On Faith

Faith is one of the most fascinating subjects in life to me. I believe it is essential to a good life. It comes in forms that we, sometimes, don't immediately recognize. We normally think of religion as being the only realm where faith resides. That is simply not the case. Science, and many other fields, require a degree of faith.

Superstition, too, is a kind of faith. Religion and superstition are related but they are not the same despite the claims of some non-religious skeptics. A superstition is an unreasoned belief in supernatural causation. That is to say that a superstitious person has no evidence for believing one thing causes another. When we believe that walking under a ladder causes bad luck, we have no natural law or evidence that we can point to that makes us believe in such a relationship. We just believe it anecdotally.

Modern science may be described as an effort to find the natural laws that connect cause and effect. When we drop an apple it falls to the earth. We've discovered that gravity is the natural law that governs the way our apple falls. Now we understand the cause-effect relationship that exists between our dropping an apple and that apple falling to earth. With that understanding we can accurately predict what will happen when we drop our apple. Faith is removed from the equation...unless you consider our belief in the law of gravity a kind of faith. (Quantum mechanics makes the claim that the law of gravity and other natural laws are a matter of probabilities...there is a one in a trillion, trillion...or some such high number...chance that our dropped apple will simply float away.)

Those that believe in evolution as the explanation for the beginnings of life on earth are usually quick to tell you that they believe in science not faith. Now, I have to say that I believe in the scientific method. But the scientific method is rigorous and demands that proof only exists in reproducible results so, the theory of evolution is not, strictly speaking, good science. Believers in the theory have the faith that it is true. They go forth with that faith to see what supports their view and often dismiss what does not. Faith creates in the believer a world-view that allows them to make sense of the world around them. The faith of an evolutionist tells him something quite different about the natural world than the faith of a creationist does. The facts are the same. It is our interpretation that is different because of our different faiths.

Faith imparts an expectation in the faithful. Those that believe in ghosts, for example, are most often the ones to see them while non-believers rarely have such encounters. Those with the faith that such things exist expect to see them so their minds may fill-in-the-blanks when a different explanation isn't immediately apparent.

Our minds impose order on the world around us when we hold such views. We tend to only see what supports our world view and ignore what does not. That's something that all human beings do. It can be both a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing in that it allows us to make some sense out of the world. It helps us to explain things that we might not be able to otherwise. It also allows us to make some predictions about the future. It can be a curse in the sense that our world view may not allow us to perceive things that don't neatly fit into it.

For example, the scientist that doesn't believe in UFO's may dismiss any evidence to the contrary as something in his world view...like swamp gas. For those who are believers it's no stretch of the imagination to see one. The believer may even jump to the conclusion that they've seen one because of their belief. Now some flying objects are unidentified but whether or not they are alien spacecraft or some other unknown phenomenon is the question. Starting off as a skeptic seems to me to be the most prudent approach.

A 'reasoned faith' is one that starts off with some measure of skepticism. That's what separates it from superstition. A reasoned faith has something in common with science here. While I'm a firm believer in 'good' science...I don't believe the scientific method can answer everything. Some things require a leap of faith.

It becomes obvious from the above that faith is even more tricky a subject than it may first appear.

As a man of faith, I believe that the Bible is the revealed word of God. That is to say first that there is a God and He cares for what goes on here so much that He revealed knowledge to us that we wouldn't easily find otherwise. My faith may be considered simple superstition by some skeptics but my belief in the causal relationship between say...disobedience to God's commandments and our misery is a reasoned belief. Still...it requires a leap of faith.

I can't 'prove' God exists or that He left us a written 'users guide' for our benefit. Where I see a clear thread between the 66 books of the Bible, written by 40 different authors over the course of some four thousand years...others see only a collection of myths and plagiarized materials from other cultures. I  have faith that God had His hand in guiding the authors and compilers of the Bible. I can't prove it to someone who doesn't want to believe but I am absolutely convinced of it. There are so many ways that the Bible is not like any other book in the world. But, I'll never convince a non-believer of any of them. And, that doesn't bother me in the least.

My faith gives me the certainty that neither the universe nor life are accidental. My faith assures me that history has a beginning, a purpose and an end. My faith tells me that there is a missing dimension in human psychology, one unknown to most people. That missing dimension is the influence of a spiritual realm on our reality. Science can't prove or disprove that. It takes a leap of faith.

What I know is this...without my faith I don't know if life would be bearable. I see people all around that seem to live hopeless, cruel and unhappy lives without any faith and I honestly don't know how they do it.

Am I deluded? As a person who tries to be intellectually honest I have to allow for the possibility that I may be. And, that doesn't bother me in the least either.

My faith has added so much to my life that I can't begin to communicate it all. I live with the quiet assurance that what happens on this little blue planet means something more. My faith tells me that love is the best way of life. My faith tells me that other people are my extended family. My faith tells me that every one of them matters. This is not all there is. My faith tells me that God will not allow us to destroy ourselves. My faith gives me hope for the future. My faith tells me that there is a better world coming.

My faith prompts me to work on becoming a better man because it tells me I have to stand before God one day. What we do matters.

While other people describe themselves as "spiritual but not religious", I'm not really sure what that even means. What I am is a man of faith in God.

I can't imagine living life any other way.