Difference between revisions of "Faith" - New World Encyclopedia

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Meaning

The word faith, pitis in the Greek, and fides in the Latin, connotes a conviction,"confidence", "trust" or inner attitude towards a greater power or force in the universe than oneself. The object of faith varies among people and can be seen as a person, an inanimate object, a state of affairs, or a proposition such as a religious credo. One may have faith in God or faith in others, but the common denominator is a level of conviction in the object of faith. Faith is sometimes used as a synonym for religion, such as in the Buddhist faith or the Christian faith.

Faith can also be used in the sense of "fidelity" such as a belief in a 'relationship' with a deity. Such a commitment need not be blind or submissive: For many Jews, for example, the Hebrew Bible and Talmud depict a committed but contentious relationship between their God and the Children of Israel. For many people, faith or the lack thereof, is an important part of their identities. E.g. a person will identify him or herself as a Jew or a Muslim or a skeptic. Faith can also mean 'loyalty' to one's religion and accepting that the religious tenets of the religion as true. For non-creedal religions, faith often means that one is loyal to a particular religious community. "Faith" might then be considered as 'hope in action.' This perspective is summed up in what many Christians consider the great chapter in the New Testament on faith, Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen."

Some religious believers use the term "absolute faith" as the affirmation of belief without an ongoing test of evidence, and even despite evidence apparently to the contrary. Most Jews, Christians and Muslims admit that whatever particular evidence or reason they may possess that their God exists and is deserving of trust, is not ultimately the basis for their faith or believing. Thus, in this sense faith refers to belief beyond evidence or logical arguments, sometimes called "implicit faith". Another form of this kind of faith is fideism: one ought to believe that God exists, but one should not base that belief on any other beliefs; one should, instead, accept it without any reasons at all. Faith in this sense, grounded simply in the sincerity of faith, belief on the basis of believing, is often associated religious thinkers; his views are presented in Fear and Trembling.

Faith vs Belief

The terms faith and beleif are often used interchangeably and there is a dynamic interplay between the two. Belief is a mental acceptance or assent to something offered as true, with or without certainty. Belief can not be spoken of so confidently,

It follows from an "I have faith in God because . . . " type of statement. This relates more to indirect evidence of experience than more personal experience. A faith in God resting upon such more intellectual and rational foundation might not, during a severe test, hold-up as well as a faith which is grounded in real religious experience. In this way, belief is understood as a more cognitive function and faith as a unique commitment to an ultimate fundamental decision, or "ultimate concern," to borrow a phrase from Paul Tillich, which stands upon real personal religious experience and around which life is organized.

Faith in Religious Contexts

In Biblical Judaism faith is considered to be mostly juridical. In means the adherence of the people of Israel to the Convenant created by God and thus the Covenant between God Jehovah and his people Israel. The notion of faith in Christianity and Islam which are rooted in historical experience and tradition, is similar. Faith (IMAN in Arabic) in Islam distinguishes a believer from a non-believer. In the Qur'an (10:100), it is proclaimed that "None can have faith except by the will of Allah." And in Christianity, the Apostle Paul defines faith as "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1); and that it is a gift of God ((1 Corinthinas 12:8-9).

Faith in Christianity is central to salvation, with Catholic notions apparently adhering to the premise that humankind can be saved by faith alone, referring to faith in Jesus as the Savior and Messiah of all humankind; while Protestant groups generally agree that salvation is dependent on faith in Jesus as the Savior, God the creator, and on works, although there are myriad variations on these points within the hundreds of denominations in Protestantism. While the precise meaning and content of faith in Christianity differs in some respects between the various Christian traditions, there is much common ground. Hebrews Chapter 11, Verse 1 begins the "great chapter" on faith in the New Testament of the Holy Bible: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen," (discussed above). It is observed that the contribution of Christianity to the religious world, is its clarification of the "object" of faith and the "goal" of faith. Clearly, the object of faith in Christianity is Jesus, the Messiah, and the goal is the salvation he ultimately offers to those who have faith in him.

Zoroastrianism

According to Zorastrian teachings, humans are responsible beings, and bear responsibility for all situations they are in and in the way they act to one another. Nothing in the Heavens and Earth has the power to force a being to commit evil deeds, nor dispense rewards or punishment, happiness or grief. For all these things are the result of how an individual lives his life. So, good comes to people that do good deeds giving them power to improve their lives and the lives of others. This power is called Charitas. After death, the person must walk through the Path to Judgement or Chinvat Peretum to bear responsibility for his actions when he was alive. Thus, Zoroastrianism contains a notion of faith which bears some similarities with Christian notions in that good deeds can be said to play a part in the salvation process. However, the necessity for a human agent involved in the salvation process representing God or Heaven, does not exist. See article on Zoroastrianism for further discussion of human faith in human salvation.

Buddhism

Faith (saddha/ sraddha) is an important constituent element of the teachings of the Buddha - both in the Theravada tradition as in the Mahayana. While not of the blind variety and on occasion linked with insight (prajna), Buddhist faith (as advocated by the Buddha of the various scriptures) nevertheless requires a degree of trusting confidence and belief primarily in the spiritual attainment and salvational knowledge of the Buddha. Faith in Buddhism centres on belief in the Buddha as a supremely Awakened being, on his unexcelled role as teacher of both humans and gods, in the truth of his Dharma (spiritual Doctrine), and in his Sangha (community of spiritually developed followers). Faith in Buddhism functions as a form of motor, which propels the Buddhist practitioner towards the goal of Awakening (bodhi) and Nirvana.

Faith Development and the contributions of Psychology

Many traditions understand that God, the Creator, whether known as God, Heavenly Father, Jahovah, Allah, et al, uses central individuals on earth to facilitate the development of faithful individuals, families and communities. Thus, have arisen the various notions and personages from Prophets, Priest and Kings, to Messiah, Savior, Son of Man, etc, in the Old and New Testaments of the Judeo-Christian traditions, and by the Meitreya in Buddhism, Avatar in Hinduism, Saoshyans in Zoroastrianism , and Imam-Mahdi in Islam, to mention a few examples from other religious traditions. A question found in the New Testament of the Christian tradition, asks: "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8) This is a Biblical example of a sentiment found within Christianity, which appears to embrace the need for some precondition in man (faith) and the coming of a human vehicle, Savior, understood as a core element of faith, through whom God works to establish a gateway for the reunion (this topic is discussed further in articles linked here, and others on Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc). And, this question of "faith on earth," also insinuates the notion that faith is a developmental process, or at least, that there exist different qualities or levels of faith and hence, faithfullness. Of Course, world religions vary on their teaching of the core element of faith through which, we assume, one's faith would develop and grow. While some emphasize a messianic figure, leader, or teacher, others emphasize scripture, tradition, a covenant or covenants, the religious hierarchy, or other objects of faith. Most religions have some variant of one or more of these, including Islam which emphasizes faith in the Koran (scripture), in addition to a concept of Imam-Mahdi (which corresponds to savior). Other traditions also maintain that some human preconditions, or demonstrations of faithfulness, including prayer, fasting, study, community service, celebacy and other spiritual exercises are required before spiritual elevation and human improvement can occur, or new revelations of truth can be given and received.

Meanwhile, many in Christian traditions, as well as some in other traditions, draw upon the field of psychology to enhance understandings of faith as a developmental process that evolves in certain definable stages. These faith development theorists, chief among them being James Fowler, stand upon the foundation of moral development stage theorists like the pioneering Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, and others. See these articles for further discussion.

Conclusions

Many religious rationalists, as well as non-religious people, criticise implicit faith as being irrational. In this view, belief should be restricted to what is directly supportable by logic or evidence. It is logically impossible that many of the mutually contradictory beliefs in the major faiths, not to mention the myriad others, can be simultaneously true. Therefore, it must be admitted that the majority of believers have faith in a belief system which is likely to be partially true, or at least somewhat incongruent with other believers and belief sysems, and about which they likely have some difficulty describing to other believers. Indeed, some religious observers and even traditions, especially Hinduism, hold the view that the several different faiths are just aspects of the ultimate truth, and mostly have difficulty in identifying the common ground they share, and in adequately describing, or even understanding clearly, their uniquenesses. These observers see the different religions as just different paths to the same goal. This does not explain away all logical contradictions between faiths, but these traditions and observers say that all seeming contradictions will be understood once a person has an experience of the Hindu concept of moksha, or some other similar experience from other traditions, of the central unity among the faiths.

In sum, the precondition of human "faithfullness," appears a common strand in the major religious traditions, if not all religious traditions, and the basis for reunion or unity with the object of faith at every level, be it with a spouce, other family members, one's community, faith tradition, and ultimately with the Creator. Thus, faith connotes a response, or a active demonstration of responsibility, which works to create unity and a community of the faithful governed by universal principles which create a commonality of purpose and goals.

For notions of Faith in other Traditions, and related topics, go to

Faith in Islam
Faith in Judaism
Apostasy
Belief
Religious conversion
Rationalism
Faith Development
{{James Fowler]]

External links

Classic reflections on the nature of faith

Martin Buber I and Thou
Paul Tillich The Dynamics of Faith

The Reformation view of faith

John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion
R.C. Sproul, Faith Alone
Michael Novak, Faith and Belief

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 {{Images OK}} {{Contracted}} {{Status}}
-This article discusses '''faith''' in a religious context.
+== Meaning ==
+The word  '''''faith''''', ''pitis'' in the ''Greek'', and ''fides'' in the ''Latin'', connotes a conviction,"[[confidence]]", "[[Trust (sociology)|trust]]" or inner attitude towards a greater power or force in the universe than oneself. The object of faith varies among people and can be seen as a person, an inanimate object, a state of affairs, or a [[proposition]] such as a [[Creed|religious credo]]. One may have faith in God or faith in others, but the common denominator is a level of conviction in the object of faith. Faith is sometimes used as a synonym for religion, such as in the Buddhist faith or the Christian faith.
-== Overview ==
+Faith can also be used in the sense of "fidelity" such as a belief in a 'relationship' with a [[deity]].  Such a commitment need not be blind or submissive: For many Jews, for example, the [[Hebrew Bible]] and [[Talmud]] depict a committed but contentious relationship between their God and the Children of Israel. For many people, faith or the lack thereof, is an important part of their [[Identity|identities]]. E.g. a person will identify him or herself as a Jew or a Muslim or a [[skeptic]].  Faith can also mean 'loyalty' to one's [[religion]] and accepting that the [[religious tenet]]s of the religion as true. For non-creedal religions, faith often means that one is loyal to a particular religious community.  "Faith" might then be considered as '[[hope]] in [[action]].' This perspective is summed up in what many Christians consider the great chapter in the New Testament on faith, Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen."
-As a significant purpose of religion is to promote individual reunion with God, as well as build families and communities of believers, many believers feel that a primary quality needed in them is faith or faithfulness.  Of course, world religions vary on their teaching of this core element of faith.  While some emphasize a messianic figure, leader, or teacher, others emphasize scripture, tradition, a covenant or covenants, the religious hierarchy, or other objects of faith. Most religions have some variant of one or more of these, including [[Islam]] which emphasizes faith in the [[Koran]] (scripture), in addition to a concept of [[Imam-Mahdi]] (which corresponds to [[savior]]).  Other traditions also maintain that some human preconditions, or demonstrations of faithfulness, including prayer, fasting, study, community service, celebacy and other spiritual exercises are required before spiritual elevation and human improvement can occur, or new revelations of truth can be given and received.  This article will discuss faith in this context.
-== Meaning: Faith vs Belief ==
+Some religious believers use the term "absolute faith" as the affirmation of [[belief]] without an ongoing test of evidence, and even despite evidence apparently to the contrary. Most [[Jew]]s, [[Christianity|Christian]]s and [[Muslim]]s admit that whatever particular evidence or reason they may possess that their God exists and is deserving of trust, is not ultimately the basis for their faith or believing. Thus, in this sense ''faith'' refers to ''belief beyond evidence or [[logical argument]]s'', sometimes called "implicit faith".  Another form of this kind of faith is [[fideism]]: one ought to believe that God exists, but one should not base that belief on any other beliefs; one should, instead, accept it without any [[reason]]s at all.  Faith in this sense, grounded simply in the sincerity of faith, belief on the basis of believing, is often associated  religious thinkers; his views are presented in ''[[Fear and Trembling]].
-The word ''faith'', ''pitis'' in the ''Greek'', and ''fides'' in the ''Latin'', is a common synonym for religion, as in the Buddhist faith or the Christian faith.  It connotes a conviction, trust or inner attitude which relates a man or woman to a supreme Being or God, or to various notions of salvation. In Christianity, faith is an inspired human response to the revelation of God through [[Jesus Christ]] and is of ultimate significance.
-The word '''''faith''''' has various meanings; its central meaning is similar to "[[belief]]", "[[Trust (sociology)|trust]]" or "[[confidence]]", but unlike these terms, "faith" tends to imply a [[trans-personal]] rather than [[interpersonal]] relationship  with [[God]] or a [[Higher power|higher power]].  On the other hand, the object of faith can be a person (or even an inanimate object or state of affairs) or a [[proposition]] (or body of propositions, such as a [[Creed|religious credo]]). In each case, however, the faithful subject's faith is in an object, or some aspect of an object that cannot be rationally proven or objectively known, although it may be experientially known.  So, we can say that faith is a firm or unquestioned belief in something for which there is no visible proof.
+== Faith vs Belief ==
-[[Belief]], on the other hand, is a mental acceptance or assent to something offered as true, with or without certainty, according to common usage and dictionary definitions.  What is most distinguishable in the definitions is the fullness of certainty, or conviction. Example: I have belief in my ability to distinguish between the two, but lack the faith to be certain of it.  Thus, the level of acceptance is crucial to establishing faith.  I may have faith in God or faith in myself, but both reveal a level of conviction (acceptance) that has been confirmed by positive personal experience.  And so, we can speak of absolute faith.  But, belief can not be spoken of so confidently, even many use the terms interchangeably.  Ultimately, faith in God, for example, incorporates certain beliefs about God, adding intellectual and common sense agreement and/or experience into the equation, resulting in acceptance and conviction.
+The terms faith and beleif are often used interchangeably and there is a dynamic interplay between the two. [[Belief]] is a mental acceptance or assent to something offered as true, with or without certainty. Belief can not be spoken of so confidently,
-Faith, therefore, stands upon the foundation of belief, or the accumulation of beliefs about God.  Here, a rational is given for faith, in terms of sufficient support to make a fairly confident claim of faith.  It follows from an "I have faith in God because . . . " type of statement.  This relates more to indirect evidence of experience than more personal experience.  A faith in God resting upon such more intellectual and rational foundation might not, during a severe test, hold-up as well as a faith which is grounded in real religious experience.  In this way, belief is understood as a more cognitive function and faith as a unique commitment to an ultimate fundamental decision, or "ultimate concern," to borrow a phrase from [[Paul Tillich]], which stands upon real personal religious experience and around which life is organized.  In other words, there is a dynamic interplay between the two.
+It follows from an "I have faith in God because . . . " type of statement.  This relates more to indirect evidence of experience than more personal experience.  A faith in God resting upon such more intellectual and rational foundation might not, during a severe test, hold-up as well as a faith which is grounded in real religious experience.  In this way, belief is understood as a more cognitive function and faith as a unique commitment to an ultimate fundamental decision, or "ultimate concern," to borrow a phrase from [[Paul Tillich]], which stands upon real personal religious experience and around which life is organized.
-Finally, some religious believers and many of their critics often use the term "faith" as the affirmation of [[belief]] without an ongoing test of evidence, and even despite evidence apparently to the contrary. Most [[Jew]]s, [[Christianity|Christian]]s and [[Muslim]]s admit that whatever particular evidence or reason they may possess that their God exists and is deserving of trust, is not ultimately the basis for their faith or believing. Thus, in this sense ''faith'' refers to ''belief beyond evidence or [[logical argument]]s'', sometimes called "implicit faith".  Another form of this kind of faith is [[fideism]]: one ought to believe that God exists, but one should not base that belief on any other beliefs; one should, instead, accept it without any [[reason]]s at all.  Faith in this sense, grounded simply in the sincerity of faith, belief on the basis of believing, is often associated  religious thinkers; his views are presented in ''[[Fear and Trembling]].
 == Faith in Religious Contexts ==
-In general, faith means being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see with your physical senses, but may otherwise sense or experience with your spiritual senses. "Faith" might then be considered as '[[hope]] in [[action]].' This perspective is summed up in what many Christians consider the great chapter in the New Testament on faith, Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen."
-In some religious contexts, "faith" has several different meanings.  Sometimes, faith means a belief in the 'existence' of a deity, and can be used to distinguish individual belief in deities from belief in deities within religion. However, it can also be used in the context of belief in deities within religions. Many [[Hinduism|Hindus]], [[Judaism|Jews]], [[Christianism|Christians]] and [[Islam|Muslims]] claim that there is adequate [[historical evidence]] of their God's [[existence]] and their God's [[interaction]] with human beings.  As such, they may believe that there is no need for "faith" in God in the sense of belief against or despite evidence; rather, they hold that evidence is sufficient to demonstrate that their God certainly exists, and that particular beliefs, concerning who or what their God is and why this God is to be trusted, are vindicated by evidence in the historical record and by logic. For people in this category, "faith" in a God simply means "belief that one has [[knowledge]] of [any particular] God."
-Sometimes, it means 'loyalty' to one's [[religion]]. It is in the latter sense in which one can speak of, for example, "the [[Catholicism|Catholic faith]]" or "the [[Islam|Islamic faith]]."  For [[creed]]al religions, faith also means that one accepts the [[religious tenet]]s of the religion as true. For non-creedal religions, faith often means that one is loyal to a particular religious community.
-And at times, faith means a belief in a 'relationship' with a [[deity]]. In this case, "faith" is used in the sense of "fidelity." Such a commitment need not be blind or submissive, although it often shares these types of characteristics. For many Jews, for example, the [[Hebrew Bible]] and [[Talmud]] depict a committed but contentious relationship between their God and the Children of Israel. For many people, faith or the lack thereof, is an important part of their [[Identity|identities]]. E.g. a person will identify him or herself as a Jew or a Muslim or a [[skeptic]].
-And finally, as mentioned at the outset here, many traditions understand that the vehicle God uses on earth to facilitate the development of faithful individuals, families and communities, are the various notions and personages called [[Messiah]], [[Savior]], [[Son of Man]], etc, in the Old and New Testaments of the [[Judeo-Christian]] traditions, and by the [[Meitreya]] in Buddhism, [[Avatar]] in Hinduism, [[Saoshyans]] in Zoroastrianism , and [[Imam-Mahdi]] in Islam, to mention a few examples from other religious traditions. A question found in the New Testament of the Christian tradition, asks: "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8) This is a Biblical example of a sentiment found within Christianity, which appears to embrace the need for some precondition in man (faith) and the coming of a human vehicle, [[Savior]], understood as a core element of faith, through whom God works to establish a gateway for the reunion (this topic is discussed further in these articles linked above, and other on Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc). Of Course, world religions vary on their teaching of the core element of faith.  While some emphasize a messianic figure, leader, or teacher, others emphasize scripture, tradition, a covenant or covenants, the religious hierarchy, or other objects of faith. Most religions have some variant of one or more of these, including Islam which emphasizes faith in the Koran (scripture), in addition to a concept of Imam-Mahdi (which corresponds to savior).  Other traditions also maintain that some human preconditions, or demonstrations of faithfulness, including prayer, fasting, study, community service, celebacy and other spiritual exercises are required before spiritual elevation and human improvement can occur, or new revelations of truth can be given and received.  This article will discuss faith in this context.
-==Judaism, Islam and Christianity ==
 In Biblical Judaism [[faith]] is considered to be mostly juridical.  In means the adherence of the people of Israel to the [[Convenant]] created by God and thus the [[Covenant]] between God [[Jehovah]] and his people [[Israel]]. The notion of faith in [[Christianity]] and [[Islam]] which are rooted in historical experience and tradition, is similar.  Faith (IMAN in Arabic) in [[Islam]] distinguishes a believer from a non-believer.  In the [[Qur'an]] (10:100), it is proclaimed that "None can have faith except by the will of Allah."  And in Christianity, the [[Apostle Paul]] defines faith as "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1); and that it is a gift of God ((1 Corinthinas 12:8-9).