Faith: something that I don't understand.

**Fiyenyaa** · January 25, 2010, 07:43 AM

For quite a while now, I've been truly baffled about faith. The concept makes no sense to me whatsoever - perhaps this comes out of being raised without religion, or perhaps it comes out of merely having a certain mindset.
To me, since I've never been presented with a theistic argument that makes sense, what I hear fairly often is "I just know it's true, because of my faith" or some similar variation. Now to me, that translates as "I know it doesn't make any sense, but I've convinced myself anyway." This is against all reason as far as I can work out - there are questions to which we don't know the answer, but to just insert god into the answer seems absurd, because there is no reason to whatsoever.

Basically the purpose of this topic is for people to try and explain faith to me, because it just seems utterly pointless and alien to me. Perhaps someone can change that.

**Groundtotem** · January 25, 2010, 08:03 AM

I have been wondering about the same thing to be honest, would be nice to see if someone could give a good explanation to this.

**Tacitursa** · January 25, 2010, 08:05 AM

Faith is your mind telling you what you want to hear and then you beleiving in it because you want it to be true. It's a weakness of the human mind , Some people are stronger and more realisticly minded. Unfortunately a majority of the human race suffers from this weak mindedness.

**hellheaven1987** · January 25, 2010, 08:07 AM

Faith does not exclusively for religion. In fact, it generally means some sore of belief that the believers heavily believing it.

**~~Arch-hereticK~~** · January 25, 2010, 08:10 AM

Originally Posted by hellheaven1987

Faith does not exclusively for religion. In fact, it generally means some sore of belief that the believers heavily believing it.

So it's just closed mindedness is it?

**hellheaven1987** · January 25, 2010, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by Arch-hereticK

So it's just closed mindedness is it?

Well, it actually depends; what if someone is strongly believed in human right?? Or believe a peaceful world without war??

(both I dislike most, anyway)

**~~Arch-hereticK~~** · January 25, 2010, 08:37 AM

Originally Posted by hellheaven1987

Well, it actually depends; what if someone is strongly believed in human right?? Or believe a peaceful world without war??

Yes they are closed minded, although I wouldn't consider adherence to human rights a "belief" and a peaceful world without war is a mere fantasy.

**Tacitursa** · January 25, 2010, 08:13 AM

Faith does not exclusively for religion. In fact, it generally means some sore of belief that the believers heavily believing it.

Indeed gamblers use faith, "Im going to win soon i just know it" Fact is they dont know , the mind tells them there going to win so they keep gambling.

Religion is much the same "im going to heaven i just know it" so i'll keep convincing myself and going to church.

**Ulf** · January 25, 2010, 09:11 AM

Originally Posted by Wizav85

Indeed gamblers use faith, "Im going to win soon i just know it" Fact is they dont know , the mind tells them there going to win so they keep gambling.

That's not quite true. Good gamblers know they will win eventually because there is math telling them that if they make all the right moves they will win eventually. Poor gamblers rely on faith because they think gambling is about luck. of course it does also depend on what type of game they are playing. Poker is a game that can be won with skill as is blackjack. However games like the slot machine and pony betting require less skill and more luck to win.

Faith is a nonsensical explanation of events and phenomena that relies on no observation whatsoever. Close-mindedness at its finest.

**Fiyenyaa** · January 25, 2010, 08:14 AM

Originally Posted by hellheaven1987

Faith does not exclusively for religion. In fact, it generally means some sore of belief that the believers heavily believing it.

Maybe, it depends what you are talking about.
If you are talking about someone who thinks that homeopathy works, then they have faith in it because there is no reason to believe that it does.
If you are talking about someone who gets in their car and expects it to start; they don't have faith, they have a reasonable expectation.

**~~Yosemite~~** · January 25, 2010, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by Wizav85

Faith is your mind telling you what you want to hear and then you beleiving in it because you want it to be true. It's a weakness of the human mind , Some people are stronger and more realisticly minded. Unfortunately a majority of the human race suffers from this weak mindedness.

what the

am i reading

faith is trust and belief

1. Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.
2. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. See Synonyms at belief, trust.
3. Loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance: keeping faith with one's supporters.

how is this a weakness

i have faith and trust in the soldiers protecting my country, because i know they were trained for that

**Helm** · January 25, 2010, 08:18 AM

It works something like that, one of those emotional things.

**hellheaven1987** · January 25, 2010, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by Helm

It works something like that, one of those emotional things.

I don't trust a post which came from someone who tried to convert me to Chaos in past.

**Tacitursa** · January 25, 2010, 08:24 AM

Well, it actually depends; what if someone is strongly believed in human right??

Where does faith come into that? Beleiving in human rights does not require faith.

Or believe a peaceful world without war??

Again where does faith come into it?

**Helm** · January 25, 2010, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by hellheaven1987

I don't trust a post which came from someone who tried to convert me to Chaos in past.

Chaos would look more like this.

**Manco** · January 25, 2010, 08:55 AM

It might be advantageous to separate faith from conviction and expectation for this debate.

Humanist values for example aren't a faith, but a conviction. It's an intellectual position on certain topics, more akin to an opinion than a faith.

Faith on the other hand means suspending traditional rationality and logic, accepting an improbability or even impossibility without any objective reasoning or argumentation.

Why people would hold faith in that sense, I don't know. To me religious faith seems completely superfluous, coupled with a lack of any evidence (in the same degree as demanded by all other phenomena). I don't see the point.

**Mythos** · January 25, 2010, 08:59 AM

I think faith is a psychological response to the unknown. We seem incapable of thinking of the "unknown" as just "unknown" and we want to fill the blanks with something familiar.