed out the door in our imitation men's suits ...." [http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/arts/story.html?k=60432&id=3b3c71f6-0d7d-4e1a-b8fb-cf8d5b1af478]</ref>
 
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* seek women in combat in the military just like men, and coed submarines
 
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* refuse to take the husband's last name when marrying, despite the confusion and complexity that causes<ref>"(Almost half the married women in the Harvard-Radcliffe class of 1990 kept or hyphenated their names.) If you read the New York Times wedding pages, and shut up, you do, the phrase 'the bride, who is keeping her name' seems like the norm, unless his name is Rockefeller. http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/feature/2003/10/16/names/index.html]</ref>
 
  
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==History==
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Precisely defining "faith" is challenging.<ref>''See also [[defining faith]]''.</ref> Faith is "realizing the [[infinity|infinite]], and using it for [[Goodness|good]]." Faith overcomes adversity, [[evil]] and [[deceit|lies]] (including [[liberal denial]]).
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Roots of the movement in the United States and the United Kingdom include the [[Women's Suffrage]] movement of the early 1900's and the [[Women's Liberation]] (or "Second Wave Feminist") movement of the 1960's and 1970's.
 
  
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The [[Equal Rights Amendment]], which proponents claimed would address the inadequacies of the [[Fourteenth Amendment]] concerning women and citizenship, was proposed in the US in 1923.  The amendment passed Congress in 1972 but was ultimately defeated, falling just three states short of the required three-quarters majority on June 30, 1982. Some conservatives, particularly [[Phyllis Schlafly]], felt that its passage would entail several consequences, including making girls subject to the military draft, requiring taxpayer-funded [[abortion]] the end of single-sex schools and classes, requiring the issuance of homosexual marriage licenses, and the revocation of laws that protect women in dangerous jobs, such as factory or mining work.  Indeed, in states that passed their own state versions of ERA, several of these results were subsequently ordered by courts.<ref>For example, the [[Hawaii]] and [[Massachusetts]] Supreme Courts ordered the issuance of homosexual marriage licenses based in part on their on their state ERAs, and the [[New Mexico]] Supreme Court ordered taxpayer-funded [[abortion]] based on its state ERA.</ref>
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The entire Chapter 11 of the [[Epistle to the Hebrews (Translated)#11:1|Epistle to the Hebrews]], possibly spoken by [[Jesus]] on the [[Road to Emmaus]], is devoted to explaining faith, which is unique to [[Christianity]].
  
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The feminist movement in the West evolved in the 1980s with the rise of so-called [[Post-Feminism]] (also called "[[Third-Wave]]" feminism), which stresses that women have many rights that go unrecognized, often by women themselves, in everyday life, and in the American legal structure. Most members of the feminist movement support reproductive rights currently guaranteed by American law, including the legal right to [[abortion]]. This stance is opposed by many conservatives, leading political commentator [[Rush Limbaugh]] to coin the term "Femi-nazis" to refer to extreme feminist activists.  
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Faith is more than mere thought, [[emotion]], and [[belief]].  Faith elevates one's being, while belief is limited to a mental state or emotion.  Faith implies a [[causation|causal]] role by the believer in an outcome,<ref>For example, the Biblical [[Peter]]'s walking on water based on his faith.</ref> or in overcoming a personal [[fear]].  Faith also implies advancement or accomplishment of something good, while mere belief does not achieve by itself.  
  
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During the administration of [[Bill Clinton]], feminism made a partial resurgence, but feminist leadership largely failed to criticize President Clinton's [[sexist]] behavior toward female employees as both Arkansas Governor and U.S. President.<ref>Odone, Christina [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article528875.ece ''Left-wing misogyny is alive and well: The party’s feminist agenda allows Labour men to get away with sexist behaviour''] (2 June 2005) [[The Times]]</ref><ref>Jackson, Candice E. ''"Their Lives: The Women Targeted by the Clinton Machine"'' (World Ahead Publishing; 2005) ISBN 0-9746-7013-8</ref>
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The importance of faith [[logic|logically]] follows from the [[Arguments for the existence of God|existence of God]], as explained in [[Luke, Chapter 17#7|Luke 7-10]] (merely doing as told is not enough - "We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.").<ref>Luke 17:10 (ESV) (emphasis added).</ref>  God went beyond His duty and would prefer His [[creation]] to do likewise.  That requires faith.
  
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==Quotations==
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Faith combined with [[Works (theology)|good works]] is a foundation of [[virtue]] and this is the strongest way to overcome [[addiction]] and harmful [[obsession]]s, including [[obesity]] and football watching/[[video game]] playing, as well as overcoming all kinds of [[fear]]s/[[anxiety]]. Faith could even be defined as the opposite of anxiety.
  
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===[[Robin Morgan]]===
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== Faith and the meaning of the koinonia Greek word pistos used in the New Testament ==
  
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*"I feel that 'man-hating' is an honourable and viable political act, that the oppressed have a right to class-hatred against the class that is oppressing them."<ref>[http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/LGB.asp From] "Sisterhood is Powerful"(1970)</ref>
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Below are articles and videos on faith and the meaning of the [[Koine Greek]] word pistos used in the [[New Testament]].
  
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*"I haven't the faintest notion what possible revolutionary role white hetero-sexual men could fulfill, since they are the very embodiment of reactionary-vested-interest-power. But then, I have great difficulty examining what men in general could possibly do about all this. In addition to doing the sh*twork that women have been doing for generations, possibly not exist? No, I really don't mean that. Yes, I really do."<ref>[http://circuitous.org/scraps/combahee.html From] her introduction to "Sisterhood is Powerful"</ref><ref>http://www.feministcampus.org/network/chat/morgan04232003.asp</ref>
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*[https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/kjv/pistos.html#:~:text=Pistos%20Definition,plighted%20faith%2C%20worthy%20of%20trust Pistos], BibleStudyTools.com
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*[https://biblehub.com/greek/4102.htm Strong's Concordance - Pistis]
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*[https://voice.dts.edu/digitalarticle/a-good-word-faithful/ A Good Word: πιστός – Faithful]
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*[https://ww.bibleodyssey.org/articles/faith-word-study/ Faith (Word Study)], Bible Odyssey
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*[https://thelogosofagape.wordpress.com/2018/07/25/pistis-pisteos-and-pisteuo-a-greek-word-study/comment-page-1/#:~:text=Try%20to%20think%20about%20how,word%20in%20the%20early%20church. Pistis, Pisteos and Pisteuó – A Greek Word Study]
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*[https://www.foundationsforfreedom.net/Topics/Faith/Faith014.html "Studying the Words of Faith"]
  
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*"We can't destroy the inequities between men and women until we destroy marriage."<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3827/is_/ai_n9357217 From] "Sisterhood is Powerful"</ref>
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Videos:
  
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*"I claim that rape exists any time sexual intercourse occurs when it has not been initiated by the woman, out of her own genuine affection and desire."<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3827/is_199903/ai_n8831317 From] "Theory and Practice: Pornography and Rape"</ref>
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*[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbjmSS6LZDGpJ44DIbTb5YZGKvFpgMesY Faith and the koinonia Greek word pistos used in the New Testament - video playlist], Video playlist
  
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===[[Andrea Dworkin]]===
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== Bible verses on faith ==
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[[File:Open-bible.jpg|thumb|275px|right|The [[Bible]] is the best-selling book of all time.<ref>[https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/best-selling-book-of-non-fiction The Bible is the best selling book of all time], Guinness Book of Word Record</ref> ]]
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*"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" - {{bibleref|Heb|11|1}} ([[ESV]])
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*"for we walk by faith, not by sight" - [[2nd Corinthians, Chapter 5#7|2 Corinthians 5:7]]
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*"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." - [[Romans]] 10:17
  
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*"Marriage as an institution developed from rape as a practice."<ref name="LfaWZ">[http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/LGB.asp From] her book "Letters from a War Zone"</ref>
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*"We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing." - 2 Thessalonians 1:3
  
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*"Heterosexual intercourse is the pure, formalized expression of contempt for women's bodies."<ref name="LfaWZ"/>
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Below are [[Bible]] verses in faith:
  
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*"In my own life, I don't have intercourse. That is my choice."<ref>Andrea Dworkin: [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4024585,00.html "'They took my body from me and used it'"] (Guardian Unlimited)</ref>
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*[https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/faith-bible-verses/#:~:text=Top%20Bible%20Verses%20about%20Faith,through%20the%20word%20of%20Christ. Bible Verses about Faith], BibleStudyTools.org
  
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*Q: People think you are very hostile to men. A: "I am."<ref>[http://www.nostatusquo.com/ACLU/dworkin/WarZoneChaptIID.html "Nervous Interview"], 1978 (Background: "Norman Mailer managed to publish lots of interviews with himself, none of which made much sense, all of which were taken seriously by literati of various stripes. So this is half parody of him and his chosen form and half parody of myself and my chosen movement.")</ref>
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*[https://www.openbible.info/topics/faith Bible verses on faith], OpenBible.info
  
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*"Men use the night to erase us."<ref name="TNaD">[http://www.nostatusquo.com/ACLU/dworkin/WarZoneChaptIb.html The Night and Danger]</ref>
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*[https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-key-bible-verses-on-faith/ 10 Key Bible Verses on Faith], Crossway.org
  
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*"The annihilation of a woman's personality, individuality, will, character, is prerequisite to male sexuality."<ref name="TNaD"/>
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*[https://dailyverses.net/faith Bible verses on faith], DailyVerses.net
  
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===Marilyn French===
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== Biblically sound principles concerning faith ==
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[[Image:Marilyn French.gif|left]]
 
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*"As long as some men use physical force to subjugate females, all men need not. The knowledge that some men do suffices to threaten all women. He can beat or kill the woman he claims to love; he can rape women ... he can sexually molest his daughters ... THE VAST MAJORITY OF MEN IN THE WORLD DO ONE OR MORE OF THE ABOVE" - ''The War Against Women'', p. 182 (her emphasis)<ref>http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/034538248X/ref=sib_dp_pt#</ref>
 
  
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*"All patriarchists exalt the home and family as sacred, demanding it remain inviolate from prying eyes. Men want privacy for their violations of women ... All women learn in childhood that women as a sex are men's prey" - ''The War Against Women'', p. 186 <ref>http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/034538248X/ref=sib_dp_pt#</ref>
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Below are some biblically sound principles concerning faith:
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[[Image:abraham_sacrificing_isaac.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''[[Abraham]] Sacrificing [[Isaac]]'' by [[Rembrandt]]
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"Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham." - Galations 3:6-7 ([[NRSV]])]]
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'''1.''' Bible reading/[[Bible memorization]]. "So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ" - Romans 10:17 ([[NRSV]])
  
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*"The media treat male assaults on women like rape, beating, and murder of wives and female lovers, or male incest with children, as individual aberrations ... obscuring the fact that all male violence toward women is part of a concerted campaign" - ''The War Against Women'', p. 21 <ref>http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/034538248X/ref=sib_dp_pt#</ref>
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'''2.''' [[Prayer]]. Ask God for more faith.  
  
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====In fiction authored by Marilyn French====
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From Mark 9:23–25:
  
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*My feelings about men are the result of my experience. I have little sympathy for them. Like a Jew just released from Dachau, I watch the handsome young Nazi soldier fall writhing to the ground with a bullet in his stomach and I look briefly and walk on. I don't even need to shrug. I simply don't care. What he was, as a person, I mean, what his shames and yearnings were, simply don't matter" - ''The Women's Room''
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Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”  And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” - Mark 9:23-25 (NRSV)
  
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*"All men are rapists and that's all they are" - The character Mia in her novel ''The Women's Room'', p. 462<ref>http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0345353617/ref=sib_dp_pt#</ref>
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'''3.''' Have complete faith without wavering in double-minded doubt when praying to God
  
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===Other===
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"If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord."
  
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*"The nuclear family must be destroyed ... Whatever its ultimate meaning, the break-up of families now is an objectively revolutionary process" - Linda Gordon
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'''4.''' Avoiding and repenting of sin can help answers to prayers from being hindered (1 Peter 3:7). See: [[Sanctification]]
  
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*"Marriage has existed for the benefit of men; and has been a legally sanctioned method of control over women ... We must work to destroy it. The end of the institution of marriage is a necessary condition for the liberation of women. Therefore it is important for us to encourage women to leave their husbands and not to live individually with men ... All of history must be re-written in terms of oppression of women. We must go back to ancient female religions like witchcraft" (from "The Declaration of Feminism" November, 1971)  
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"Husbands, in the same way, show consideration for your wives in your life together, paying honor to the woman—though the weaker vessel, they are joint heirs of the gracious gift of life—so that nothing may hinder your prayers." - 1 Peter 3:7 (NRSV)
  
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*"The feminista agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a [[socialist]], anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, [[abortion|kill their children]], practice [[witchcraft]], destroy capitalism, and become [[lesbian]]s" - Pat Robertson, fundraising letter, 1992<ref>http://www.gainesvillehumanists.org/patr.htm </ref>  
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'''5.''' Be firm in your faith, have your walk with God be rooted and built up in God.<ref>[https://www.bibleref.com/Colossians/2/Colossians-2-6.html#:~:text=Our%20walk%20with%20God%20must,taken%20in%20by%20deceptive%20arguments. What does Colossians 2:6 mean?], Bibleref.com</ref><ref>[https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Col/Col_002.cfm#:~:text=As%20we%20have%20received%20Christ,Observe%2C Matthew Henry Commentary on Colossians 2] - [[Matthew Henry]]'s Commentary on the Whole Bible</ref> Have a grateful heart towards God (See: [[Gratitude#How to be more grateful to God|How to be more grateful to God]])
  
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*"The people I'm furious with are the Women's Liberationists. They keep getting up on soapboxes and proclaiming women are brighter than men. That's true, but it should be kept quiet or it ruins the whole racket" - Anita Loos
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"For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, and I rejoice to see your orderly conduct and the firmness of your faith in Christ. As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to walk in him,  rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." - Colossians 2:6-7 (NRSV)
  
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*"Life in this society being, at best, an utter bore and no aspect of society being at all relevant to women, there remains to civic-minded, responsible, thrill-seeking females only to overthrow the government, eliminate the money system, institute complete automation, and destroy the male sex" - [[Valerie Solanas]], [[SCUM]] founder (Society for Cutting Up Men)
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'''6.'''  Ask God, but do so appropriately without selfish/bad motives
  
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*"The male is a domestic animal which, if treated with firmness...can be trained to do most things" - Jilly Cooper, [[SCUM]] (Society For Cutting Up Men, started by [[Valerie Solanas]])  
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"You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures." - James 4:2-3 (NRSV)
  
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*"Since marriage constitutes slavery for women, it is clear that the women's movement must concentrate on attacking this institution. Freedom for women cannot be won without the abolition of marriage" - Sheila Cronin, the leader of the feminist organization NOW
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===== Articles on faith =====
  
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*"The institution of sexual intercourse is anti-feminist" - Ti-Grace Atkinson
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*[https://gracebaptistmarshfield.org/pastors-blog/2022/8/7/6-keys-to-increase-your-faith-in-god 6 Keys to Increase Your Faith in God]
  
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*"Feminism is the theory, lesbianism is the practice" - Ti-Grace Atkinson
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*[https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/spiritual-disciplines-strengthen-faith.html 10 Spiritual Disciplines to Strengthen Your Faith], [[CRU]]
  
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*"It matters more what's in a woman's face than what's on it." - Claudette Colbert, quoted in Kindling the Spirit by Lois P. Frankel
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*[https://www.gotquestions.org/increase-my-faith.html How can I increase my faith?], [[Got Questions Ministries]]
  
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*"Rape is nothing more or less than a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear" - Susan Brownmiller; Authoress of Against Our Will p.6
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== Faith in God vs. secular psychology for solving addictions and other personal problems ==
  
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*"When a woman reaches orgasm with a man she is only collaborating with the patriarchal system, eroticizing her own oppression" - Sheila Jeffrys
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''See also:'' [[Ineffectivness of counseling psychology]]
  
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*"Politically, I call it rape whenever a woman has sex and feels violated" - Catharine MacKinnon
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[[File:The Conversion of St Paul by Nicolas-Bernard Lepicie, 1767.JPG|thumb|250px|The Conversion of [[St Paul]] by Nicolas-Bernard Lepicie, 1767.]]
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The [[Apostle Paul]] wrote:
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{{cquote|Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the [[Holy Spirit|Spirit of our God]]." - I Corinthians 6:9-11 (NIV)}}
  
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*"All sex, even consensual sex between a married couple, is an act of violence perpetrated against a woman" - Catharine MacKinnon
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The website ''The Berean Call'' has several articles on various false claims and unbiblical notions that many practitioners of counseling psychology promote.<ref>http://www.thebereancall.org/topic/psychology</ref>
  
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*"You grow up with your father holding you down and covering your mouth so another man can make a horrible searing pain between your legs" - Catharine MacKinnon (Prominent legal feminist scholar; Universities of Michigan & Yale)
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Faith plays a central role in overcoming [[addiction]].  Virtually everyone is plagued by one or more addictions, and faith enables overcoming those weaknesses. Similar to this is faith's key role in overcoming [[recidivism]].  This role is unique to [[Christian]] faith and has not been shown concerning other [[religion]]s' belief systems or to secular humanist ideologies.
  
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*"In a patriarchal society, all heterosexual intercourse is rape because women, as a group, are not strong enough to give meaningful consent" - Catharine MacKinnon, quoted in ''Professing Feminism: Cautionary Tales from the Strange World of Women's Studies''  
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Faith is also helpful in overcoming fear, such as fear of public speaking,  appearing on [[television]], or standing up to a [[bully]] or unpleasant situations.  Jesus reprimanded the [[Apostles]] for their [[faithless]] fear:  "The disciples went and woke him, saying, 'Lord, save us! We're going to drown!' He replied, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?' Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm."<ref>Mt 8:25-26 (NIV)</ref>
  
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*"The more famous and powerful I get the more power I have to hurt men" - Sharon Stone, Actress
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Lack of faith can lead to fear, anxiety, [[depression]], lack of confidence and sometimes death.  A lack of faith can be very harmful, leading to self-destructive behavior.  Faith can be described as the power to ignore the [[devil]] and all his antics.
  
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*"Ninety-five percent of women's experiences are about being a victim. Or about being an underdog, or having to survive ... women didn't go to Vietnam and blow things up. They are not [[Rambo]]" - Jodie Foster, Actress - as quoted in The New York Times Magazine
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Often faith inspires extra initiative or effort, adding confidence that it will yield the desired good result.  "Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on," and Jesus cured him.<ref>Mark 2:4</ref>
  
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*"The proportion of men must be reduced to and maintained at approximately 10% of the human race" - Sally Miller Gearhart, in ''The Future - If There Is One - Is Female''
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==Frequency==
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[[File:Belief-god.jpg|center|thumb|550px|Financial Times (FT)/Harris Poll among adults in 5 countries in 2006]]
  
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*"And if the professional rapist is to be separated from the average dominant heterosexual (male), it may be mainly a quantitative difference" - Susan Griffin, Rape: The All-American Crime
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==Expression==
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A&nbsp;classic statement of faith in the [[Bible]] was by the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] centurion of [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%208:5-10;&version=49; Matthew 8:5-10], who expressed his confidence that [[Jesus]] could cure his beloved servant from a distance without even seeing him.  [[Jesus]] repeatedly emphasized the importance and value of faith to his disciples.
  
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*"If life is to survive on this planet, there must be a decontamination of the Earth. I think this will be accompanied by an evolutionary process that will result in a drastic reduction of the population of males" - Mary Daly, former Professor at Boston College, 2001
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Faith is expressed in [[Greek language|Greek]] using the term ''pistis'', and in [[Latin]] using the term ''fidēs''. Faith is mentioned in 229 verses in the [[New Testament]] ([[KJV]]), but only twice in the much larger [[Old Testament]] ([[KJV]]).<ref>http://www.crosswalk.com</ref>  In an attempt to convert [[Jews]] to [[Christianity]], [[Paul]] described [[Abraham]]'s willingness to sacrifice his beloved son [[Isaac]] to [[God]] as an act of faith, though the [[Old Testament]] did not describe it with that term.
  
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*"If anyone is prosecuted for filing a false report, then victims of real attacks will be less likely to report them" - David Angier
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Faith is strengthened by prayer ([http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jude%2020;&version=9; Jude 20]). For those who strengthen their faith, [[Jesus]] promised "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."<ref>John 14:12 (NIV).</ref>
  
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*"To use the word [rape] carefully would be to be careful for the sake of the violator, and the survivors don't care a hoot about him. &hellip; They [men unjustly accused of rape] have a lot of pain, but it is not a pain that I would necessarily have spared them. I think it ideally initiates a process of self-exploration. 'How do I see women?' 'If I didn't violate her, could I have?' 'Do I have the potential to do to her what they say I did?' Those are good questions." - Catherine Comins, assistant dean of student life at Vassar in 1991 <ref>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,973077-6,00.html</ref>
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Life itself may be the manifestation of God's faith.  Decay and death may be the manifestation of a lack or denial of faith. According to [[Paul]], decay and death is the result of [[sin]]. [[Galatians]] 6:8; [[Epistle to the Romans|Romans]] 5:12; [[I Corinthians|1 Corinthians]] 15:21-22.
  
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*"I believe that women have a capacity for understanding and compassion which man structurally does not have, does not have it because he cannot have it. He's just incapable of it" - Barbara Jordan, former congresswoman
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==Biblical examples==
  
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*"Probably the only place where a man can feel really secure is in a maximum security prison, except for the imminent threat of release" - [[Germaine Greer]]
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Perhaps the greatest description of faith is Hebrews 11:1. It states: "Now faith is being sure of what we [[hope]] for and certain of what we do not see."<ref>Hebrews 11:1 (NIV).</ref>
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[[File:St Paul Preaching.jpg|thumb|right|The [[painting]] by Giovanni Ricco (1817-1873) shows Paulus before that "high priest and the advice of the oldest" in Jerusalem where he defends its theology for the moors.]]The King James Version expresses this passage as: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  The Greek word translated as "substance" is `hupostasis', meaning setting under (support).  The Greek word for "evidence" is `elegchos', meaning proof.<ref>J. Strong, 1890, ''Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible'', Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN.</ref>  The Bible thus distinguishes clearly between the ''leap of faith'' of Kierkegaard and a faith based on acknowledgment of the evidence presented by God within our own experiences in this world.  Paul, in {{bibleref|Romans|1|17-20}} explains that faith has its basis in the observed expression of God's existence in this universe: "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen...."
  
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*"Man-hating is everywhere, but everywhere it is twisted and transformed, disguised, tranquilized, and qualified. It coexists, never peacefully, with the love, desire, respect, and need women also feel for men. Always man-hating is shadowed by its milder, more diplomatic and doubtful twin, ambivalence" - Judith Levine, Authoress
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[[Paul]] indicated that exceptional faith may be a gift of the [[Holy Spirit]]. 1 Corinthians 12:8-9 ''For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit''
  
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*"I feel what they feel: man-hating, that volatile admixture of pity, contempt, disgust, envy, alienation, fear, and rage at men. It is hatred not only for the anonymous man who makes sucking noises on the street, not only for the rapist or the judge who acquits him, but for what the Greeks called philo-aphilos, 'hate in love' for the men women share their lives with - husbands, lovers, friends, fathers, brothers, sons, co-workers." - Judith Levine, Authoress of My Enemy, My love
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As discussed above, a potential reference to faith is [[Genesis]] 22, where [[God]] tested [[Abraham]] by commanding him to sacrifice his only son [[Isaac]]. As Abraham prepared to do what God commanded, he was stopped. {{bibleref|Genesis|22|12}}: ''"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."''
  
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*"There are no boundaries between affectionate sex and slavery in (the male) world. Distinctions between pleasure and danger are academic; the dirty-laundrylist of 'sex acts' ... includes rape, foot binding, fellatio, intercourse, auto eroticism, incest, anal intercourse, use and production of pornography, cunnilingus, sexual harassment, and murder" - Judith Levine; summarizing comment on the WAS document (A Southern Women's Writing Collective: Women Against Sex)
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The Scofield Bible defines faith as accepting God at his word, believing God is who he says he is, and accepting what God says about himself and sin as true.
  
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*((Delaney Nickerson, of the American Coalition for ABUSE AWARENESS, refers to the False Memory Syndrome Foundation as "The F---ing Molesters Society" (Miami Herald, April 3, 1995) The ACAA is a lobbying group, which includes Ellen Bass (co-author of THE COURAGE TO HEAL), and Rene Frederickson, leading feminist psychotherapist and strong proponent of repressed memory theory))
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==Catholic "Act of Faith"==
  
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*((At the STONE ANGELS satanic ritual abuse conference in Thunder Bay in February, 1995, the following was contained in the handouts at a conference supported financially by the Ontario Government: FMS stands for: FULL OF MOSTLY SH*T; FOR MORE SADISM; FELONS, MURDERERS, SCUMBALLS; FREQUENT MOLESTERS SOCIETY))
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Faith is defined differently by [[Catholic Church|Catholics]] and [[Evangelical Christians|Evangelical Protestants]].
  
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*"Women have their faults / men have only two: / everything they say / everything they do" {{Fact|Date=March 2008}} -- Popular Feminist Graffiti
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The Catholic Act of Faith is a formal prayer of belief:
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:"O my God, I firmly believe that You are one God in three Divine Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe that Your Divine Son became man and died for our sins, and that He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches, because You revealed them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived. Amen."
  
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*"I was, in reality, bred by my parents as my father's concubine... What we take for granted as the stability of family life may well depend on the sexual slavery of our children. What's more, this is a cynical arrangement our institutions have colluded to conceal" - Sylvia Fraser, Journalist
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What Protestant Evangelicals call Faith, Catholics call the virtue of Hope (''defined as "confident expectation of good without doubting"''). The Catholic Act of Hope is a formal prayer of assurance:
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:"O my God, relying on Your infinite goodness and promises, I hope (''with complete confidence'') to obtain pardon for my sins, the help of Your grace and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen."
  
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*Catharine MacKinnon maintains that "the private is a sphere of battery, marital rape and women's exploited labor." In this way, privacy and family are reduced to nothing more than aspects of the master plan, which is male domination. Democratic freedoms and the need to keep the state's nose out of our personal affairs are rendered meaningless. The real reason our society cherishes privacy is because men have invented it as an excuse to conceal their criminality. If people still insist that the traditional family is about love and mutual aid - ideals which, admittedly, are sometimes betrayed - they're "hiding from the truth" The family isn't a place where battery and marital rape sometimes happen but where little else apparently does. Sick men don't simply molest their daughters, they operate in league with their wives to "breed" them for that purpose - Donna Laframboise; The Princess at the Window (in a critical explication of the Catharine MacKinnon, [[Gloria Steinem]] et al, tenets of misandric belief)
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Catholics emphasize the teaching of [http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/james/2-19.htm James 2:19], in which the [[Demon|devils]] have accurate faith but no hope.
  
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*"If the classroom situation is very heteropatriarchal - a large beginning class of 50 to 60 students, say, with few feminist students - I am likely to define my task as largely one of recruitment ... of persuading students that women are oppressed" - Professor Joyce Trebilcot of Washington University, as quoted in Who Stole Feminism: How Women Have Betrayed Women
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==Martin Luther on Faith==
  
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*"Men, as a group, tend to be abusive, either verbally, sexually or emotionally. There are always the exceptions, but they are few and far between (I am married to one of them). There are different levels of violence and abuse and individual men buy into this system by varying degrees. But the male power structure always remains intact." - Message on FEMISA, responding to a request for arguments that men are unnecessary for a child to grow into mature adulthood.
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[[Martin Luther]] in his Table Talk papers writes this thought-provoking and rather difficult passage on faith:
  
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*Another posting on FEMISA: "Considering the nature and pervasiveness of men's violence, I would say that without question, children are better off being raised without the presence of men. Assaults on women and children are mostly perpetrated by men whom they are supposed to love and trust: fathers, brothers, uncles, grandfathers, step-fathers." (Both above quotes taken from Daphne Patai's excellent critical work, [[Heterophobia]])
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"This is the acme of faith, to believe that God, who saves so few and condemns so many, is merciful; that he is just who, at his own pleasure, has made us necessarily doomed to damnation, so that he seems to delight in the torture of the wretched and is more deserving of hate than of love. If by any effort of reason I could conceive how God, who shows so much anger and harshness, could be merciful and just, there would be no need of faith."
  
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*"At Brandies I discovered Feminism. And I instantly became a convert... writing brilliant papers in my Myths of Patriarchy class, in which I likened my fate as a woman to other victims throughout the ages." {{fact}} - Heather Hart 7
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==The Moral Basis of Biblical Faith==
  
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*Here are 10 reasons why we are concerned about feminism and the National Organisation for Women
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''See also:'' [[Morality]]
  
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1. "The simple fact is that every woman must be willing to be identified as a lesbian to be fully feminist" - National NOW Times, January, 1988
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[[File:A tree.jpg|thumbnail|400px|right|"Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you." - [[Jesus]] (Matthew 17:20)]]
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The biblical expression of faith is belief in what God reveals to man to be ''so''. Since New Testament times, that means belief in what God reveals to ''be so'' concerning Jesus Christ. There is a steady progression through time of what God reveals and so belief also finds expression in progressive content and emphasis. What God reveals to Adam, to Noah, to Moses (and through them), to the prophets, to the Ninevites, to Simeon and Anna,  Mary, to the Apostles, differs in content and in emphasis, but the culmination of the content of faith is the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. What they all have in common is commitment to the true God, and willingness to correspond to His Will, even if they are uncertain of what He wills, "that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him" (Acts 17:27).
  
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2. "Since marriage constitutes slavery for women, it is clear that the women's movement must concentrate on attacking this institution. Freedom for women cannot be won without the abolition of marriage" - feminist leader Sheila Cronan
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The [[Morality|moral]] basis of faith is the positive response of belief, and the obedience of one's life to the requirement implied by the revelation. That is why Adam (and his generation) was not required to believe what Noah was required to believe, why Noah was not required to believe what Abraham was required to believe, and why Abraham was not required to believe what Moses was required to believe. Moses, and his generation, was not required to believe what Isaiah was required to believe, until the time of Jesus. Nor were they each allowed to believe less than what was required of them to believe, as if they were of a previous generation and a previous revelation.
  
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3. In response to a question concerning China's policy of compulsory abortion after the first child, Molly Yard responded, "I consider the Chinese government's policy among the most intelligent in the world" - Gary Bauer, "Abetting Coercion in China" The Washington Times, Oct. 10, 1989
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The moral basis of Faith continues on in effect, content, and emphasis, since the time of the Son of God on earth. That is why the "good man"  is required to believe in the Son of God preached to him, as He, the Son of God, is the source of his goodness, and the forgiver of his badness, through His sacrifice on the cross; the "bad man" required to believe in Him who bore his sin, through His sacrifice on the cross; the "gentile", wherever found, of whatever stage, required to live up to what is given him by his conscience and whatever good has come to him through his culture, and believe in the light God is actually giving him, and in the Jesus being preached to him, but not required to believe in and practice the Law of Moses; the Jew required to keep the Law given him, and then to despair at not having fulfilled it, and believe in the Son of God being revealed to him; the infant responds, as infants can, and not as adolescents and adults are required, each in his own order, until the greater revelation comes, and separation from the dominance and protection of the elders; and why an embryo aborted is required to respond as only an embryo can, which God alone knows, and not be required to be at the level of response he would have been moments and days and months and years later, if he would have been let live - saved - though the embryo would never have known how - by the Cross of the sin bearing Savior, who knew him well and loved him. "to him whom much has been given, of him much will be required."
  
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4. "Overthrowing capitalism is too small for us. We must overthrow the whole ... patriarch!" - [[Gloria Steinem]], radical feminist leader, editor of Ms. Magazine
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==The natural and the supernatural aspects of Faith==
  
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5. "Marriage has existed for the benefit of men; and has been a legally sanctioned method of control over women.... We must work to destroy it. The end of the institution of marriage is a necessary condition for the liberation of women. Therefore it is important for us to encourage women to leave their husbands and not to live individually with men ... All of history must be re-written in terms of oppression of women. We must go back to ancient female religions like witchcraft" (from "The Declaration of Feminism" November, 1971)
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Faith is a gift from God that may be viewed in two ways. One is clearly an intrusion or at least an introjection into our ordinary lives. Under this aspect, we see it as pure grace. "For by grace are you saved through faith, and this is not as a result of your deeds, It is God's gift and not something from ourselves". Our response is from the extremity of our situation and as a clear product of something outside ourselves - the new word of God, the message concerning Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Even the ability to hear and understand is given to us from above, "Faith comes by hearing, and " "hearing" itself comes by the Word of God. And thus we call out, from the depth and from consciousness, for salvation. " Whoever shall call on the name of the Lord, will be saved." Even if the calling is an inchoate yearning from the depth of the soul that finds no articulation, it knows not how, the Lord sees the heart of longing calling for him, and saves.<ref>Psalms 22:9-10; 58:3; 71:6; Jeremiah 1:5; Luke 1:42, 44; Acts 17:27-28; Romans 8:26; Galatians 1:15; 2 Peter 3:9</ref>
  
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6. "By the year 2000 we will, I hope, raise our children to believe in human potential, not God" - [[Gloria Steinem]], editor of Ms. Magazine)
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The other aspect of Faith is not by intrusion or introjection, but by infusion and irradiation. This too is of the grace of God. Whereas the first aspect had come to us at our extremity from without, this aspect comes to us from within and around, pervading the so-called natural structures that we experience every day, that are so supportive of stability, confidence, trust, and hope. Good parenting, the solidity of home and provision, loving faithfulness among friends as we grow, and continual exposure to the truth of the Word of God (and the truth is always therapeutic), strengthen our faith, and our expectation for continuing faithfulness and involvement of a loving and good God.  Faith seems so natural, so in accord with our experience, that we could even be surprised that it could have been otherwise. Here we experience, most often, not a crisis of faith, but the need to give ourselves more fully to Him in whom we are believing. Under this aspect, God is to be appreciated and acknowledged for being our good and heavenly Father. The Old Testament presents us with the reality of this aspect of faith. Amidst even the miraculous events such as the parting of the "Red" Sea, and the many deliverances Israel experienced so beyond their natural ability to affect, little is said or acknowledged consciously of the quality of faith itself. It is the air that a fish is most conscious of, not his home in the water.
  
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7. "Let's forget about the mythical Jesus and look for encouragement, solace, and inspiration from real women ... Two thousand years of patriarchal rule under the shadow of the cross ought to be enough to turn women toward the feminist 'salvation' of this world" - Annie Laurie Gaylor, "Feminist Salvation," The Humanist, p. 37, July/August 1988
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==Faith: the Access to Reality==
  
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8. "In order to raise children with equality, we must take them away from families and communally raise them" - Dr. Mary Jo Bane, feminist and assistant professor of education at Wellesley College, and associate director of the school's Center for Research on Woman
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Christianity demands faith and insists that faith be turned into sight. "Do you believe, Thomas, because you have seen. Blessed are those who do not see and yet believe." Throughout the New Testament, this theme occurs, belief in Jesus, belief in the Heavenly Father, belief in the readiness of God to still waves, causes you to walk on water, to return a dead girl back to her grieving, believing mother, to see small insignificant things as a seed grow, as if miraculously of itself, into a startling display of fruit to eat and protection for birds, all of this, with only the sky to limit, comes into our lives, according to Jesus, if we have Faith. Reality is gained by the exercise of Faith, a reality unattainable by the ordinary means frequented by men. 
  
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9. "Being a housewife is an illegitimate profession... The choice to serve and be protected and plan towards being a family- maker is a choice that shouldn't be. The heart of radical feminism is to change that" - Vivian Gornick, feminist author, University of Illinois, The Daily Illini, April 25, 1981
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But this reality attained, so extraordinary in this sordid and marred sin-infested world, is seen to be the "normal" reality of the Kingdom of Heaven, just waiting to enter. Entirely right in the presence of the Kingdom of God and the King Himself for the dead boy to get up from his bier to run to his mother, entirely right that the adulteress be pardoned, strengthened, challenged, and hold her head up high once again, entirely right the demons come out of the tormented boy to be commanded to go to the place that God has prepared for them, all entirely right at the entrance of this new reality of the Kingdom of Heaven among us, and the King Himself, Jesus. The overwhelming of reality, by Reality.
  
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10. "The most merciful thing a large family can to do one of its infant members is to kill it" - Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, in "Women and the New Race" p. 67
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As God is palpable in Jesus, so the Reality of the Kingdom of God is palpable and can be seen, on this earth. The entrance to the Garden was by faith, but the reality of the Garden is as tangible as was Jesus eating fish with his disciples after he got up from the dead. As much as the New Testament presents Faith as the entrance to the Kingdom, so does it insist that Faith, perhaps not fully in this world, shall turn to sight in the end... and on the way. "It is not apparent what we who are called the children of God shall yet be, but we know that we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He really is."
  
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*"Women's chains have been forged by men, not by anatomy." - Estelle R. Ramey
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==Faith as a virtue==
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[[Image:Konrad Witz – Petri fiskafänge.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The 'walking on water' episode, which both showed and tested St Peter's faith ([[painting]] by Konrad Witz).]]
  
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*"I would have girls regard themselves not as adjectives but as nouns." - Elizabeth Cady Stanton, "Our Girls"
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''See also:'' [[Virtue]]
  
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*"We are, as a sex, infinitely superior to men" - [[Elizabeth Cady Stanton]], from her diary of December 27, 1890, quoting a letter she wrote. <ref>http://books.google.com/books?id=CIsEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA270&lpg=PA270&dq=%22we+are+as+a+sex+infinitely+superior+to+men%22&source=web&ots=FqYVyWK-s6&sig=tnXoiGvopCcO1vFaoF7nmSvtXPM&hl=en#PPA270,M1</ref>
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[[St Paul]] identified faith, [[hope]] and [[love]] (or [[charity]]) as the three greatest [[virtue]]s that are central to Christianity, and this idea is repeated and elaborated upon throughout Christian tradition. Faith is put first because it provides the foundation upon which the other two are built: a faithful heart and mind cause one to have hope, and hope causes one to have love for God and one's fellow man.
  
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From 'A feminist Dictionary; ed. Kramarae and Triechler, Pandora Press, 1985:  
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In [[Dante]]'s [[Divine Comedy]], [[St Peter]] is most identified with faith. This is appropriate, since he was the 'rock' on which the Church was built, just as a Christian life must be rooted in faith. Peter's great faith is shown in Matthew 14:28-31, when he is briefly able to walk on water until doubt enters his mind.
  
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*MALE: ... represents a variant of or deviation from the category of female. The first males were mutants ... the male sex represents a degeneration and deformity of the female
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Christian philosopher Robert Merrihew Adams wrote a book, ''The Virtue of Faith'', to defend the idea of faith as virtuous. Consider the case of a loved one accused of some wrongdoing, but who protests their innocence - our relationship with them creates a special ethical obligation to believe what they say, which does not apply to the protestations of innocence of strangers; at the same time, that obligation is not absolute, but can be overturned by the evidence. Adams uses this example to argue that some beliefs we are ethically obliged to hold, and that the existence of God could be such a belief for the believer. Contrary to Adams' view is that favored by many atheists, classically expressed by William Kingdon Clifford in his 1877 essay ''The Ethics of Belief'', which states "it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence." However, while Clifford can point to individual cases where believing things without evidence is unethical, those cases fail to demonstrate that his principle is true in every case, and he ignores valid cases such as those that Adams cites which lead to the opposite conclusion.
  
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*MAN: ... an obsolete life form ... an ordinary creature who needs to be watched ...a contradictory baby-man ...
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== Unique Role Within Christianity ==
  
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*TESTOSTERONE POISONING: ... 'Until now it has been though that the level of testosterone in men is normal simply because they have it. But if you consider how abnormal their behavior is, then you are led to the hypothesis that almost all men are suffering from "testosterone poisoning"  
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Christianity is different from many religions in that its followers are defined by faith rather than by adherence to a prescribed code. St. Paul makes this distinction clear in Galatians 3:24-25: "The law was a kind of tutor in charge of us until Christ should come, when we should be justified through faith; and now that faith has come, the tutor's charge is at an end."  
  
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*Letter to editor: "Women's Turn to Dominate" "... Clearly you are not yet a free-thinking feminist but rather one of those women who bounce off the male-dominated, male-controlled social structures. Who cares how men feel or what they do or whether they suffer? They have had over 2000 years to dominate and made a complete hash of it. Now it is our turn. My only comment to men is: if you don't like it, bad luck - and if you get in my way I'll run you down" Signed: Liberated Women, Boronia Herald-Sun, Melbourne, Australia. 9 February, 1996
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That is to say, whereas [[Judaism]] required (and still requires) its followers to obey the law, Christianity begins with faith, faith in Jesus risen from the dead, and any moral or ethical decisions must follow from that. In this regard, [[Islam]] has much more in common with Judaism than it does with Christianity: the word 'Islam' itself means 'submission to God'.
  
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*“Feminism, Socialism, and Communism are one in the same, and Socialist/Communist government is the goal of feminism” - Catharine MacKinnon
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== Other Definitions and Religions ==
  
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*The English novelist and critic [[Rebecca West]] said <ref>http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/rebecca_west.html</ref> :
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[[Image:Jesus resurrected.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"The [[Resurrection of Jesus|Resurrection]]" by Carl Heinrich Bloch]]
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Outside of [[Christianity]], faith is misused as a synonym for any kind of "[[belief]]". The [[Merriam-Webster]] dictionary, for example, includes this definition of faith:  "a system of religious beliefs."<ref>http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/faith</ref>
  
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*<blockquote>  "I myself have never been able to find out what feminism is; I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute."  </blockquote>
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Alternatively, faith often refers to a "firm belief in something for which there is no proof" or evidence.
  
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==See also==
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These differ from the [[Christian]] faith in the revealed truth that comes only from God through Jesus Christ by the [[Holy Spirit]], who in the Scriptures has testified reliably to what he has physically and spiritually actually done and said and entrusted to his eyewitnesses and ambassadors, and passed on to faithful men who were and are able to teach others also from the first century of the Christian Era ([[BCE and CE|CE]]) to this day (2&nbsp;Corinthians 5:20; John 14:25; 2&nbsp;Peter 1:16; 2&nbsp;Timothy 2:2).
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*[[Feminist style]]
 
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*[[Gender police]]
 
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*[[Gender equality]]
 
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*[[Anti-Feminism]]
 
  
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{{liberalism}}
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In the [[Koran]], the concept of submission to [[Allah]] is mentioned 11 times, while the concept of faith in Allah is mentioned only once.
  
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==References==
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Etymologically, the word 'faith' is closely linked to the concept of "fidelity," which emphasizes commitment to something or someone, specifically [[Christ]]. Thus, faith is often understood to mean 'loyalty' to a particular view of [[divinity]]. Yet, faith can also be envisioned more broadly as a trust in [[providence]], as it entails an active role for the believer himself for advancing good.
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{{reflist|small}}
 
  
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==External Links==
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The literary critic Harold Bloom distinguishes Christianity from the other two dominant monotheistic religions in his book ''Agon'' by contrasting them with [[Gnosticism]]:
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*[http://www.feministezine.com/feminist/ The Feminist eZine] Archive of articles about Feminist History.
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*[http://www.cia-on-campus.org/surveil/steinem.html Gloria Steinem and the CIA], ''The New York Times'', February 21, 1967.
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:"Gnosticism polemically is decidedly not a faith, whether in the Christian sense, ''pistis'', a believing that something was, is, and will be so; or in the Hebraic sense, ''emunah'', a trusting in the Covenant.  If religion is binding, then Gnosticism is unbinding, but not for the sake of things or persons merely as they are.  Gnostic freedom is a freedom for knowledge, knowledge of what in the self, not in the psyche or soul, is Godlike, and knowledge of God beyond the cosmos.  But also it is a freedom to be known, to be known by God, by what is alien to everything created, by what is alien to and beyond the stars and the cosmic system and our earth."
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*[http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/msg02217.html Inside the CIA with Gloria Steinem], Nancy Borman,  ''The Village Voice''.
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*[http://www.american.com/archive/2008/march-april-magazine-contents/why-can2019t-a-woman-be-more-like-a-man Why Can't a Woman Be More Like a Man?], Christina Hoff Sommers, ''The American'' March/April 2008.
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Faith is emphasized in Christianity but is unrecognized by the worldview of [[philosophical skepticism]].
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[[Category: Liberals]]
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== Faith and reason ==
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See: [[Faith and reason]]
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== See also ==
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*[[Divine faith]]
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*[[Obstacles to faith]]
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*[[Justification]]
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*[[Salvation]]
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*[[Works (theology)]]
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*[[Resources on becoming a Christian]]
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*[[Witnessing]]
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Opposite:
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*[[Doubt]]
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Essay:
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*[[Essay: Water baptism cannot save, the Church cannot save, Born again by faith alone]]
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== External links ==
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*[https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/what-is-faith-definition-importance.html What Is Faith and Why Is it Important?], Crosswalk.com
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*[https://www.christianity.com/jesus/following-jesus/repentance-faith-and-salvation/what-does-faith-mean.html What is Faith? Bible Meaning and Importance for Christians], Christianity.com
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*[https://seminary.grace.edu/what-does-faith-mean/ What does faith mean?], Grace Theological Seminary
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*[https://www.compassion.com/christian-faith/faith-definition.htm What is the Definition of Faith?], Compassion International (Christian relief organization)
 +
* Holding, James Patrick, [http://tektonics.org/whatis/whatfaith.html Fallacious Faith]
 +
== References ==
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<references/>
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[[Category:Religion]]
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[[Category:Philosophy]]
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{{Virtues}}

Latest revision as of 02:27, October 9, 2026

Praying Hands.

The Christian apologist Gary Habermas wrote: "Double-blind prayer experiments: where people pray for others with a terminal illness. Habermas admitted that most such experiments have not worked, but the three that he knows of that have indeed worked were cases of orthodox Christians praying for the sick."[1]

Faith[2] (Greek: pistis/πίστις) is trust, confidence or belief about something unseen, such as attaining God's will.[3][4] It is faith that overcomes addiction, and heals.

Faith goes beyond materialism to include beneficial use of the unseen, spiritual reality. Jesus taught that even a little faith (the size of a mustard seed) can move mountains (Matthew 17:20).

Precisely defining "faith" is challenging.[5] Faith is "realizing the infinite, and using it for good." Faith overcomes adversity, evil and lies (including liberal denial).

The entire Chapter 11 of the Epistle to the Hebrews, possibly spoken by Jesus on the Road to Emmaus, is devoted to explaining faith, which is unique to Christianity.

Faith is more than mere thought, emotion, and belief. Faith elevates one's being, while belief is limited to a mental state or emotion. Faith implies a causal role by the believer in an outcome,[6] or in overcoming a personal fear. Faith also implies advancement or accomplishment of something good, while mere belief does not achieve by itself.

The importance of faith logically follows from the existence of God, as explained in Luke 7-10 (merely doing as told is not enough - "We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.").[7] God went beyond His duty and would prefer His creation to do likewise. That requires faith.

Faith combined with good works is a foundation of virtue and this is the strongest way to overcome addiction and harmful obsessions, including obesity and football watching/video game playing, as well as overcoming all kinds of fears/anxiety. Faith could even be defined as the opposite of anxiety.

Faith and the meaning of the koinonia Greek word pistos used in the New Testament

Below are articles and videos on faith and the meaning of the Koine Greek word pistos used in the New Testament.

Videos:

Bible verses on faith

The Bible is the best-selling book of all time.[8]
  • "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" - Heb 11:1 (ESV)
  • "for we walk by faith, not by sight" - 2 Corinthians 5:7
  • "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." - Romans 10:17
  • "We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing." - 2 Thessalonians 1:3

Below are Bible verses in faith:

Biblically sound principles concerning faith

Below are some biblically sound principles concerning faith:

Abraham Sacrificing Isaac by Rembrandt

"Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham." - Galations 3:6-7 (NRSV)

1. Bible reading/Bible memorization. "So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ" - Romans 10:17 (NRSV)

2. Prayer. Ask God for more faith.

From Mark 9:23–25:

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” - Mark 9:23-25 (NRSV)

3. Have complete faith without wavering in double-minded doubt when praying to God

"If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord."

4. Avoiding and repenting of sin can help answers to prayers from being hindered (1 Peter 3:7). See: Sanctification

"Husbands, in the same way, show consideration for your wives in your life together, paying honor to the woman—though the weaker vessel, they are joint heirs of the gracious gift of life—so that nothing may hinder your prayers." - 1 Peter 3:7 (NRSV)

5. Be firm in your faith, have your walk with God be rooted and built up in God.[9][10] Have a grateful heart towards God (See: How to be more grateful to God)

"For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, and I rejoice to see your orderly conduct and the firmness of your faith in Christ. As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." - Colossians 2:6-7 (NRSV)

6. Ask God, but do so appropriately without selfish/bad motives

"You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures." - James 4:2-3 (NRSV)

Articles on faith

Faith in God vs. secular psychology for solving addictions and other personal problems

See also: Ineffectivness of counseling psychology

The Conversion of St Paul by Nicolas-Bernard Lepicie, 1767.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

“ Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." - I Corinthians 6:9-11 (NIV) ”

The website The Berean Call has several articles on various false claims and unbiblical notions that many practitioners of counseling psychology promote.[11]

Faith plays a central role in overcoming addiction. Virtually everyone is plagued by one or more addictions, and faith enables overcoming those weaknesses. Similar to this is faith's key role in overcoming recidivism. This role is unique to Christian faith and has not been shown concerning other religions' belief systems or to secular humanist ideologies.

Faith is also helpful in overcoming fear, such as fear of public speaking, appearing on television, or standing up to a bully or unpleasant situations. Jesus reprimanded the Apostles for their faithless fear: "The disciples went and woke him, saying, 'Lord, save us! We're going to drown!' He replied, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?' Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm."[12]

Lack of faith can lead to fear, anxiety, depression, lack of confidence and sometimes death. A lack of faith can be very harmful, leading to self-destructive behavior. Faith can be described as the power to ignore the devil and all his antics.

Often faith inspires extra initiative or effort, adding confidence that it will yield the desired good result. "Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on," and Jesus cured him.[13]

Frequency

Financial Times (FT)/Harris Poll among adults in 5 countries in 2006

Expression

A classic statement of faith in the Bible was by the Roman centurion of Matthew 8:5-10, who expressed his confidence that Jesus could cure his beloved servant from a distance without even seeing him. Jesus repeatedly emphasized the importance and value of faith to his disciples.

Faith is expressed in Greek using the term pistis, and in Latin using the term fidēs. Faith is mentioned in 229 verses in the New Testament (KJV), but only twice in the much larger Old Testament (KJV).[14] In an attempt to convert Jews to Christianity, Paul described Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac to God as an act of faith, though the Old Testament did not describe it with that term.

Faith is strengthened by prayer (Jude 20). For those who strengthen their faith, Jesus promised "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."[15]

Life itself may be the manifestation of God's faith. Decay and death may be the manifestation of a lack or denial of faith. According to Paul, decay and death is the result of sin. Galatians 6:8; Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22.

Biblical examples

Perhaps the greatest description of faith is Hebrews 11:1. It states: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."[16]

The painting by Giovanni Ricco (1817-1873) shows Paulus before that "high priest and the advice of the oldest" in Jerusalem where he defends its theology for the moors.

The King James Version expresses this passage as: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." The Greek word translated as "substance" is `hupostasis', meaning setting under (support). The Greek word for "evidence" is `elegchos', meaning proof.[17] The Bible thus distinguishes clearly between the leap of faith of Kierkegaard and a faith based on acknowledgment of the evidence presented by God within our own experiences in this world. Paul, in Romans 1:17-20 explains that faith has its basis in the observed expression of God's existence in this universe: "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen...."

Paul indicated that exceptional faith may be a gift of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:8-9 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit

As discussed above, a potential reference to faith is Genesis 22, where God tested Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice his only son Isaac. As Abraham prepared to do what God commanded, he was stopped. Genesis 22:12 : "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

The Scofield Bible defines faith as accepting God at his word, believing God is who he says he is, and accepting what God says about himself and sin as true.

Catholic "Act of Faith"

Faith is defined differently by Catholics and Evangelical Protestants.

The Catholic Act of Faith is a formal prayer of belief:

"O my God, I firmly believe that You are one God in three Divine Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe that Your Divine Son became man and died for our sins, and that He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches, because You revealed them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived. Amen."

What Protestant Evangelicals call Faith, Catholics call the virtue of Hope (defined as "confident expectation of good without doubting"). The Catholic Act of Hope is a formal prayer of assurance:

"O my God, relying on Your infinite goodness and promises, I hope (with complete confidence) to obtain pardon for my sins, the help of Your grace and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen."

Catholics emphasize the teaching of James 2:19, in which the devils have accurate faith but no hope.

Martin Luther on Faith

Martin Luther in his Table Talk papers writes this thought-provoking and rather difficult passage on faith:

"This is the acme of faith, to believe that God, who saves so few and condemns so many, is merciful; that he is just who, at his own pleasure, has made us necessarily doomed to damnation, so that he seems to delight in the torture of the wretched and is more deserving of hate than of love. If by any effort of reason I could conceive how God, who shows so much anger and harshness, could be merciful and just, there would be no need of faith."

The Moral Basis of Biblical Faith

See also: Morality

"Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you." - Jesus (Matthew 17:20)

The biblical expression of faith is belief in what God reveals to man to be so. Since New Testament times, that means belief in what God reveals to be so concerning Jesus Christ. There is a steady progression through time of what God reveals and so belief also finds expression in progressive content and emphasis. What God reveals to Adam, to Noah, to Moses (and through them), to the prophets, to the Ninevites, to Simeon and Anna, Mary, to the Apostles, differs in content and in emphasis, but the culmination of the content of faith is the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. What they all have in common is commitment to the true God, and willingness to correspond to His Will, even if they are uncertain of what He wills, "that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him" (Acts 17:27).

The moral basis of faith is the positive response of belief, and the obedience of one's life to the requirement implied by the revelation. That is why Adam (and his generation) was not required to believe what Noah was required to believe, why Noah was not required to believe what Abraham was required to believe, and why Abraham was not required to believe what Moses was required to believe. Moses, and his generation, was not required to believe what Isaiah was required to believe, until the time of Jesus. Nor were they each allowed to believe less than what was required of them to believe, as if they were of a previous generation and a previous revelation.

The moral basis of Faith continues on in effect, content, and emphasis, since the time of the Son of God on earth. That is why the "good man" is required to believe in the Son of God preached to him, as He, the Son of God, is the source of his goodness, and the forgiver of his badness, through His sacrifice on the cross; the "bad man" required to believe in Him who bore his sin, through His sacrifice on the cross; the "gentile", wherever found, of whatever stage, required to live up to what is given him by his conscience and whatever good has come to him through his culture, and believe in the light God is actually giving him, and in the Jesus being preached to him, but not required to believe in and practice the Law of Moses; the Jew required to keep the Law given him, and then to despair at not having fulfilled it, and believe in the Son of God being revealed to him; the infant responds, as infants can, and not as adolescents and adults are required, each in his own order, until the greater revelation comes, and separation from the dominance and protection of the elders; and why an embryo aborted is required to respond as only an embryo can, which God alone knows, and not be required to be at the level of response he would have been moments and days and months and years later, if he would have been let live - saved - though the embryo would never have known how - by the Cross of the sin bearing Savior, who knew him well and loved him. "to him whom much has been given, of him much will be required."

The natural and the supernatural aspects of Faith

Faith is a gift from God that may be viewed in two ways. One is clearly an intrusion or at least an introjection into our ordinary lives. Under this aspect, we see it as pure grace. "For by grace are you saved through faith, and this is not as a result of your deeds, It is God's gift and not something from ourselves". Our response is from the extremity of our situation and as a clear product of something outside ourselves - the new word of God, the message concerning Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Even the ability to hear and understand is given to us from above, "Faith comes by hearing, and " "hearing" itself comes by the Word of God. And thus we call out, from the depth and from consciousness, for salvation. " Whoever shall call on the name of the Lord, will be saved." Even if the calling is an inchoate yearning from the depth of the soul that finds no articulation, it knows not how, the Lord sees the heart of longing calling for him, and saves.[18]

The other aspect of Faith is not by intrusion or introjection, but by infusion and irradiation. This too is of the grace of God. Whereas the first aspect had come to us at our extremity from without, this aspect comes to us from within and around, pervading the so-called natural structures that we experience every day, that are so supportive of stability, confidence, trust, and hope. Good parenting, the solidity of home and provision, loving faithfulness among friends as we grow, and continual exposure to the truth of the Word of God (and the truth is always therapeutic), strengthen our faith, and our expectation for continuing faithfulness and involvement of a loving and good God. Faith seems so natural, so in accord with our experience, that we could even be surprised that it could have been otherwise. Here we experience, most often, not a crisis of faith, but the need to give ourselves more fully to Him in whom we are believing. Under this aspect, God is to be appreciated and acknowledged for being our good and heavenly Father. The Old Testament presents us with the reality of this aspect of faith. Amidst even the miraculous events such as the parting of the "Red" Sea, and the many deliverances Israel experienced so beyond their natural ability to affect, little is said or acknowledged consciously of the quality of faith itself. It is the air that a fish is most conscious of, not his home in the water.

Faith: the Access to Reality

Christianity demands faith and insists that faith be turned into sight. "Do you believe, Thomas, because you have seen. Blessed are those who do not see and yet believe." Throughout the New Testament, this theme occurs, belief in Jesus, belief in the Heavenly Father, belief in the readiness of God to still waves, causes you to walk on water, to return a dead girl back to her grieving, believing mother, to see small insignificant things as a seed grow, as if miraculously of itself, into a startling display of fruit to eat and protection for birds, all of this, with only the sky to limit, comes into our lives, according to Jesus, if we have Faith. Reality is gained by the exercise of Faith, a reality unattainable by the ordinary means frequented by men.

But this reality attained, so extraordinary in this sordid and marred sin-infested world, is seen to be the "normal" reality of the Kingdom of Heaven, just waiting to enter. Entirely right in the presence of the Kingdom of God and the King Himself for the dead boy to get up from his bier to run to his mother, entirely right that the adulteress be pardoned, strengthened, challenged, and hold her head up high once again, entirely right the demons come out of the tormented boy to be commanded to go to the place that God has prepared for them, all entirely right at the entrance of this new reality of the Kingdom of Heaven among us, and the King Himself, Jesus. The overwhelming of reality, by Reality.

As God is palpable in Jesus, so the Reality of the Kingdom of God is palpable and can be seen, on this earth. The entrance to the Garden was by faith, but the reality of the Garden is as tangible as was Jesus eating fish with his disciples after he got up from the dead. As much as the New Testament presents Faith as the entrance to the Kingdom, so does it insist that Faith, perhaps not fully in this world, shall turn to sight in the end... and on the way. "It is not apparent what we who are called the children of God shall yet be, but we know that we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He really is."

Faith as a virtue

The 'walking on water' episode, which both showed and tested St Peter's faith (painting by Konrad Witz).

See also: Virtue

St Paul identified faith, hope and love (or charity) as the three greatest virtues that are central to Christianity, and this idea is repeated and elaborated upon throughout Christian tradition. Faith is put first because it provides the foundation upon which the other two are built: a faithful heart and mind cause one to have hope, and hope causes one to have love for God and one's fellow man.

In Dante's Divine Comedy, St Peter is most identified with faith. This is appropriate, since he was the 'rock' on which the Church was built, just as a Christian life must be rooted in faith. Peter's great faith is shown in Matthew 14:28-31, when he is briefly able to walk on water until doubt enters his mind.

Christian philosopher Robert Merrihew Adams wrote a book, The Virtue of Faith, to defend the idea of faith as virtuous. Consider the case of a loved one accused of some wrongdoing, but who protests their innocence - our relationship with them creates a special ethical obligation to believe what they say, which does not apply to the protestations of innocence of strangers; at the same time, that obligation is not absolute, but can be overturned by the evidence. Adams uses this example to argue that some beliefs we are ethically obliged to hold, and that the existence of God could be such a belief for the believer. Contrary to Adams' view is that favored by many atheists, classically expressed by William Kingdon Clifford in his 1877 essay The Ethics of Belief, which states "it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence." However, while Clifford can point to individual cases where believing things without evidence is unethical, those cases fail to demonstrate that his principle is true in every case, and he ignores valid cases such as those that Adams cites which lead to the opposite conclusion.

Unique Role Within Christianity

Christianity is different from many religions in that its followers are defined by faith rather than by adherence to a prescribed code. St. Paul makes this distinction clear in Galatians 3:24-25: "The law was a kind of tutor in charge of us until Christ should come, when we should be justified through faith; and now that faith has come, the tutor's charge is at an end."

That is to say, whereas Judaism required (and still requires) its followers to obey the law, Christianity begins with faith, faith in Jesus risen from the dead, and any moral or ethical decisions must follow from that. In this regard, Islam has much more in common with Judaism than it does with Christianity: the word 'Islam' itself means 'submission to God'.

Other Definitions and Religions

"The Resurrection" by Carl Heinrich Bloch

Outside of Christianity, faith is misused as a synonym for any kind of "belief". The Merriam-Webster dictionary, for example, includes this definition of faith: "a system of religious beliefs."[19]

Alternatively, faith often refers to a "firm belief in something for which there is no proof" or evidence.

These differ from the Christian faith in the revealed truth that comes only from God through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, who in the Scriptures has testified reliably to what he has physically and spiritually actually done and said and entrusted to his eyewitnesses and ambassadors, and passed on to faithful men who were and are able to teach others also from the first century of the Christian Era (CE) to this day (2 Corinthians 5:20; John 14:25; 2 Peter 1:16; 2 Timothy 2:2).

In the Koran, the concept of submission to Allah is mentioned 11 times, while the concept of faith in Allah is mentioned only once.

Etymologically, the word 'faith' is closely linked to the concept of "fidelity," which emphasizes commitment to something or someone, specifically Christ. Thus, faith is often understood to mean 'loyalty' to a particular view of divinity. Yet, faith can also be envisioned more broadly as a trust in providence, as it entails an active role for the believer himself for advancing good.

The literary critic Harold Bloom distinguishes Christianity from the other two dominant monotheistic religions in his book Agon by contrasting them with Gnosticism:

"Gnosticism polemically is decidedly not a faith, whether in the Christian sense, pistis, a believing that something was, is, and will be so; or in the Hebraic sense, emunah, a trusting in the Covenant. If religion is binding, then Gnosticism is unbinding, but not for the sake of things or persons merely as they are. Gnostic freedom is a freedom for knowledge, knowledge of what in the self, not in the psyche or soul, is Godlike, and knowledge of God beyond the cosmos. But also it is a freedom to be known, to be known by God, by what is alien to everything created, by what is alien to and beyond the stars and the cosmic system and our earth."

Faith is emphasized in Christianity but is unrecognized by the worldview of philosophical skepticism.

Faith and reason

See: Faith and reason

See also

Opposite:

Essay:

External links

References

  1. ↑ Christian Apologist: 10 Reasons for the Fall of Atheism by Gary Habermas
  2. ↑ Etymology: a very early English term dating from 1200-50, based on the Middle English term "feith" (Anglo-French fed, Old French feid, feit, Latin fidem, accusative of fidēs meaning trust, akin to fīdere meaning to trust).
  3. ↑ Also, the website Bible Odyssey notes about certain contexts in the New Testament: "By the late first or early second century, Christians were beginning to stretch the meaning of pistis to describe the distinctive nature of their relationship with God and Christ. When the Letter of Jude exhorts a Christian group “contend for the faith (pistis) which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3), it may be using pistis to refer to a body of teaching or even the “new covenant” in Christ." Faith (Word Study)
  4. ↑ Faith in God is mentioned first in the Bible concerning Abraham, at Genesis 15:6: "And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him as righteousness."
  5. ↑ See also defining faith.
  6. ↑ For example, the Biblical Peter's walking on water based on his faith.
  7. ↑ Luke 17:10 (ESV) (emphasis added).
  8. ↑ The Bible is the best selling book of all time, Guinness Book of Word Record
  9. ↑ What does Colossians 2:6 mean?, Bibleref.com
  10. ↑ Matthew Henry Commentary on Colossians 2 - Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible
  11. ↑ http://www.thebereancall.org/topic/psychology
  12. ↑ Mt 8:25-26 (NIV)
  13. ↑ Mark 2:4
  14. ↑ http://www.crosswalk.com
  15. ↑ John 14:12 (NIV).
  16. ↑ Hebrews 11:1 (NIV).
  17. ↑ J. Strong, 1890, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN.
  18. ↑ Psalms 22:9-10; 58:3; 71:6; Jeremiah 1:5; Luke 1:42, 44; Acts 17:27-28; Romans 8:26; Galatians 1:15; 2 Peter 3:9
  19. ↑ http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/faith


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