A Believer's Thoughts on Faith

[Brian37]

Deesse23: i think it's odd that so many current atheists put down faith and suggest they dont recognize the concept when i know there is a quote circulating among them that says "it takes faith to be an atheist".  but my general definition of faith is believing that step C, D, etc is attainable when your understanding only shows you how step A leads to step B.  also, i havent avoided your question, but i'll try to guess at what's causing the confusion. a more bold person mayve said they could prove that life is lived by the faith of the beliefs of one's own heart, not by an attempt to be "correct" from another person's point of view.  i believe this based on what we can see, not from what i've only told myself.  so i'll try to give a quick argument in support of this:

from what we can see, those that havent decided what they believe oppose faith, pushing it back so that they can live in comfortable neutrality.  faith pressures them to decide what they believe.  for example, if an opinion is present that is against an undecided's actions, it will be refuted the same way whether it comes in the name of morality, religion, or otherwise.  i think those of faith will accept that other beliefs exist and not try to silence them by force.  so since it's refutation and the same refuting regardless of name, i think it's the faith that theyre really opposed to.    we see this constantly in popularity also. for example, it's very common to see questions like: "what's the greatest song ever written/movie made/tv host, etc?"  with a little faith, these questions could be resolved by the asker, but standing by a real belief can cause turmoil (you could be challenged, insulted, etc), so they find a safe belief of someone else's and say they believe that instead to dodge it and stay comfortable.  but from what we also see, the undecided stance isnt well regarded: fair-weather friends, those who wont stick by a decision, hypocrites, etc.  so i believe these are all reminders that we have to determine and live by what we believe is true.

about tomatoes, if youre asking how this belief acknowledges the existence of things we can see (physical things), i dont believe it determines their existence but what your perspective regarding them will be, what their significance is to you.  hopefully, this makes some sense.

"Faith in anyone or anything is not required because knowledge of facts is not established through selfishness or willful ignorance. Knowledge is the willingness to accept when you are wrong and adapt to changing data and the willingness to update your position upon learning better information. If our species never questioned social norms, our species never would have left the caves.

Now, having said that, to cry over a deity or God being criticized or blasphemed is petty and are what theocracies like Saudi Arabia and Iran demand. And dictators like Kim Jong Un demand. If I kept on repeating every day "Serena Williams beat the Chicago Blackhawks in the Super Bowl", would you simply blindly accept that? No, I would hope you would correct someone repeating that by saying, "Serena plays pro tennis, the Blackhawks play pro hockey and the Super Bowl is outrageously expensive to get a ticket to."

Thomas Jefferson, "Ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions."

And "Question with boldness the existence of a God, for if there be one, surely he would pay more homage to reason than to that of blindoflded fear." Also Thomas Jefferson.

Forgot who said it but, "Blasphemy laws are the first sign of tyranny".

Susan B Anthony, "I distrust those people who know so well what they say God wants them to do, because I always notice it coincides with their own desires." And she got her ass beat by white Christian men for advocating for women's right to vote.

When we criticize, ridicule or blaspheme a religious claim we are NOT saying we want to kill you or barbecue your kittens. It is merely  a blunt way of getting you to consider that maybe you got it wrong.

Most people get sold the religions of their parents/society at birth long before they can formulate adult critical thinking skills. And while most theists are good, they can become needlessly tribal and defensive when faced with the fact others exist outside their local environment beyond the social norms that make up their majority. But that is global in every nation in every religion. And even with every political ideology in the world.

I will always defend those who value peace and sharing power without expectation of being the top of the social pecking order at all times. But I will stop playing nice with my words when those with Authoritarian and or theocratic designs seek to impose their religious laws into common law. I can like you without agreeing with everything or liking everything you may claim. 

Humans have rights as they always should, but claims as ideas do not deserve to be free from scrutiny.

Right now in America the Republican party has been hijacked by a majority of party members who only seek power to keep power, not to compromise or accept peaceful transfer of power. They are also currently of theocracy mindset imposing religious rule of law, and that trend is dangerous. They are anti science, anti intellectual, anti pluralism, especially political and religious pluralism. They prey on the economic insecurities of the middle and working class and use tribal appeals to party and religion to keep support. They are not the GOP of Reagan or Nixon or MLK or Teddy R and especially not the party of Lincoln. 

If Thomas Jefferson or Thomas Paine tried to run to be the nominee on the republican ticket today, they would not make it past the primaries based on what they said about the superstitions and claims of magic in the bible and their dead set insistence on keeping religion out of common law.