Faith: what is it good for?

[Dondrei]

Faith: what is it good for?

Yes, yes, I know how much everyone loves religious threads.

I was recently thinking about fideism, specifically the notion that God does not reveal his existence or allow it to be proved through reason because reason denies faith; the point (so the theory goes) is to believe in spite of the lack of evidence - otherwise it would not be faith at all.

What I don't understand is this; what is the purpose of faith? Why does God want people to believe in him? People seem to act as if it is an end in itself. Fideism in particular seems to suppose that it's the whole point.

On a separate issue, why does God want you to have faith in him to the exclusion of other gods?

 

[jackthelad]

Faith, huh, what is it good for?
Absolutely nothin!

Sorry, thread title made me think of that song!

 

[SaroDarksbane]

Faith, huh, what is it good for?
Absolutely nothin!

Sorry, thread title made me think of that song!

Say it again!

I was about to post it, but I see you've got it covered. :laugh:

 

[HockeyChic]

Faith, huh, what is it good for?
Absolutely nothin!

Sorry, thread title made me think of that song!

Funny, the same happened to me.

I am so not getting in on this topic.

 

[ffejrxx]

i once had a zon with a faith, oops, talkin about d2 in the OTF again...

*waits for snappy comeback*

 

[Talga Vasternich]

Yes, yes, I know how much everyone loves religious threads.

As good a topic for a thread as any other

I was recently thinking about fideism, specifically the notion that God does not reveal his existence or allow it to be proved through reason because reason denies faith; the point (so the theory goes) is to believe in spite of the lack of evidence - otherwise it would not be faith at all.

hence the definition....faith

What I don't understand is this; what is the purpose of faith?

there really is no purpose, it is simply a way of thinking

Why does God want people to believe in him?

God doesn't necessarily want worshipers, that's a human assumption. We project our existence to the Divine and expect the same rules to apply.

People seem to act as if it is an end in itself. Fideism in particular seems to suppose that it's the whole point.

It is an end unto itself. It is the belief that there is a being greater and more important than yourself. I also believe that a lot of people who believe in God do so to "hedge their bet" against the possibility that God exists and that God's opposite exists, so they fear the punishment that would go with that idea.

On a separate issue, why does God want you to have faith in him to the exclusion of other gods?

Again, this is a human restriction.

I'm sorry for being brief with my responses because I know you wanted more than just these simple answers. To me, it is just that simple....I do not assume that I know God's intentions or desires, yet I believe that God exists and feel no compulsion to justify my beliefs about God beyond, "I believe."

 

[PFS]

cows, pits, GA pvp zons

 

[myleftfoot]

Faith has to be the no 1 waste of time for the normal joe. Followed closely by politics. Imagine the amount of work that would get done if people didn't waste their time arguing about them on the web.

 

[vdzele]

Faith is just one ring in a long chain called control.

 

[HAMC8112]

Faith gives some people a reason to live.

 

[AeroJonesy]

Faith is just one ring in a long chain called control.

If I have faith in myself, who is controlling me?

 

[Talga Vasternich]

If I have faith in myself, who is controlling me?

Did you not understand what he meant, or are you choosing to be dense?

 

[Amra]

What I don't understand is this; what is the purpose of faith?

Let me ask you this: has your life - or the life of someone you hold dear - ever hung in the balance?

 

[caddad]

Are you asking the question so you can think about the answer or are you asking the question so you can argue with someone about it?

Faith makes me comfortable enough in my skin to smile in spite of things I can prove.

-D2netDad

 

[ragnar_ii]

I don't think there is anything that I believe, that the only reason for my belief is "just because".

 

[thegiantturtle]

What I don't understand is this; what is the purpose of faith?

To make people do certain things and feel certain ways. These may be good things (not eating undercooked pork, not killing people) and good ways (safe) or bad things (virgin sacrifice, crusades) and bad ways (scared).

Why does God want people to believe in him?

Because without this, there is no control over others

On a separate issue, why does God want you to have faith in him to the exclusion of other gods?

Because other gods might make people think different things and feel different ways. This is often associated with the negative half of my first answer.

 

[SaroDarksbane]

Because without this, there is no control over others

An omnipotent God has complete control regardless of whether or not people believe in him. More correctly, I would say that God wants us to believe in him because he doesn't want to exercise that complete control; he wants to give us a choice.

Asking why God wants people to believe in him is like asking why a person wants friends. Asking why God just doesn't make people believe in him is like asking why people would rather have friends who actually enjoy their company.

 

[bladesyz]

Faith, or Belief, is the foundation of all human thoughts. Everything we know, we must believe in some fundamental aspect.

It is essentially a heuristic, as constant skepticism about everything is impossible. Like any other heuristic, it can be misapplied.

 

[alexzed]

'Faith is believing in something you know ain't true'
-Mark Twain

I believe faith is a word created to maintain control over rational minds.

 

[thegiantturtle]

An omnipotent God has complete control regardless of whether or not people believe in him. More correctly, I would say that God wants us to believe in him because he doesn't want to exercise that complete control; he wants to give us a choice.

You missed my point. When a religion is created, if God's desire to be believed is left out, then it becomes much harder for the leaders of the religion to use it to control people.

Asking why God wants people to believe in him is like asking why a person wants friends. Asking why God just doesn't make people believe in him is like asking why people would rather have friends who actually enjoy their company.

If you believe that there is a God, why should God care if people believe in him? What does God get out of being believed in?