What role does faith play?

BrettPGH

If anyone is interested in discussing this sort of thing with fewer responses and less locks there is the group Debatable Debating, where we go over this sort of thing all the time.

Over, and over, and over...

megmay2591

None for me. I'm an Agnostic Atheist. I believe in myself and know that I must build my own mental strength through everything in my life.

slkehl

I guess it puts things in perspective for me. My identity is in my faith, not my appearance. I don't know. Being healthy also keeps me mentally focused and able to have energy to serve in certain ways. I guess what I eat doesn't play as strong of a role as exercise does. It's really a form of worship to me-using the amazingly intricate body God gave me and enjoying his creation while running outside.

jennifer52484

You always have faith. You get in your car and drive, sustaining a belief that you will come back safely, no?

jerzypeach

You always have faith. You get in your car and drive, sustaining a belief that you will come back safely, no?

No. You choose actions that will maximize your chances of arriving safely.

Trail_Addict

You always have faith. You get in your car and drive, sustaining a belief that you will come back safely, no?

Umm.... no. I don't drive with my eyes closed, hoping God will take the wheel. I pay attention to my surroundings, and control my situation so that I bring myself home safely.

jennifer52484

You always have faith. You get in your car and drive, sustaining a belief that you will come back safely, no?

Umm.... no. I don't drive with my eyes closed, hoping God will take the wheel. I pay attention to my surroundings, and control my situation so that I bring myself home safely.

I did not mention God..

russellma

From an atheist's point of view, what is faith?

Faith is blind belief in something without any proof.

Then, we ALL have faith in something. No?

For some things, we (meaning all of us) have to accept anecdotal evidence or the results of the process of elimination, because there is currently no solid "proof" to back up what we believe to be true.

But are you willing to change your beliefs in the face of further research that God does not exist? Are you referring to science when you are talking about anecdotal evidence or process of elimination?

And, to answer your question... No, I wouldn't give up my own faith because of "proof" that the science world would offer, simply because it has proven itself to be unreliable and changing, while my own anecdotal evidence shows that the object of my faith is genuine.

This right here is the difference. An atheist will allow their world view to change in the face of new knowledge and information during their quest to understand the world around us while some of faith will ignore all new information because they believe that they have been told how it all works already.


and to answer your original question, I will continue to examine and weigh the evidence while trying to understand this world and universe.

So, can I eat eggs or not? Seriously, anyone who watches the workings of science at all knows that "facts" change.

To assume that someone who chooses to believe in a deity also chooses to ignore all science is a faulty assumption. If that were the case, there would only be atheistic scientists.

However, science itself does not change its own "facts" based on every bit of new information. In fact, it even ignores some studies or evidence that seem to contradict what they already "know", which is why it can take years to correct incorrect information. Some scientists spend much of their lifetime getting the bigwigs in science to take note of their work because it goes against the grain of what scientists already "know".

Continuing to believe something that you have found to be reliable until it can be PROVEN untrue is not ignorance or blind faith, my friend. Sometimes, it's just good sense! :flowerforyou:

onequirkygirl

i'm extremely religious, but i wouldn't say faith played a big role in this. almost no role at all actually

Both of these claims cannot be true....man has done an awful job at representing God.

macpatti

If anyone is interested in discussing this sort of thing with fewer responses and less locks there is the group Debatable Debating, where we go over this sort of thing all the time.

Or better yet: Read our debates on the existence of God and see if you have anything to add to either side of the debate.

nerdyandilikeit

Believers are so condescending and never even recognize it.

Can you change that to "some believers", please?

Seriously, this is THE one big glaring point that Patti and I agree on.

macpatti

Seriously, this is THE one big glaring point that Patti and I agree on.

:flowerforyou:

Josh

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