Do you see any benefits to religious faith?

[Arkilogue]

Rob, the problem you are talking about is true for ALL mental experiences and states of mind. . . you have to take what people say, then see if you can find neural or physiological correlates.  But if you test a lot of people, and those who SAY they have feelings of faith tend toward certain types of brain function which those who say they do not have those feelings, then you can reasonably infer that their feelings are real.

And faith is NOT religion.  Faith is a state of suspension of disbelief, combined with a sense that some entity or principle maintains rightness in the universe.  Religions require it, but it is not religion.

Faith = pistis = Divine persuasion not self persuasion.

If faith is taken to mean belief, then there is no need for the word faith. It's spiritually redundant aka dysfunctional. Much to the delight of The Church.

The meaning has been hijacked and lost like part of a map cut off. People won't very well explore a territory that is not represented nor entertain a possibility they think does not exist.

If you can degrade the meanings of words, you can degrade the function of thought and limit the potential expression/development of an individual....aka "newspeak".

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Why put stock in what the bible says? It's not only not been demonstrated to be relevant, to anything other than vested political interest, it's downright false in many areas. Isn't there something about building your house on sand..?

I make a foundation of concrete with sand and other aggregate. To me, the bible is like a giant conglomerate rock built over many many years....there is usable ore to refine if you are so inclined. There is also all the coprolite you could want if you are looking for something to throw.

My entire point is not about the veracity of the bible, it's about what the authors meant by what they said and their mindset when they wrote it and the loss of that conceptual function in todays mindset.


The phone book contains errors, but if I sift through it for information and check with other sources does that make me a Yellow Pagean?