FAITH
IS IT FACT OR FICTION - OR IS IT JUST BELIEF?
Faith cannot be proven to be incorrect, in many cases. Our faith in a person may be proven to be incorrect when they violate that that faith/trust. But our religious faith will often include a number of things that cannot be proven indisputably false.
That's all good and fine.
But even when we have very strong faith, we must be smart enough about it to know that faith does not prove something is correct - that it is solely faith, with unproven possible fact. However, when we use it as an absolute and do harm with it or fail to recognize contradictory evidence (against parts of it), we are violating reality and may produce undesirable consequences. (Read The Righteous, Unthinking Mind Versus The Thinking Mind - And The Effect Of Harmful Ignorance, and also the piece about how we acquire our beliefs, The Believing Brain. You might also wish to link from those pages to the books that were written on the subject. Note that the odds against one's religion being the only right one of 10,000 religions is pretty low. See also Religion.)
Definition: Complete trust, confidence, or reliance.
Another definition has also become used as meaning: Unquestioning belief that does not require proof or evidence. Religion especially uses this meaning. When one “questions” one’s faith, there is an implication that that “should not” be done. The only real argument for not questioning it is that questioning it can sometimes weaken one’s foundation of confidence – but that should be temporary. If a person questions something rigorously and acts to find and solidify an alternative answer, then one “grows” and is much better off. The problem remains only when one does not do what it takes to gain “closure” and is waffling in fear or shame, with the latter being implied from the religious advocates, perhaps as a means of controlling one’s following.
To some extent, we are stuck with “faith” in those things we cannot “see” or prove, but this leaves us believing in many, many things that have no basis. Sometimes our basis comes only from others telling us it is so. Also, there is much that people want to believe – that someone or something will “rescue” them, “save” them, or that a reward will come from doing a particular thing or being a particular way. A person who learns to “think” can still choose some of the beliefs, but only after “reasoning” them out.
To have faith one must believe that the wisdom, the means and the knowledge are available to accomplish what is desired and that it is possible that the person can get those. Just as we may conclude that turning a light switch will almost always cause a light to come on or that the sun will rise tomorrow, we can have “faith” in things we don’t see but are logically proven to be. So there ultimately is at least a large degree of proof that can back up faith, but it must be based on sound reasoning.
FAITH IN OURSELVES
If one studies the mind and evaluates the evidence, there is overwhelming scientific evidence of more than adequate capability in the brain, some of it not always “conscious” at the time, to accomplish virtually anything, especially anything another person has accomplished. Of course, we must be realistic about the time it could reasonably take and allow for the barriers – and certainly we must allow time for acquiring the specific knowledge necessary to reach the objective. There is no justification for believing we will achieve something magically without acquiring the knowledge or doing the work, but some people so strongly wish that magic will save them and/or have failed to reason it out that they continue to believe in magic – often they just think that “believing, with emotion” is enough to have a result (such as happiness or "manifestation") happen (without the action required!).
Intuition is sometimes relied on to “infer” that something is true, because it “feels” true, but this is a misuse of intuition, for intuition does not in each case provide accurate information. Instead, it is only some thinking that is unconscious that somehow gathers from all places in the body and mind and puts them into a “feeling” (which is actually a thought). That “feeling” is worth paying attention to and including in one’s thinking, but the “truth” behind it must be verified and put out into the light and/or the truth of the conclusion must be reached by other means (such as checking out the “seeable” facts/evidence).
FAITH IN GOD
Having faith that “God will provide” and that is all that is needed is a misuse of religious scriptures. God (or evolution or whatever source you believe in) provided the incredible brain and body that enable us to think at an incredible level and have abilities that permit us to do virtually anything, but only action on our own will produce the results. Of course, “God” or the “higher self” or “intuition” might help guide us to the answer and the appropriate action, but only after the rational brain has thought it out. Thus the saying “God helps those that help themselves.”
FAITH IN THE ABILITY TO DO VIRTUALLY ANYTHING
The completely justified faith that you should have most is in yourself and your ability to somehow achieve what is necessary even though you don’t yet know all the steps that are needed, but know that a human being can do it. With this faith, you can be secure in life no matter what happens (along with the appropriate psychological thinking process ). (See also The Skill Of Fearlessness.)
