What is "Faith"?

LittleToe

So many times the word "Faith" is touted around, especially in debates concerning "blind faith" (and usually levelled at "believers"), but what is it really?

Heb 11:1 defines it as follows:

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." KJV

"Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld." NWT

"The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see." The Message

Having been raised with the NWT, I always thought it a little vague, so I find the KJV a far better definition. It is distinct from hope (which appears to be the word so often transposed when folks object to "faith").

Hope is something not seen (Rom.8:24,25), but "Faith" appears to be the signature on the cheque. The evidence that the hope is not unfounded.

Given that according to scripture "Faith" is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is the "token" or "seal" by which we can have confidence in our adoption (Rom.8:15; Gal.4:5-7), it would follow that it is the very substance of our hope.

Better felt than telled, I guess...

Would that match your description of it?

Amazing

Over the years faith has become a difficult and increasingly complex topic for me. The more I question and attempt intellectual honesty, the more elusive and fantasy-like that faith appears to be ... when it comes to God, that is, whomever he/she/it proves to be.

I would like to have more faith ... but the big man upstairs has not seen fit yet to respond to my spiritual e-mail. he must be too busy helping Islamic radicals, or members of the Christian Knights of the Order of the White Aryan Resistance. or ... maybe he is too busy beating back the Devil.

dh

my understanding of the word, not really based on any scriptures.

faith is when though you have questions, you have enough trust not to need all of the answers.

to me this applies to almost every type of faith, be it in god, in a friend, in a partner, in a parent etc.

dh'

Black Sheep

Faith, in my book, is the ability to overlook everything that contradicts your position.

rem

:: I would like to have more faith ... but the big man upstairs has not seen fit yet to respond to my spiritual e-mail.

Or maybe he's just burried up to his eyeballs in penis enlargment spam prayers? ;)

rem

Aztec

faith is when though you have questions, you have enough trust not to need all of the answers.

I like that. I wish I had more faith in things. When it isn't misplaced I think faith is a beautiful thing.

~Aztec

Satanus

LT

It's interesting that your newly accepted meaning of faith includes a connection to what is called spirit. Scientists think that the right frontal brain lobe are involved in experiences of that nature. Some books written on the subject explain spiritual experiences as being mediated by that part of the brain. Skeptics think all experiences involving the right frontal lobe are purely hallucinations, or stored memories.

Per your new definition, faith would accept them as real, i suppose, but in another dimension, possibly another, an intersticial (good word, eh? - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstitial ) cosmos. Then it would follow that the rfl is the organ used by the human race to connect to a dimension of spirit.

SS

gumby

"Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld." NWT

I like everything above except what is in bold type.

We all have faith. I have faith that there is a store down the street because I have seen it everyday for the last 14 years.I'm not there right now......but I have faith it's there. It was there an hour ago when I came home......and so I have faith it's there at this moment.

To have faith in a god you have never seen.....is doing something different. You are now taking the word of another person(s) idea of what this god is. You have never seen this god like I saw the store an hour ago. I will believe in this god because it's the only idea I have been taught........not something that I saw myself.

Gumby

JamesThomas

Would that match your description of it?

Faith: a confidence, loyalty, trust, allegiance, etc.. all these combining in a rational attitude or hope towards a potential cause, or person, or thing. Sounds good....and would likely be a key ingredient within religion which has reduced God down to a thing or commodity; a factor separate from us that acts or does not act upon us from afar. Faith -- this way of relating -- can be a stepping stone, but can easily become a numbing placebo in lieu of realization of the actual intimacy and closeness of our Source. In other words, there is no directing faith towards a God/Source/Truth that is too close for that. We often never find God, simply because we are focused afar, rather than at what is looking. j

gumby

Your words always sound nice James but to be honest....I never understand half of them. I don't mean to sound like a smart-ass....I just don't connect to your ideas I guess.

Gumby

What is "Faith"?

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