RE: Theists, what does faith mean to you?
August 7, 2015 at 3:41 pm
(This post was last modified: August 7, 2015 at 3:55 pm by Simon Moon.)
(August 7, 2015 at 1:58 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: I don't see having faith as some sort of "blind" thing, if you will. Where you just believe in something for absolutely no reason other than because you want to or just because, or whatever.
At least it isn't for me. In the same way that I have faith that God is real, I have faith that my husband loves me. I can't show you any sort of concrete "proof" that my husband loves me, but I conclude that he does based on many aspects of our life together. Because of those things, it makes sense to me that he does.
Likewise, I conclude that God is real based on several aspects. Including a personal experience I have had, those that other people have had, based on the miracles that have been accounted for, the saints, the life of Jesus, etc... It makes sense to me. If I use the definition of faith as being a blind thing, it would take more of that type of "faith" for me not to believe in God.
I honestly don't know what I'd be like if I wasn't a woman of faith. It's such a fundamental part of me and who I am, it's impossible to tell what I'd be like without it.
Here's one of the problems with your analogy about your husband loving you.
Most outsiders would probably be able to tell that your husband loves you. We would most likely see: him showing you affection, treating you with respect, taking you out, sharing child rearing, taking care of you when you are sick and much more.
There is demonstrable evidence that he loves you.
No such similar types of evidence is demonstrable for the faith you have for your god. All we have is your word that you have had some sort of experience. That tells us nothing more.
And more importantly, it should cause you to question why there isn't the same kind of evidence for your god, as that of your husband's love. Especially given the errors and faulty perceptions the human mind is known to produce.
It seems to me you are using 2 different definitions for the word 'faith'.
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
