Faith

Published on by Susi Bocks
Alex Radelich – Unsplash

The dictionary would define faith as having complete trust or confidence in someone or something. For those with a religious bent it is strongly related to a belief in a god and the dogma or doctrines of their chosen religion. For those indoctrinated into their religion as well. Faith to me simply means trusting something or someone without evidence they are worthy of that trust. And I generally don’t do that because I question everything that has not supplied me with reasonable evidence to be trusted.

Roots of Hope by Shantanu Baruah inspired me to think a bit deeper on the topic of faith and it also elicited this comment from me…

The roots of faith are steeped in commitment.

What a person believes deeply without evidence is their prerogative. I’m okay with that. That’s why my comment reflected what I felt about faith. Most believers of anything are committed to what they believe. It feels natural, correct and unquestionable. That last bit – unquestionable – is the part I’m not okay with.

Since the beginning of time, we have seen simple beliefs overturned with explanations as to why they are not the truth. As we increase our foundation of knowledge, beliefs get tossed out right and left, leaving us with more surety than what we had before. Belief in something then just becomes silly. As an example, how many of us were told that Santa Claus existed? And how many of us still do? If you do and are no longer a child, please seek help! But seriously, you understand the concept of “When you know better, you do better.” that Maya Angelou was referring to – when truths make themselves known, you can’t simply continue to believe in what is not true. It doesn’t make sense.

Many of you know that I don’t subscribe to the supernatural. I prefer a life based in reality and knowns but I realize that there are still many unknowns to contend with as I go about living. What I feel I do know is that those truths haven’t been understood or discovered yet, and may never present themselves in my lifetime. And that, makes sense.

29 thoughts on “Faith”

        1. The definition of dogma is “a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true.” I would posit that Christian dogma, which you say “For me, ‘The roots of faith are steeped in commitment,’ to a person, Jesus Christ.”, is because of Jesus. Otherwise, why would you, I assume, follow him?

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          1. Christ laid down impossible principles but by his life in me. Relationship.
            I walk in the light of his eyes, by the light of his word.
            (Most of my life I chose not to listen.)

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            1. So say you, by what evidence “Christ laid down impossible principles but by his life in me. Relationship. I walk in the light of his eyes, by the light of his word. (Most of my life I chose not to listen.)”?

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              1. The world around me, the world in me is evidence, to me.
                I trust him.
                I’m following (by trial and error), how he followed his Father- doing what crosses my path.
                This afternoon it’s you.

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              3. Right. Christ once said, ‘No one can come to me unless the Father draws him.’
                I think that’s because God deals with us according to our attitudes and acts. Belief (faith), is a big deal to him.

                To me, Christianity’s big blunder is getting stuck on biblical principles instead of Christ.
                ‘Jesus Christ come in the flesh,’ is hard for most of us to swallow. Very invasive.

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              5. Independence from God is the source of all wrong (including slavery). Worldwide tensions and tragedies prove we reject Christ as redeemer/mediator: ‘Be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect.’

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  3. Pingback: Faith — I Write Her – QuietMomentsWithGod

    1. Thanks, Eugenia! I’d never heard that quote, so I researched it a bit because I needed to understand the context of it as “Facts can obscure the truth.” would be the exact opposite of what I would think when I mean “discovering the truth.”

      “I deal very little in facts, facts can obscure the truth, you can tell so many facts you never get to the truth, you can tell the places where, the people who, the times when, the reasons why, and never get to the human truth which is love and pain and loss and triumph.” Maya Angelou.

      Now that I’ve read it, my impression is that she was referring to the individuality and their rich emotional experience of people was getting lost in the external. Something which I can wrap my mind around. 🙂

      Appreciate your comment, Eugenia. ❤

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      1. I like how you think, Susi. I don’t believe in all facts. Who determined the facts? What was thier determination based on? You know, the 5 W’s and the how. Perhaps, I over analyze but things have to make sense to me before I believe they’re factual or true. Maya Angelou’s quotes are my favorite next to Rumi. They were way before their time.

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        1. Thanks, Eugenia! I appreciate that. Can’t remember where I said it but I don’t believe in anything but rather question everything. Just like the 5Ws to get to the bottom of things. Once all reasonable information can be established, I will form an opinion and even that might not be a fact but it’s the closest I can come to it based on the research I’ve done for myself. But even then it still leaves room for the possibility that I could be incorrect. I enjoy anyone who can make me think. 🙂

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    1. Our autonomy is the one thing which sets us apart from the almost 8 Billion other inhabitants on this planet. I’ll have to think about it a bit more if I would agree that it’s immoral not to respect it but at the very least I agree we shouldn’t abandon it but rather that we should always try to understand our own power.

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