This idea seems to be important to everyone [faith]

[blueback]

I noticed that everyone seemed to be using language which suggests they have faith in something even if they don't explicitly state what that something is. *So that seems like a good place to begin a discussion. *It's a good question becuase if you feel like you know the answer (at least your answer) then you can explain and we can all compare our views on this most important of topics.

[OneBadMother]

I don't think faith is necessary, but neither is needing all the possible proof in the world to formulate a conclusion. Faith without a single thing to go on seems a bit much.

[thegnat]

Faith:
Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.
nsacphenomena.com/terms_a_to_l.htm

I need at least a little evidence to believe in something fully. And I can believe in that something fully. And I will with all my heart - even if the evidence is miniscule as OneBadMother was saying. Perhaps "belief" is necessary, but not faith.

[qwerty]

Faith isn't necessary, I can live without it, honest I can quit any time I like, I'm not an addict.

Having faith or a belief gives us a starting point to begin thinking. Without it that we would need to start at scratch.
I have faith that 1 + 1 = 2. However I can operate with that assumption too it just takes me longer to form a conclusion and nobody else understands it.

[Evalind]

What would life be like without faith? I have faith the postal service will deliver my mail...

The question is not specific enough for me, despite being located in the "Philosophy and Spirituality" subforum. There are, afterall, multiple definitions of the word, one being so generic that it's simply A set of principles or beliefs. That could mean anything, and I don't know anyone who lives without some sort of basic principles, even if it's just the governmental law around them.

[The Many]

All knowledge bar what is necessarily true (the existence of a thinking subject, a noumena and mathematics) is faith. All actual perceptions are only subjectively understood, so thus they may be flawed.

[Ijz]

Isn't faith just another term for "optimism"?

[OneBadMother]

Faith:
Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.
nsacphenomena.com/terms_a_to_l.htm

I need at least a little evidence to believe in something fully. *And I can believe in that something fully. *And I will with all my heart - even if the evidence is miniscule as OneBadMother was saying. * Perhaps "belief" is necessary, but not faith. *

Yeah, belief is necessary. Or at least "relative confidence". I've got the latter in spades. :D

[patobrocks]

I have faith in my efficacy, but no yours.

[stasis]

Is Faith necessary?
Faith, defined as the belief in supernatural forces? No, I don't think it's necessary. Faith, defined as an unsubstantiated extension of trust to some actor? Again no, I don't think that's necessary. And when it comes to explaining why I think this, I am inclined to answer with a question: Why should it be necessary?

[Tarrick]

:)

Faith is necessary to complete ones view of the world.

Don't believe? Prove beyond a doubt that the universe appeared from nothing.

[stasis]

Don't believe? Prove beyond a doubt that the universe appeared from nothing.
I don't see how I could accomplish such a thing. How am I to prove one way or the other what the fundamental nature of the universe is without having knowledge of it?

That said, I'm not sure how faith solves the problem of infinite causality. If the universe did not appear from nothing, we are to presume that it had a catalyst. But then, from whence did that catalyst come? Did it appear from nothing? And if the catalyst is exempt from time (or at least linear time), why can't some aspect of the universe be?

I admit though, it is accurate to say that my view of the world is incomplete. I certainly lack information about what exists.

[Rohsiph]

Faith is necessary to complete ones view of the world.

Simply to reinforce an idea presented by stasis: Why is it necessary for one's view of the world to be complete? I'm inclined to think that it is effectively impossible to reach a truly complete view of the world--without making a number of baseless assumptions that really add nothing to how one functions/what one can do in one's world.

But I do think you propose an important concept: that faith/spirituality/religion is important to so many because they really want to feel secure in having a complete view of the world, even though it's bound to be faulted. That last part--the "it's bound to be faulted"--is where I get off on questioning the necessity of faith: it's not /bad/ so much as it isn't very helpful in the grand scheme.

[blueback]

:)

Faith is necessary to complete ones view of the world.

Don't believe? Prove beyond a doubt that the universe appeared from nothing.

So your view of the world includes taking short cuts, huh? That sounds pretty boring to me. I mean, just because you can build a ladder to the clouds doesn't mean you should. You will miss out on all the other ways to reach the clouds like airplanes, rockets, mountains, balloons, etc.

Just because you got tired of thinking doesn't mean the rest of us did too.

[Danellian]

It's not that I need to feel secure in not having a complete knowledge of the world. The reason I have faith is that in order to have a meaningful life we must feel connected to something greater than ourselves, greater than this physical universe, and in order to do that, we must believe in something we cannot see, in something we cannot have knowledge of. Faith, in fact, surpasses knowledge.

[blueback]

Well, it does for you.

However, I have a problem with beliefs excluding people from a club.

I don't care how sure you are that you have the ultimate question to life, the universe, and everything. . .you don't. No one does because no one is objective enough to ever define the question. Sure, we all have the answer, but we will never have the question.

I'm glad that your life has meaning, but don't assume that what works for you will work for everyone else. Assuming, after all, makes an ass out of u and me. Try to be open minded enough to entertain the minutest hint of doubt that you somehow figured 'it' all out.

For example, I will never say that you are wrong with 100% certainty. You might be right, and I accept that. However, I am going to give your theory less weight than theories that have been arrived at logically because in my experience logic trumps faith. Maybe it's the other way around for you, I dunno. Just, you know, if you could mabye throw in a phrase or two admitting that it is just your belief, that would be nice.

[lazyhappy]

Faith is not necessary to me but to some others it is... sometimes its what helps them move forward... sometimes it keeps you from doing things that could maybe cause a bad effect to you and others...

however... as much as i think its important to some others... i still dislike it alot and think thiers a greater affect on it hurting people...

it is the cause of many wars and suffering... many people are tortured by religion everyday (i.e.- a homosexual with strong mormon parents)

and therefore, as selfish as this sounds, i wish there was no faith.

[Hypomanic]

and therefore, as selfish as this sounds, i wish there was no faith.

I AGREE.

Religion has more cons than pros.