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What is Faith and Why is It So Important?
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Hi, I've been rereading new testament and Jesus talks a lot about faith and says it's very important. The desciples failed to cast out demon and Jesus said that's due to their insufficient faith. Can someone explain to me what is faith? I know it's a lot deeper than just believing in God. And why is faith so important? Jesus said without faith, nothing is possible. Thank you!
Top Comment: Faith is when feelings of uncertainty and unsafe about our future is eradicated and we are filled with the feelings of protection of our all-knowing father. When you have faith, even making mistakes about life decisions doesn’t bother you because you understand God will defy all rules and science to make sure you are healthy, happy and feel absolutely safe. Trust me, it’s a profound level of emotional comfort that I can mess up my life by mistakes (not knowing info at the right time, being manipulated bc of my innocence etc) and God still uses it for my benefits. You experience no emotional turbulence, intense regrets and you feel super zen when you have faith.
So what is faith?
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Listening to christians talk about this has been one of the most confusing things I know.
Like, is faith a belief you have without evidence?
Or is faith a belief founded on evidence?
And is 'faith in the christian God' the same kind of faith as 'faith' in other things?
Top Comment: Faith is a changed state of being in light of the revelation of God. It is not a doxastic attitude.
What is faith and how does one keep it permanently
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What is faith to you, and how do you continue to keep pursuing it?
I have a learning disability andmy IQ isn't so great, I was raised Baptist most of my time, then I tried going to other stuff like pentecostal church and didn't really care for it. I also when I was younger went to youth group and tht was alright. Now I'm over and I'm still trying to figure out how faith works and or what it is? How, can I believe in somth8ng tht isn't seen? I'm a physical proof type of guy and it's sad. I'm being honest and upfront. I know in the Bible it says faith is like a mustard seed, and my faith is just like that and God says it's hard to get into heaven or unless I'm just wrong. I doubt I'll get a good scholar response but it's worth a try. I'm not giving up just trying to get what this is all is. Thanks .
Top Comment: God bless you. Faith in God means to trust God. When it comes to Christianity, God wants us to rely on faith. “But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and rewards everyone who searches for him.” - Hebrews 11:6 “Jesus said, ‘Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen Me? The people who have faith in Me without seeing Me are the ones who are really blessed!’” - John 20:29 “You have never seen Jesus, and you don't see Him now. But still you love Him and have faith in Him.” - 1 Peter 1:8 But faith doesn't mean blind faith. We are to have good reasons for our faith. If I may, I will share with you why I have faith in God. The #1 reason why I have faith in God is because of the hope that only He is able to give. 1- What is this hope? “Then a kingdom of love will be set up, and someone from David's family (Jesus) will rule with fairness. He will do what is right and quickly bring justice.” - Isaiah 16:5 2- Why is this hope important? “Everywhere on earth I saw violence and injustice instead of fairness and justice.” - Ecclesiastes 3:16 “You (God) listen to the longings of those who suffer. You offer them hope, and you pay attention to their cries for help.” - Psalm 10:17 3- Why does God want to give us this hope? "God is love.” - 1 John 4:8 “My dear friends, God loves you, and we know he has chosen you to be his people.” - 1 Thessalonians 1:4 4- How do we share in this hope? “God wants us to have faith in his Son Jesus Christ and to love each other.” - 1 John 3:23 5- Why do we need faith in Jesus? “All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.” - Romans 3:23 God said, “I will punish this evil world and its people because of their sins.” - Isaiah 13:11 “Christ obeyed God our Father and gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins to rescue us from this evil world.” - Galatians 1:4 6- Without God, there is no hope. I absolutely refuse to accept that evil and injustice are just a part of life. That’s why I choose to trust God and hold on to the hope He has promised. “We must hold tightly to the hope we say is ours. After all, we can trust the One (God) who made the agreement with us.” - Hebrews 10:23
What does faith feel like?
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I don't believe there is a god of any sort. It makes me curious what faith feels like for those who truly believe in god. What internal forces drive your devotion to a belief that, by definition, will not be proven?
I'm truly interested in hearing some of your thoughts, or experiences with this. Thanks in advance for sharing!
Top Comment: To me faith feels warm, especially in the presence of my gods. A literal sense of warmth and happiness. Calm and awe. Hope that helps :)
Why is faith important?
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As the title says, I want to know why you might think faith is important (or unimportant)? What roles and benefits might it have in society, or to an individual, if there are any benefits at all? Why is faith so respected among many well-informed people?
I have never thought of faith as something important (I actually feel strongly against it), and would just like to know what other people think of it.
Top Comment: It depends on how strongly you want to define faith. Would you include 'faith' in the scientific method? I have read (I think Dawkins talks about it in the God Delusion) that unquestioning belief in what your parents/community tells you as a child has evolutionary advantages (ie don't fuck with grizzly bears, don't eat the red berries), and this is what predisposes humans to have faith. I suspect faith is respected by the very people who possess it, and is held in less regard by those who don't.
What does faith mean?
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Often, I see atheist use the fact Christians have "faith" and that faith is belief without evidence.
They often use this "no evidence" definition which is often quoted from this passage.
Hebrews 11:1
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
From a theological argument, the word evidence is already in the definition. So the lack of "evidence" is not even Biblical.
Hebrews 11:3
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Even the verses after don't support the idea of "no evidence" but rather that the conclusion of the evidence is not seen.
Either way, this is a Biblical discussion. So an atheist should't adhere to a Biblical definition of faith no?
Faith etymology (https://www.etymonline.com/word/faith)
Faith just means "to trust" in its core. So unless the word trust implies no evidence, then I guess a person can be consistent that way.
But then what is the alternative word for trust if trust implies no evidence now.
Top Comment: You can use a different word if you like. “Faith” seems to work pretty well for the time being to refer to “believing something without evidence to support it.” That’s what we mean by it in the context of a discussion about why people choose to believe any given religion. I don’t particularly care about the etymology of the word. I care that there’s no evidence to support the objective truth of any existing religion. The Bible also isn’t a dictionary, so as you alluded to, atheists or non-Christian theists don’t need to defer to how it uses words. You just say “faith just means “to trust” at its core,” like we’re supposed to go “oh, ok, THAT’S what faith means?” And yea, that’s one dictionary definition of faith. Another is “belief that is not based on proof.” That’s clearly the sense in which we are using it. Hopefully you also understand that Hebrews using a Greek word translated into the English word “evidence” doesn’t somehow change the definition of evidence for the rest of the world. You either have evidence that substantiates your faith (or “claims” if that’s a better word?) or you don’t. If you don’t, that’s fine. You shouldn’t be afraid to own it. But playing etymology games to try to... I don’t even know. I guess try to convince non-believers that they don’t really mean what they are saying(?)... that’s not going to go anywhere.
faith is everything
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I've had an experience recently that had made me value faith as the most important thing to cultivate on the spiritual path.
Faith is a deep trust in something. We use faith all the time day to day. We have faith in our eyes to percieve light. We trust that the information they pick up is generally accurate and can be trusted and used.
If Jesus were here today, and you saw him performing miricals, you would have faith that he could perform a mirical for you if you asked. He is the son of God after all. Now if you had faith that he was here all the time and that he hears your prayers and he's just waiting for you to let him into your heart, imagine what could be done.
That's exactly how my experience happened. I said God will always love me in my head and immediately felt such love and this crazy energy course through my body. It took a lot of faith and belief. It took seeing where i don't believe and where I'm just trying to gain an experience rather than really believing.
Imagine applying this to your day to day life. Having faith in God or the universe rather than in your own mind and self effort. You can really take a step back and let God take the reigns. This doesn't mean to give up in life because you still need to take appropriate action, but having faith that God will guide you if you just believe and let go. Then you become free.
Top Comment: Yes, without faith this world will crush you down and enslave you fully. Faith is the power that can push this world back and make space for your freedom. Life can be very cruel otherwise.