Difference between revisions of "Faith"

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Heavy reliance on faith has been show to cause obesity, lower education and IQ, as well as limited capability for critical thinking. Its is commonly believed to be a similar mental illness to schizophrenia.
 
Heavy reliance on faith has been show to cause obesity, lower education and IQ, as well as limited capability for critical thinking. Its is commonly believed to be a similar mental illness to schizophrenia.
  
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==Other Definitions and Religions==
 
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Outside of [[Christianity]], faith is misused as a synonym for "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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Alternatively, faith often refers to a "firm belief in something for which there is no proof" or evidence.
 
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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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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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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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"Gnosticism polemically is decidedly not a faith, whether in the Christian sense, pisits, a believing that something was, is, and will be so; or in the Hebraic sense, emunah, a trusting in the Covenant.  If religion is a binding, then Gnosticism is an 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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Faith is emphasized in Christianity but is unrecognized by the worldview of [[Philosophical Skepticism|philosophical skepticism]].
 
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
  

Revision as of 18:19, April 11, 2011

Faith.jpg

Faith is a confidence or trust in the achievement of God's will, even though unseen and unexpected by non-believers.

Faith embodies more than 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[1] or in overcoming a personal fear. Faith also implies advancement or accomplishment rather than wrongdoing, while belief implies neither.

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 with regard to 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."[2]

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.[3]

Frequency

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

Heavy reliance on faith has been show to cause obesity, lower education and IQ, as well as limited capability for critical thinking. Its is commonly believed to be a similar mental illness to schizophrenia.

See also

References

  1. ↑ For example, the Biblical Peter's walking on water based on his faith.
  2. ↑ Mt 8:25-26 (NIV)
  3. ↑ Mark 2:4

External links

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