Why is faith important?

[Question Mark]

Faith in REALITY is what is important.

Do you mean faith in reality, as in we have faith that our senses are real, and what they tell us are real? You're opposing the notion of solipsism here?

[Faith No More]

Faith is attempting to justify your emotions as a valid tool for discerning truth.

[EGross]

I posted a link on Another thread, where 3 young men decided to prove a point here in Israel.

1) Find a ruin
2) Make it look like an ancient grave site
3) Put up a really big and badly made sign
4) Watch the suckers come pouring in

And when it gets out of hand

A) Some people will get pissed off
B) Some will not believe you and still got there to pray

It is "B" that is the most amusing, from a faith point of view. You can show them absolute evidence, you can have the con men themselves look you straight in the eye and tall you it's all fake, and still people will believe what they want.

Don't confuse the faithful.

Baaaa.....

[ronedee]

To have Faith, one must first find the Truth. And where is that found?

Anything man is involved in is tainted and a lie. We can make anything to suit our views or needs. And reality is still based on what "we" deem is the one brilliant individual, or group of individuals that say its so!

I'm sorry, but man is flawed. And you can get as many opinions and/or answers on a given subject as you have people in a room! So who's right?

The real teacher is the Holy Spirit. Jesus said for us to "look within, and find the kingdom of Heaven".

Jesus=Love=Truth=Faith=God. There is no lie in that sentence!

So, don't look for us for answers to finding Faith! You already know the answer....you just refuse to acknowledge it!

And...anything else is a lie, or God having to prove something He feels is self evident in LIFE itself!

[festive1]

Anything man is involved in is tainted and a lie. We can make anything to suit our views or needs. And reality is still based on what "we" deem is the one brilliant individual, or group of individuals that say its so!

Alright… Now apply this to your "Holy Mother Church."

[ronedee]

Anything man is involved in is tainted and a lie. We can make anything to suit our views or needs. And reality is still based on what "we" deem is the one brilliant individual, or group of individuals that say its so!

Alright… Now apply this to your "Holy Mother Church."

"Anything man is involved in is tainted and a lie."

Anymore observations?

[Question Mark]

Alright… Now apply this to your "Holy Mother Church."

"Anything man is involved in is tainted and a lie."

Anymore observations?

Since the abrahamic god is also something that man is involved in, wouldn't that technically make it tainted and a lie as well?

To be serious for a moment though, the fact that humanity has flaws is no grounds for taking anything on faith. I fail to see the connection between the two.
If anything, faith is one of the examples of man's flaws. You made a circular argument in your first message on this thread, saying that with truth comes faith, but in earlier threads you've asserted that you come to the truth by faith. Truth by faith, and faith by the truth. That's circular reasoning and a logical fallacy.

[EGross]

To have Faith, one must first find the Truth. And where is that found?

Anything man is involved in is tainted and a lie. We can make anything to suit our views or needs.

And then we have:

I'm sorry, but man is flawed. And you can get as many opinions and/or answers on a given subject as you have people in a room! So who's right?

And then we get the kicker:

The real teacher is the Holy Spirit. Jesus said for us to "look within, and find the kingdom of Heaven".

Man is flawed. You cannot trust what man thinks. You can only trust what the holy spirit tells you.

And how does the Holy Spirit tell you? Unless you are like the Son of Sam where you are hearing voices to tell you to do things, then you are really only hearing your own inclinations in your head. Or you are hearing the voices of people you trust in your head that are being reinterpreted.

Unless you really believe that you have a special power that is unique, which is to have spirits speak to you in your waking hours that tell you true things. With no one to validate that they are coming from anything but yourself, which is elevating yourself as God, and serving yourself, and considering your own thoughts as God's.

That isn't faith. But there is a psychological term for it.

[ronedee]

"Anything man is involved in is tainted and a lie."

Anymore observations?

Since the abrahamic god is also something that man is involved in, wouldn't that technically make it tainted and a lie as well?

To be serious for a moment though, the fact that humanity has flaws is no grounds for taking anything on faith. I fail to see the connection between the two.
If anything, faith is one of the examples of man's flaws. You made a circular argument in your first message on this thread, saying that with truth comes faith, but in earlier threads you've asserted that you come to the truth by faith. Truth by faith, and faith by the truth. That's circular reasoning and a logical fallacy.

I also said YMMV! It can be interchangable. I didn't write rules!

As far as the "OT" is concerned? I like the stories. The Gospel is the NEW and updtaed edition!

---

Man is flawed. You cannot trust what man thinks. You can only trust what the holy spirit tells you.

And how does the Holy Spirit tell you? Unless you are like the Son of Sam where you are hearing voices to tell you to do things, then you are really only hearing your own inclinations in your head. Or you are hearing the voices of people you trust in your head that are being reinterpreted.

Unless you really believe that you have a special power that is unique, which is to have spirits speak to you in your waking hours that tell you true things. With no one to validate that they are coming from anything but yourself, which is elevating yourself as God, and serving yourself, and considering your own thoughts as God's.

That isn't faith. But there is a psychological term for it.

Here let me help you: When one thinks about things important, one deduces and even gets answers sometimes.

Make sure you do this before walking across a busy street!

[Question Mark]

As far as the "OT" is concerned? I like the stories. The Gospel is the NEW and updtaed edition!

I find the OT stories fascinating to read, but many of the characters a rather bland and flat. They don't change much, or if they do learn something, they develop somewhat unreasonable changes in their personalities that seems a little unrealistic.

Do you accept the Old Testament as factual and something to go by?