Belief what is it good for?

[jonb]

Now don't get me wrong, I am as certain there is no god, as I am last tuesday existed, and the concept of a god is to me childish, but what interests me is this faith thing, sure I can read a dictionary and I can see the definitions, but to me, who has always been on the outside of religion. I am supposed to think something is there without being sure it is?
I honestly do not understand it. I can see why somebody might not want to take responsibility for their own actions, and might want an intangible force to blame or reduce the starkness of the memory of the harm they may have done. I can see that an individual in a community with a commonly held philosophy might want to sublimate their personal view point to fit in more easily. I can see somebody might want something more tangible than hope to cling to, but that is not so evident as to be easily dismissed, but is there anything more to belief than that?

[Darth]

Absoultely nothing! (say it again)

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

Beliefs,shared and individual, almost certainly meet some human need(s) or they would not exist,or least would not be ubiquitous. In terms of the needs they meet,the truth or falsity of beliefs are irrelevant.


I do not conflate 'belief' and 'confidence' EG I have confidence in the scientific method, but do not ' believe in it'. Beliefs tend to entail dogmatic certainties. Science does not.

[Jeffonthenet]

Now don't get me wrong, I am as certain there is no god, as I am last tuesday existed, and the concept of a god is to me childish, but what interests me is this faith thing, sure I can read a dictionary and I can see the definitions, but to me, who has always been on the outside of religion. I am supposed to think something is there without being sure it is?
I honestly do not understand it. I can see why somebody might not want to take responsibility for their own actions, and might want an intangible force to blame or reduce the starkness of the memory of the harm they may have done. I can see that an individual in a community with a commonly held philosophy might want to sublimate their personal view point to fit in more easily. I can see somebody might want something more tangible than hope to cling to, but that is not so evident as to be easily dismissed, but is there anything more to belief than that?

Faith has been defined by theologians even during the protestant reformation as much as trust in God as believing that he exists. I take it to mean trusting what you know is true. For example, I may know that my best friend is 100% honest, but not trust him with my wallet. If this were the case, I would not be trusting what I know to be true, namely, that he is completely honest and so wont steal my money.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

Faith has been defined by theologians

Theology has no credibility with me,it certainly doesn't get to define meanings in the real world. A simple and accurate definition of 'faith' is belief without [credible] evidence" IE "superstition"


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Faith: 1. Reliance or trust in; belief founded on authority. 2. (Theol) belief in religious doctrines,esp. such as effects character and ,spiritual apprehension of divine truth apart from proof------- (Concise Oxford Dictionary)

[Angrboda]

To suggest that we live but a tiny fraction of our life in a position of certainty, confidence and knowledge is most assuredly a false belief. We live between poles of confusion, doubt and utter panic. Is 'belief' so very much not at home in this world?

[jonb]

Faith has been defined by theologians even during the protestant reformation as much as trust in God as believing that he exists. I take it to mean trusting what you know is true. For example, I may know that my best friend is 100% honest, but not trust him with my wallet. If this were the case, I would not be trusting what I know to be true, namely, that he is completely honest and so wont steal my money.

First of all Jeff I have to applaud you. I am new as you know, and I was seeing a number of theists or what purport to be theists only prepared to talk on threads which they had set up and are as bias as this one is in the other direction. As such I wondered would any theists dare to walk into into the Lions den, You are a true Daniel.

That said lets get to the nitty gritty, My lack of belief, I have not created it, it is not a wall to be broken a defence that shields me from god, I always loved the stories, the stories actually have influenced my philosophy and my personal moral code in part comes from the Abrahamic tradition, but there is no emotional response to god, if anything I don't think I would like the chap. From the earliest age I can remember I was deeply unimpressed with the concept of miracles, that one person would be sorted out while all the rest were left, or that power was just being used for show, really got under my skin and annoyed me. If this life is as often put forward by theists is a test, there is no point in testing what you know is in theist terms going to fail. Therefore is not my very existence a proof there is no god?

[KichigaiNeko]

Belief is only a panacea for the uneducated against a world full of wonder that relies on science to understand fully. Anything else is just a mental health issue and you should see your resident psychiatrist or health care professional.

[jonb]

Belief is only a panacea for the uneducated against a world full of wonder that relies on science to understand fully. Anything else is just a mental health issue and you should see your resident psychiatrist or health care professional.

Yes I agree, but never the less I am interested in the syndrome, I don't really understand how it works in the mind of the afflicted, I want to try and understand what they see.

[KichigaiNeko]

Belief is only a panacea for the uneducated against a world full of wonder that relies on science to understand fully. Anything else is just a mental health issue and you should see your resident psychiatrist or health care professional.

Yes I agree, but never the less I am interested in the syndrome, I don't really understand how it works in the mind of the afflicted, I want to try and understand what they see.

You can always masturbate to your beliefs. The syndrome has been posted elsewhere on this board and has been scientifically explored and an aberration of the mind (thanks Neuroscience)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story...=110997741

Please click on the links and explore just WHAT your mind gets up to...all sans a fuzzy imaginary friend.