What are Belief and Faith, and what do they have to do with facts?

Belief and Faith are defined, by Merriam-Webster, as:

Belief:
· Something believed
· Conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or phenomenon especially when based on examination of evidence.

Faith:
· Firm belief in something for which there is no proof

By definition then, a belief can be true. I believe in the law of gravity. I know it to be true, I see evidence that it exists, therefore, I believe that it is true.

Faith is believing in something that has no proof. For instance, believing in a god. There is no way to prove or disprove that a god does or does not exist. Another example would be tomatoes. There was a groundless belief in this country at one point that tomatoes were deadly. People believed in that, even though there was no proof. Then when it was proven that tomatoes were not poisonous, then that faith went away.

So Faith in something is believing in something that has not yet been proven or disproved. Once it has been proven, then that belief has been given more credibility and becomes believed and thus is no longer a matter of faith. If it is disproved, then it should go away. Faith does not deny truth, it exists where there is no truth or untruth.

The danger we see then, with many, if not all religions, is when they place their belief above the obvious truths. They refuse to accept, to believe, what is placed in front of them, because it runs counter to what they wish to believe. They have closed their minds. This is usually because the truth threatens them in some way, and a natural reaction of humans is to flee from what threatens them.

Galileo was persecuted by the church, because he discovered truths that ran counter to the church beliefs. This threatened the church, because if the truth was known about the nature of the universe, then the church would be wrong. A church, a religion, cannot allow itself to be wrong, for if it is wrong about simple matters of our physical existence, then it could be mistaken about existence in the afterlife. And if confidence in that is shaken, then the church loses it's power because people stop believing in what the church expounds as it's truths, which it wants you to take on faith.

People have an amazing ability for denial, coupled with a strong desire to be wanted, loved, accepted. The motivations for joining a gang are not unlike those for joining a religion. People seek out acceptance from a group of peers. Family, friends, local power groups, etc. They want to be accepted by their families, their friends, so they join the same religions, the same churches as they do. They may or may not have a faith, and accept the faith that is taught them. I think the internal rationalization process may go like this: "My family believes this, so it must be true. If it were not true, then my family would be a bunch of idiots. They are not idiots, thus it's true, If I believe in the same thing as they do, and then they will accept and love me. If I don't they won't love me or accept me. Therefore I believe it as well." To deny that choice would become like denying their family.

I feel most people just go along with the faith, just to be accepted, and pay minimal lip service to the religion. Some people discover that these faiths relieve them of the responsibilities of life, which they accept because they are unwilling or unable to accept responsibility for their own lives, and are willing to allow the faith to guide them. These people have given into the faith entirely, and when faced with the choice of "It's God's will" or going to the hospital to have their child's appendix out because it has gotten inflamed, well, it's just sad.

That is when Faith becomes dangerous. When the mind closes to reality (truth to the point that science can prove), and goes only on faith. Denial of reality sets in. Is it really God's will that the child must suffer and die, when the means to cure that child is only three blocks away? (Rhetorical question there... Don't even start.)

When faith is at the point that it contravenes reality, then I see it as fanaticism. (defined as Uncritical devotion) They no longer THINK about things, they are just following the script that the religion has passed to them.

Don't give up your right to think and decide for yourself. Only you can decide what is best for you. No one else has that right. By allowing others to make decisions for you, you are giving up control of your life, and that can place you in danger, both mentally and physically.

I have held these opinions (dare I say beliefs?) for decades. And that is why I am excited to have finally learned about the ULC and to come here for I have the privilege to express my opinions, and learn from others.