Why is Faith good?

[Hakomar]

This is a genuine question - why is Faith considered good? I remember when I use to go to church as a child, everything was about faith. Belief without evidence. The story of Doubting Thomas stresses the idea that evidence is put subordinate to belief. But to honestly believe in something, why should God ask us to suspend critical thought and rational inquiry, especially if He supposedly granted us wisdom and critical thought and rational inquiry. Without wanting to construct a strawman, I have heard various reasons, such as it fulfills us spiritually, it enables a closer connection to God, etc. But it would seem to me that this is just as problematic because it presupposes the conclusion in the premise, that being that the Spirit, Soul or God do exist. I honestly see no reason why faith should be seen as virtuous, but perhaps some E&M members can "enlighten" me.

[Noobio]

seen from a logical but "put into religious perspective" point of view, indeed, Faith has no value, as it doesn't really make any sense that the allmighty G.O.D. would need your confirmation/admiration

seen from a "logical" point of view, speaking for myself, i wish i had some kind of supernatural faith as it's a pretty powerful placebo for all kinds of situations!

---

i guess the modern day "scientific-thought man", will have to reinvent somekind of scientificly acceptable, "supernatural power summoning" idea/force

[Enzo]

Because it cleeves you closer to God through the living Christ allowing you to be born anew not in flesh but in the the Holy Spirit. What more would you want? I dunno there's just pleasing some people really.

[chriscase]

Because it cleeves you closer to God through the living Christ allowing you to be born anew not in flesh but in the the Holy Spirit. What more would you want? I dunno there's just pleasing some people really.

Objective reality conforms to a set of rules that are independent of our wishes. Magic is the wish that this weren't so. So, by your own definition, Jesus is magic.

[Enzo]

Objective reality conforms to a set of rules that are independent of our wishes.

And who sets these rules? The random chance monster? I will tell now what the deal is, these are your rules.

1. We are to grow in our spirituality to be “Christ-like” (II Peter 1:3-10).

2. We are to follow (imitate) Christ and the apostles as they imitated Him: (I Thessalonians 1:6)

3. Displaying a pattern [consistent and able to be followed] of good works (Titus 2:7-8)

4. Our application and concern for using Bible Authority (Colossians 3:17)

5. Our willingness to acknowledge our errors and efforts to correct them (James 5:16)

6. Our willingness to forgive our brethren when they err (Matthew 18:21-35)

7. "Our willingness to correct each other: Jude v. 22-23 “And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” (Titus 2:2-6)

8. Upon conversion a person is taken from the dark world and added to the Kingdom of Christ (Colossians 1:13)

9. Upon conversion we become “new creatures, let us act like it (II Corinthians 5:17)

10. We must be in the world, but we cannot be of the world (John 15:18-20)

Those are your rules right there. Now stop mincing about and get it done. Honestly.

Magic is the wish that this weren't so. So, by your own definition, Jesus is magic.

You think the whole universe is magic if just appeared out of nowhere for reason and then everything just happened to come together the exact right way for all this stuff to happen. The mother of all mindless coincidences, may as well be "magic" if there isn't an explanation for it.

[Matthias]

You think the whole universe is magic if just appeared out of nowhere for reason and then everything just happened to come together the exact right way for all this stuff to happen. The mother of all mindless coincidences, may as well be "magic" if there isn't an explanation for it.

There isn't an explanation for it, we don't know, that's called being honest.

[Veliky Kaiser Theos]

The whole universe is magic if just appeared out of nowhere for reason and then everything just happened to come together the exact right way for all this stuff to happen. The mother of all mindless coincidences, may as well be "magic" if there isn't an explanation for it.

The only people who say that most atheists think that happened that are religious people. It's a giant strawman.

[chriscase]

You think the whole universe is magic if just appeared out of nowhere for reason and then everything just happened to come together the exact right way for all this stuff to happen. The mother of all mindless coincidences, may as well be "magic" if there isn't an explanation for it.

No going back now Enzo. Nice smokescreen, though. You're pretty good at that.

By your own thinking God exists more for you the more you "believe" in it. That's the very definition of subjectivity. If God were objective it would exist the same for everybody regardless of what they "believe".

When you assert that the underlying rule of the universe is governed by wishes directed at a supernatural agency, what you are really doing is simply asserting that objective reality does bend to our will, via a mentative act.

That's magic, sport.

[Aeneas Veneratio]

And who sets these rules? The random chance monster? I will tell now what the deal is, these are your rules.

1. We are to grow in our spirituality to be “Christ-like” (II Peter 1:3-10).

2. We are to follow (imitate) Christ and the apostles as they imitated Him: (I Thessalonians 1:6)

3. Displaying a pattern [consistent and able to be followed] of good works (Titus 2:7-8)

4. Our application and concern for using Bible Authority (Colossians 3:17)

5. Our willingness to acknowledge our errors and efforts to correct them (James 5:16)

6. Our willingness to forgive our brethren when they err (Matthew 18:21-35)

7. "Our willingness to correct each other: Jude v. 22-23 “And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” (Titus 2:2-6)

8. Upon conversion a person is taken from the dark world and added to the Kingdom of Christ (Colossians 1:13)

9. Upon conversion we become “new creatures, let us act like it (II Corinthians 5:17)

10. We must be in the world, but we cannot be of the world (John 15:18-20)

Those are your rules right there. Now stop mincing about and get it done. Honestly.

Bolded: You could most likely find similar quotes from the Greek or the Roman philosophers.
Italic: Too bad Christ is buried in Israel and is therefore unable to greet you.
Underline: No such thing as Bible Authority. I grant more authority to a commercial magazine than your bible, at least their offers are real and obtainable.
Green: Sounds like Buddhism and the Buddhists' imitation of Buddha.

[removeduser_4536284751384]

Objective reality conforms to a set of rules that are independent of our wishes.

Perhaps some day, that will no longer be the case.

[MrDogbert]

Because it cleeves you closer to God through the living Christ allowing you to be born anew not in flesh but in the the Holy Spirit. What more would you want? I dunno there's just pleasing some people really.

At first he was being a very funny troll but then......

[Hresvelgr]

Because it makes it easier for you to conform to the rules of whatever dogma it is you were raised to follow. I suppose that's the real answer at least.

[Hakomar]

Because it cleeves you closer to God through the living Christ allowing you to be born anew not in flesh but in the the Holy Spirit. What more would you want? I dunno there's just pleasing some people really.

But I need faith in God to believe that faith is good. Surely that is circular?

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

It isn't. Sure, it can act as consolation and give people a flasely positive outlook, but some drugs probably do the same, better. It's escape from reality, a self-delusion, and is often used as an excuse to do idiotic things.

It has the side effect of making people extremely unreasonable regarding certain things, as well.

[Watercress]

A uncertain and unfortunate side-effect of our philosophical and physical ignorance. In time, it'll wither away, as it should.

[Nietzsche]

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

/thread

[Himster]

Faith is a tool to make life easier.
Puritanical empiricists certainly have hard lives, faith might even be considered a necessary evil, a way of cutting corners on the path to truth. I'm of the opinion that faith (like most things) is undeniably beneficial in moderation, but when embraced to excess it is not only a threat to the sanity of the believer but also a threat to those around him/her.

[Himster]

The funny thing about magic tricks is they are naturals acts disguised as supernaturals acts, what god does is performs supernatural acts but disguises them as natural events. The ultimate trickster.

[chriscase]

The funny thing about magic tricks is they are naturals acts disguised as supernaturals acts, what god does is performs supernatural acts but disguises them as natural events. The ultimate trickster.

Certainly. And, as the most supreme being imaginable, He does all that despite not existing.

[fkizz]

OP your question is outdated. More adapted to modern times full of atheism, contemporanean question would be "Why is faith a bad thing?"