Is faith, however you define it, a virtue?
Whether this applies to God, moral judgements, or other aspects of your life, if faith a good thing to have?
Jesus talked about FAITH lots in that Bible and when I studied what he was saying it was having FAITH in your self. If you have no faith in yourself then you will not be able to move those mountains. It doesn't matter weather they be goals for sports, writing, living, buying a house or getting anything that you would need in life. You must have faith in yourself.
Don't you mean confidence, though? I have confidence when I begin a presentation for school, given I've studied hours, checked sources, and practiced. If I did none of those things, yet feel the same, isn't that faith?
In my Thesaurus other words for FAITH are: assurance, belief, certitude, confidence reliance and trust.
Most certainly.
Perhaps its opposite is paranoia. Seen in a Higher perspective, it is impossible to find the divine without it. Seen in everyday situation, if we did not have it, we would hesitate when we cross the road, we will mistrust our friends, and turn up to interviews believing that the job is already lost.
Our whole lives will be on edge stressing out for the salary or child that may never come, and our doubts will be too strong, thus overpowering our faith in the system or organisation. It is impossible to live without faith. See how the atheist feels about his son, daughter or motorcar.
Without spiritual balance in life, one can become unstable in times of great stress. Having an underlying belief in something greater than yourself can be a calming asset in times of need.
Comfort and utility speak nothing of validity.
If you read some of C.S. Lewis' books (i.e. Mere Christianity) you will learn about this connection...
It is a good thing if you define it as faith in yourself. Or if you define it as faith that you have your own judgement. It is not a virtue if you define it as: Faith in something you do not know, or in something verifiable but had not been verified. Or faith in what somebody says because he calls himself god.
Psychological terms are malleable or variable unlike terms in physics or biology. It is a good practice to define a term in psychology or ethics before you use it or as you use it and stick to that definition. This is important if you are using deductive definitions, like "A cat is an animal." Most deductive definitions are correct grammatically but unverifiable. Functional definition is based on function or observation and sometimes serves better than deductive definitions.
Faith alone is not good or bad--it is the object of our faith that defines us. I can have faith in this couch I'm sitting on (faith is belief plus action) because its never let me down--but in this case its not a virtue. A person can have faith (again, a belief that leads to action) that all people are liars and therefore not trust anybody, ever, no matter what. This kind of faith is destructive. It is what/who we put our faith in that matters most! Good question.
It depends on how you define it.
Belief in something without any solid reasoning, especially something with a shaky past or no proven track record (IE; religious faith) not good IMHO.
Belief that something will happen (good or bad) based on past experience, good.
Belief that you can do something based on past performance and reasonable expectations, a good thing.
Relying on your gut instinct when other information is absent, good.
Absolutely, without having faith in God, your family, friends, etc. You are going to be a very miserable person.
I have no faith in God, and am understanding of my family and friends as human beings. I'm not all that miserable, though even if i was I could point you to studies showing no link between atheism and depression.
by G 12 years ago
Mirriam- Webster's definition of faith is- Allegiance to a duty or person: Loyalty. 2. Belief and trust in God. 3. Complete trust. 4. A system of religious beliefs. The bible calls faith, "The substance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not...
by Eric Dierker 10 years ago
Can anyone really argue against a faith based belief?A good friend of mine was just trying to dissuade me from my beliefs. And he was quite good and convincing. But alas we agreed that if my beliefs were founded in my faith then arguing was pointless and that it was just the way it is. And likewise...
by Jacqueline Williamson BBA MPA MS 10 years ago
Is there a difference between Faith and Belief? Are these two words interchangeable or can you have one without the other? Is it possible to believe in something without putting your faith in it?
by hawkdad73 13 years ago
Without using specific examples of religion tell me how you define religion.Although this question has been asked before, many answers I have seen were from the perspectives and point of views of specific religions. I'm looking for a more general definition or characteristics.
by Jen Christopherson 13 years ago
What is the difference, if any, between faith and hope? Can you define them?Are hope and faith the same thing? Is there any way to define them without using the other one?
by Stump Parrish 10 years ago
I refuse to prove that I exist, says God, for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing.But," says Man, "the Babel fish is a dead giveaway isn't it? It proves you exist, and so therefore, you don't," "Oh dear," says God, "I hadn't thought of that," and...
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