True faith?

Tags: Spirituality And Religion
Email this Topic • Print this Page

Read Discussion
Reply to All

Can true faith be nurtured?

Take the example of my mother, she was brought up a christain, she remains a christain and her faith is really strong. she knows jack shit about any other religion, and sees them as 'wrong.'

is her faith as valid as someone who has 'found' god? For example just a normal person with athiest parents who decides to pray for some reason and then ends up becoming a christain?

Is faith weaker if it is 'conditioned' or nurtured from birth, if you are brought up to believe it, and never question it or change your mind?

Is my athiesm more valid since i was brought up in a christain hosuehold?

Or would a reformed drug dealer have more reason to have a faith, since there battered past would leave them needing something drastic in their life, to take away their sins and to forgive them? rather than say, an office worker who is perfectly happy in the job they do, married with kids?

I know we cannot truly judge the validity of someones religion, but if it stems from a 'desire to belong' as i believe it does, just as human beings can crave wealth, love and spiritual understanding, then surely only a very few people can have true faith, for surely true faith would have no 'need' for it, it would simply be an integeral part of that person.

hope this makes sense.

Topic Stats
Top Replies
Link/Embed

Type: Discussion • Score: 1 • Views: 357 • Replies: 14

All I can say is that True Faith is subjective.

0 Replies

Quote:

Is my athiesm more valid since i was brought up in a christain hosuehold?

I wouldn't say it was more valid. Perhaps something in your life or family made you want to see things differently. Perhaps your nature is to question, or rebel rather than blindly follow. Perhaps your education taught you to reason, think and question.

Atheist who become Christians can be as intense in their beliefs as those raised in a family with strong religious beliefs.

But can faith be nurtured? Definitely yes. Look how many Muslims are Muslims. Why do you think they are Muslim? Because they were born and raised in a Muslim family and Muslim culture. If all these Muslims were born into a culture that taught them no religion was a true religion, taught them to be tolerant and open-minded, how many of them would be Muslim today? Hate, intolerance, religion, dogma and ideology is learned in youth from family and surrounding culture. If not taught when young it is acquired in later life from those that have the most influence on your prejudices.

0 Replies

People who believe in life after death will never know if they're wrong,
and people who don't will never know if they're right.

0 Replies

Given that faith is dependent upon ignorant belief (no pejorative, just the observation that the basis of the faith cannot be known), no one person's faith can be any more or less "true," and will not depend upon how much any individual in question knows of other religions or the world.

0 Replies

What good would faith be if you weren't true to it?

0 Replies

As always, it depends what you mean. by 'true faith'.

My current definition for 'true faith' means it is tested and checked by reality and still 'works'. No blocking off of reality is needed, it proves itself time and time again.

I don't feel one can gain true faith without questioning and testing it.

In the end, to me, all that matters is if it has brought good to the world...or more ignorance and pain.

0 Replies

True faith is an oxymoron, and a very good New Order song from the 80's.

0 Replies

I think true faith is when you truly believe in whatever your belief is and that your heart agrees with you. You don't need proof for that, from anyone and it doesn't need rules for it's measurement. I mean, your sort of faith and anyone else's is different and cannot be compared to say this one is greater, and vice-versa.

0 Replies

My definition of "true faith" is: Islam

0 Replies

The expression, "true faith" is an oxymoron. Faith presupposes belief in something that is not based on logical evidence. In order for something to be "true", there needs to be some rational underpinning. With faith, there are no rational underpinnings. Therefore, any belief that involves faith is by definition, untrue.

Quote:

What good would faith be if you weren't true to it?

MA- A person can be "true" to an idea. That does not make the idea true, simply the person's adherence to the concept. For instance, there are people who believe that the earth is flat, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. There is even an organization for those folks.

http://www.alaska.net/~clund/e_djublonskopf/Flatearthsociety.htm

These people are true to the idea that the earth is flat. That does not make the concept of a flat earth, true.

0 Replies

hey phoenix, Very Happy

Although my beliefs are different from yours, i respect you're beliefs too and would like to know, out of curiousity - what are your beliefs? science? etc. I find your comments interesting.

0 Replies

macaroni- Egads, I am not of the mind to write a treatise right now. In a nutshell, I believe that there is a lot about the universe of which we know nothing, or very little. I do believe in science, and the idea that over time, human beings are, little by little, uncovering the mysteries of the universe, although at this point in time, we have simply scratched the surface.

The entire concept of a deity, who watches over us and judges us, makes no logical sense to me. That is not to say that there is not a force in nature greater than humankind. We just do not have any idea of what it is. I certainly do believe that any of the guesses that have been made by various religions have little veracity.

I think that faith is a malignant force in our society, because by definition, it suspends rational judgement, in favor of blind acceptance. I think that is a dangerous road to trod.

I am respectful of the positive impact that religions have had in our evolution from primitiveness to sophisticated civilization. On the flip side, I am appalled by the negative impact that religion has had on society.

What I do believe is living this life the best way that one is able, understanding that in this life, we only go around once. My life is run by what I consider the obverse of "The Golden Rule" "The right to swing your arm, ends at the other fellow's nose".

There was a thread some time ago, where I got into some of my beliefs. You may find it interesting.

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=63888

0 Replies

You had quite a conversation going there!
It was pretty interesting, and i have to agree wth som there, sort of funny. Laughing

i'm still in the phase of discussing life and religion, and it's just lately that i really began to believe in god, and miracles. But more than anything i just want to belive in myself.

0 Replies

Read Discussion
Reply to All

True faith?

Related Topics