When you think of the words Faith & Belief...what do you all think those words actually mean?

I notice a lot of people not just on this forum but in real life too, that tend to ignore what the words Faith & Belief means

When you talk about God, Jesus and the bible...do you tend to state it as actual fact regardless of proof?

I have faith in God...but I see it as just belief...I believe he exists...but I can't say it's a fact...so I can only hope he is real..hmmm there's another word that fits in with Faith & Belief...HOPE...

Hope is all we have when we think of God and heaven....it gives most of us peace of mind and comfort

When I read and hear some folks pushing their beliefs on to other...and again not just here but in real life...I tend to wonder if these people just ignore what faith is???

When I tell others about my belief in God..I put it in such a way that it doest sound too arrogant - ie I believe in him..I can feel it in my heart...but I am well aware I can't prove it..but it's just my belief and nothing more

look to the source. the human brain "needs" to create order, cause and effect, explanation, etc. As such people create their "facts", their "realities", and these are real to them no matter what else is said. The history of humanity shows how humans create order for their lives in their mythologies, and every mythology has been lived as a reality.

We face the issues of giving objective description to subkjective experience.
We face the issues of mapping "universal truths" to "absolute moralities".

People will always defend their "experience" as real, without being able to define it objectively.

So faith and belief, are just "the glue" that keeps our artificial models of "cause and effect", of wholeness, of separateness, of truth and deception, ect stable. They provide the illusion of stability where there is none, much like subjectively there is the illusion of free will when objectively there is none.

removing faith and belief is bursting the bubble. It exists because the human brain is designed to create its own reality.

Thats exactly true Hyper...well said

Faith hmmm...........
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything


'Faith' means not wanting to know what is true”

Faith, indeed, has up to the present not been able to move real mountains . . . But it can put mountains where there are none.”


For me these quotes by Nietszche say it better than i can

Then, i read Hypers another fine post from the brain.......lol

I agree with hyper. I don't see having faith or hope a weakness though, it is just part of being human. We need hope and faith in something to help make it through.

What do you mean by making it through Arty, you often say this on many differnet things, i''m curious yet again

Hi Sheri. I mean faith and hope are strengths. They coordinate with action and intent to fulfill everday life occurrences.

Faiths a beautiful word with a great meaning. People dont only have "faith" in God. Faith is also a word for hope...People "hope" (have faith) that things will be okay. To me when people talk about the Bible as the absolute truth, i respect their opinion but i dont agree with it. Thats why seeming i dont find the Bible to be entirely "Gods Word" i then use my faith in God to lead me the way. I go directly to the source instead of taking the long route.
I tell people i have no doubt that God exists- my faith is strong. Yet if they dont believe i tell them i understand and leave it at that. I cant prove God exists and i find your logic very smart- its one that leaves little in terms of conflict. Many people make it sound like they are right but the fact is no one does know- none of it is a fact. Thats when the powerful word of "Faith" kicks in. Something tells me theres a God out there.

Wow, Great subject BM! i agree with what everyone else has said, yet i must state a distinction i see, and this is only my opinion of course, but faith and hope are two related, though distinct concepts. faith is as the title and bm suggested a belief, (not necessarily in god btw, you can have faith in anything and anyone) while hope is a much more abstract feeling, similar to a belief, though extending beyond it...wow...my input in this thread wasn't really needed, but i needed to comment on this great thread.

Thank you Glacies..and your input is just fine btw

Faith to me is the same as belief and it's not just for God it's aalso for your loved ones or your partner...if you put faith into them to do something that is right...you are also believing in them too and hope they don't let you down

I use the word 'faith' to describe something that I truly believe in that is without proof...

i.e. I have faith that I will live forever.

The problem is that when certain people hear this word they immediately label me as a follower of god . Yes, faith can be directed toward another person or a "higher being", but it can also be referring to an object or idea/plan of some sort.





No, I state nothing as fact other than my existence and how I perceive my own reality. If I were to deny god or accept him as truth, I'd be a contradicting myself according to my own beliefs (Solipsistic Agnosticism). God is no different to me then the Egyptians Anubis or the story about how the Grinch stole Christmas; neither is fact of fiction as I see it.

~ADHD~

Great responce ADHD you're right though when people hear that word the tend to think it's linked to religion..could you tell us more about - Solipsistic Agnosticism? ty

Since this is in the Spirituality board, I'm going to guess you're speaking about these terms as they relate to spirituality and religion. Faith, Belief and Hope all have wider meanings in life. The Biblical view of these terms though, are:

Faith - Faith and belief are subtly different. You can believe in something but not have Faith. In regards to God, Faith is closer to Trust than belief. In the Christian sense, Satan and his minions also believe in God, but that belief does not help them - they quiver in terror even. Faith is the attitude a person has when they abandon all reliance upon themselves for salvation and put that reliance on another, in my case, Jesus Christ. Faith is the choice I made when i became a Christian. But it is also the guiding force by which I live my life.

Belief - Nice and easy. It's just what it sounds like. What you believe

Hope - In the ancient world, hope was often referred to as a negative virtue. Hope looks forward to something, but is ultimately only an illusion, and transitory. And while the Bible occasionally uses it in this sense - the ploughman should plough in hope, for example, because there is the hope of reward for his labour. It is much more common for the Bible to look at Hope differently. Hope, in the Biblical sense, is inseperable from Faith, and it's meaning is very different to the conventional. When there is Faith in a steadfast God who will never leave nor forsake you, a God that can be trusted to always keep his promises, a Complete God, the Biblical concept of Hope becomes possible.

This hope is not a matter of crossing fingers, or based on a special set of circumstances, or on the abilities of the one hoping, or on any other illusory human trait. The hope that a Christian has is based in their Trust and Faith in God. For the Christian, hope is not an illusion, for it is based on the steadfastness of God.

Now, whether that Faith in God is justified is something else entirely, but you get that

Regards, PA

btw,
Why is it that when I say Faith, you automatically assume I'm talking about God ~ Shepherd Book, Serenity