What, Really, Is Faith?

Submitted by Seamus MacNemi (United States), Sep 7, 2007 at 11:31

I keep hearing the arguments for "Faith" in this or in that but I've never heard an adequate definition of what the word actually means. So, I'll propose one. For me, in my lexicon, "Faith" means simply " Courage in the face of adversity". I don't need somebodys holy book to justify my opinions. Indeed, my own experience in living demonstrates that adequately to my mind and can be verified empirically even by the most skeptical of minds. As a word that is often bantied about like a club to qwell dissent, I find it badly misused in most instances. I don't really think any of those who have thus far posted on this matter really grasp the meaning and significance in life of the reality of the word "Faith."

I don't need Jesus, or Mohamed in order to have faith as it is a measure of my own determination to succeed in what ever endeavour I undertake. What ever I may take to call the G-D of my experience, that power which is beyond and sustains me in this life, is real . I know this because that has been my true experience in living. I see no dumb chance in my being alive today. Far too many things have happened in my life to give mere chance any credibility. If there was not some intelligence informing my mind in the many crisis situations I have faced in my life I would not be here to speak of them.

I do not need any scripture to believe in G-D. My belief preceeded any ability to read or to understand the written word. My belief came directly from my experience in life and the written words of others demonstrates to my mind that there are and were others who have had similar experiences in living. Nothing more and certainly nothing less. When I look up at the sun in the morning, I know that I see the same sun that Abraham saw when ever he looked up at the sky. That same sun was seen by Moses, Jesus and Mohamed. We all looked at the same thing and saw the same thing, each with his own eyes. Does that mean that I should worship any one of them? Certainly not in my own mind any more than I should worship myself. That same sun is beyond any and all of us to comprehend. What caused it to be? And "WHO" or "WHAT" caused me to be in this life. What is the source of my being and where does it come from? Why am I alive? What purpose does my being serve? All these questions I have had to answer for myself to my own satisfaction regardless of what others might have said or thought.

I was forced by circumstances to ask these questions and likewise, by those same circumstances, I was forced to formulate my own answers. I found an amazing parallel symmetry between my own conclusions and those presented in the Torah without ever haveing read the book. What was it that informed my mind when I had never been taught these things. Was is some sort or genetic memory or expression of native genious of the sort that my folk are often claimed to posses? I did not grow up in a religious family. Indeed, I was far from it as a child. Yet when I was in the woods near my home I often felt a presence of something I could not really describe in language other than that of religion. I support Israel because every instinct I have tells me that this is the right choice and I am a man who lives more truly by instinct than by choice or reason.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".