(August 25, 2011 at 2:46 pm)salty Wrote: Transportation is a great example of faith. You have faith that you will have a safe trip when you drive, but you don't have the knowledge that you'll get there alive, even though you can see, touch and secure yourself in your vehicle.
The chances that I'll have a safe trip when I drive is not based on faith. It is based on reasonable expectations. HUGE difference.
I have loads of evidence that I will have a safe trip.
This is not what is meant by Christians when they use the word faith.
Quote:Anyone can have knowledge of an empty cup because this world tells us what liquids and solids look and feel like. But could you have faith that the cup was empty if you 30 paces away from it? Or would you have to have faith from the knowledge that Sae gives you, when she tells you it's empty?
If someone tells me a cup is empty, I don't require faith to believe them. I know that there are a limited number of states the cup can be in concerning the amount of fluid in it. Full, empty or some in between state of being partially filled.
If they told be it was in any of those states, I'd have no reason to use faith the believe them. After all, they aren't telling me it is empty because a gnome just came and drank its contents.
Faith, by its nature, is not a source of valid or reliable knowledge, it therefore should be avoided, not sought.
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.
