Difference between revisions of "Faith" - New World Encyclopedia
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| − | == | + | == Faith == |
| − | + | ||
| + | '''Personal faith''' is confidence, trust, and hope in a person, community, tradition, belief or other object that provides a purpose for one's life. Faith gives the impetus to move forward, and is especially important when normal life encounters obstacles. Faith is also necessary for growth, because people learn through acquiring character and knowledge from some authority in which they have faith. '''Communal faith''' is a shared commitment to a common object of faith, which is historically and culturally inherited or acquired. | ||
The word 'faith' is closely linked to the concept of "fidelity" as in commitment or loyality to a diety. Such faith 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. 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. 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". | The word 'faith' is closely linked to the concept of "fidelity" as in commitment or loyality to a diety. Such faith 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. 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. 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". | ||
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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]]. | 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 and Belief== | |
| + | |||
| + | Faith and belief are often used interchangeably and there is a dynamic interplay between them. However, ''faith is an emotional commitment'' to an object of faith based on loyalty, confidence, and trust, such as a person, community, tradition, or belief. A ''belief is an intellectual commitment'' based a concept that the object of belief represents truth. One can have faith in a belief, or belief in a community of faith, which can be objectified. Historically, faith in traditional beliefs has allowed communites to continue to flourish. Such communities of faith can be, for example, family and kinship groups, ethnic groups, religions, philosophical communities, political parties, or scientific schools. | ||
| + | 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 an object of faith. Faith can also be used as a synonym for religion, such as in the Buddhist faith or the Christian faith. For many people, faith or the lack thereof, is an important part of their [[Identity|identities]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | 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. | 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. | ||
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In both the [[Theravada]] and [[Mahayana] traditions of Buddhism, faith is known as (saddha/ sraddha) and is an important constituent element of the teachings of the [[Buddha]]. 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]]. | In both the [[Theravada]] and [[Mahayana] traditions of Buddhism, faith is known as (saddha/ sraddha) and is an important constituent element of the teachings of the [[Buddha]]. 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 | + | ===Belief, Religion and Science=== |
| + | |||
| + | Classical science and philosophy studied truth through philosophy and natural science. The branch of philosophy that discusses acquisition of knowledge is called [[epistemology.]] Observation, comparison and logic were tools which helped ancients understand belief at a level beyond a revelation by a group elder. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Modern scientists have been critical of inherited religious beliefs that cannot be tested by [[scientific method]]s which demand testable and independent verification of correspondence to experienced reality. For example, using Newton's laws of motion to determine the path of billiard balls, different individuals will arrive at the same answer. Such correspondence is said to make up scientific truth, and thus more believable than a prediction by a religious or political leader about the path the balls will take. Thus, science can be said to promote wider and more rational believability than the pronouncements of more arbitrary revelation on a concept. | ||
| + | |||
| + | However, the idea of [[absolute truth]] in science was called into question with the [[Heisenberg uncertainty principle]] and Einstein's [[Theory of relativity]]. These ideas showed that Newton's laws only describes a very accurate but not absolute path of billiard balls, and only when the conditions of space and time experienced on earth apply. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Religious communities do not give up their beliefs quickly. A well-known example is that the [[Catholic]] Church did not accept the view of the universe developed by [[Copernicus]], which says the earth is round and a very small speck in a large universe, for 300 years. Copernicus was condemned by the Church in his own time. Chinese [[Confucian]] scholars argue that Confucius' ethical teachings are right because their practice improves social stability, and they have not been disproved in 2,500 years. They would argue that scientists who throw out such concepts because they can't be verified by their empirical methods would lead society into social chaos. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Scientific faith=== | ||
| + | Scientists have faith and beliefs. In this sense they are religious, or sometimes called quasi-religious. For example, many scientists believe in Darwinism, which has been called a "pseudo-religion." They believe that the concept of unguided random mutation and natural selection can explain the development of life on earth. While they can point to reasons why they believe this, they cannot prove it with the scientific method, nor can they disprove those who believe the universe was designed by a Creator. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Religious Faith== | ||
| + | ''Main Article: [[Religious faith]]'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Small groups and sects=== | ||
| + | Religious faith is generally associated with a community with shared objects of faith. The word [[cult]], which is the root of the word [[culture]], is associated with core objects of faith essential for the life of the community. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Historically such faith was limited to family and kinship groups or tribes which lived together in small face-to-face communities. It related to the common historical experiences and goals of the community, often non-verbal and non-rational. Such a faith may be associated with an object of faith, or a god, which provides favors or protection for the group. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Religions=== | ||
| + | Religions are the transference of faith to a large group in society, not all in face-to-face relations. They are organized by common cultural practices and teachings (scriptures) which bind together groups that transcend traditional communities. They may have many temples or churches for different communities. However, an adherent to one church will feel comfortable joining another church of the same religion in a different area. A general expansion of such religions occurred in the [[axial age]] (600-200 B.C.E.) as commerce and trade brought large groups of people into relationship with one another and large urban areas developed by seaports. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In the [[Ancient Near East]] family and community gods were eventually superseded by the idea of God, the creator and sustainer of the entire world ([[Monotheism]]). Often the names for God used by a particular group, like "Yahweh," (Lord of Hosts) or "Elohim" (Father sky) were said to be different names for the same God. This allowed absorption of smaller religious groups into the larger religious sphere. | ||
| + | |||
| + | == Faith Development and Psychology == | ||
| + | ''Main Article: [[Faith Development]]'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | Modern developmental psychologists expalin understandings of faith as a developmental process that evolves in certain definable stages. At birth, one is totally dependent on one's parents. The world of the parents, including their faith, is absorbed by the child. As one's own identity develops, one has to distinguish personal faith from that of the parents, which could be said to be communal. | ||
| − | Critics of faith often describe it as being irrational and they argue that one should only accept what is directly supportable by logic or evidence. | + | [[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 also Freud's theory of the [[ego]].Critics of faith often describe it as being irrational and they argue that one should only accept what is directly supportable by logic or evidence. |
| Line 36: | Line 70: | ||
Having "Faith" in something greater than oneself appears to be a common strand in the major religious traditions, if not all religious traditions. Thus, faith works to create unity and a community of the faithful. | Having "Faith" in something greater than oneself appears to be a common strand in the major religious traditions, if not all religious traditions. Thus, faith works to create unity and a community of the faithful. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | Faith. See the discussion of faith in "World Scripture" which gives many nuances of the term, from adherence to a creed to an internal life-attitude. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In Buddhism, for example, "sraddha" means provisional adherence to the doctrine until experience and practice convinces one of the truth. [Mahayana Buddhism very much emphasizes the importance of faith. /Takeuchi] | ||
| + | |||
| + | In Islam, "Iman" means acquiescing to a truth of a thing in the heart (heart being the spiritual center). Faith is not mere belief, but firm commitment to a knowledge of truth of which we do not doubt. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Etymological analysis; Faith in Chinese characters consist of two characters ( ); the first one ( ), which consists of a pictograph of "a person" ( ) and an ideograph of "words or speeches" ( ), has a meaning of "trusting" or "believing." The second one ( ) consists of a pictograph of "a person" ( ) and a radical with a meaning of "raising one's head and looking up to" ( ). Thus, faith in Chinese character has a connotation of "a human action of trusting in the words of a leader or a teacher in spiritual matters and looking up to him or her or a superhuman being behind him/her." | ||
| + | |||
| + | Discuss the relationship between faith and knowledge. There are various standpoints. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Providential view: OT age of justification by the law—"Don't do..." gave way to the NT age of justification by faith—"Believe...". This is because God's providence moves. Today we are entering the Completed Testament Age, justification by realizing true love in the self—"Become." | ||
| + | |||
| + | Classic biblical passage for Christians on faith is Hebrews 11. Faith includes and consists largely in trust. Greek word used in NT is Pistis; Latin fides. Note: Credot ut intelligam (Augustine) | ||
| + | |||
| + | Credo quia ineptum (Tertullian) | ||
| + | On must live by faith, which is not totally ignorant or blind. Through the life of faith one gradually acquires a kind of knowledge (Calvin saw this.). Though faith has an intellectual content it is an act of the will. It is a gift of God providing the recipient to perceive, all trials notwithstanding, a definite purpose in life. It is essential very prominent in the Christian life; yet it has a role in all religions. | ||
| + | |||
| + | A really good entry on this subject would be invaluable. Paul lists it along with hope and love, making love "the greatest", nevertheless faith in the first in this trial, being the ground of all else. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Moral stories illustrating faith. | ||
== Links to Faith in other Traditions == | == Links to Faith in other Traditions == | ||
| Line 55: | Line 111: | ||
*Michael Novak, ''Faith and Belief'' | *Michael Novak, ''Faith and Belief'' | ||
| + | The main religious spheres persisting into the modern era are: | ||
| + | #[[Judaism]] | ||
| + | #[[Christianity]] | ||
| + | #[[Confucianism/Taoism]] | ||
| + | #[[Hinduism]] | ||
| + | #[[Buddhism]] | ||
| + | #[[Islam]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | Traditional small group and sects faiths still exist in much of Africa, and among native Americans, and aboriginal peoples in Asia, Australia and New Zealand. | ||
{{credit|25478937}} | {{credit|25478937}} | ||
[[category:Philosophy and religion]] | [[category:Philosophy and religion]] | ||
Revision as of 21:29, 7 March 2006
Faith
Personal faith is confidence, trust, and hope in a person, community, tradition, belief or other object that provides a purpose for one's life. Faith gives the impetus to move forward, and is especially important when normal life encounters obstacles. Faith is also necessary for growth, because people learn through acquiring character and knowledge from some authority in which they have faith. Communal faith is a shared commitment to a common object of faith, which is historically and culturally inherited or acquired.
The word 'faith' is closely linked to the concept of "fidelity" as in commitment or loyality to a diety. Such faith 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. 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. 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".
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."
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 and Belief
Faith and belief are often used interchangeably and there is a dynamic interplay between them. However, faith is an emotional commitment to an object of faith based on loyalty, confidence, and trust, such as a person, community, tradition, or belief. A belief is an intellectual commitment based a concept that the object of belief represents truth. One can have faith in a belief, or belief in a community of faith, which can be objectified. Historically, faith in traditional beliefs has allowed communites to continue to flourish. Such communities of faith can be, for example, family and kinship groups, ethnic groups, religions, philosophical communities, political parties, or scientific schools. 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 an object of faith. Faith can also be used as a synonym for religion, such as in the Buddhist faith or the Christian faith. For many people, faith or the lack thereof, is an important part of their identities.
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.
In both the Theravada and [[Mahayana] traditions of Buddhism, faith is known as (saddha/ sraddha) and is an important constituent element of the teachings of the Buddha. 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.
Belief, Religion and Science
Classical science and philosophy studied truth through philosophy and natural science. The branch of philosophy that discusses acquisition of knowledge is called epistemology. Observation, comparison and logic were tools which helped ancients understand belief at a level beyond a revelation by a group elder.
Modern scientists have been critical of inherited religious beliefs that cannot be tested by scientific methods which demand testable and independent verification of correspondence to experienced reality. For example, using Newton's laws of motion to determine the path of billiard balls, different individuals will arrive at the same answer. Such correspondence is said to make up scientific truth, and thus more believable than a prediction by a religious or political leader about the path the balls will take. Thus, science can be said to promote wider and more rational believability than the pronouncements of more arbitrary revelation on a concept.
However, the idea of absolute truth in science was called into question with the Heisenberg uncertainty principle and Einstein's Theory of relativity. These ideas showed that Newton's laws only describes a very accurate but not absolute path of billiard balls, and only when the conditions of space and time experienced on earth apply.
Religious communities do not give up their beliefs quickly. A well-known example is that the Catholic Church did not accept the view of the universe developed by Copernicus, which says the earth is round and a very small speck in a large universe, for 300 years. Copernicus was condemned by the Church in his own time. Chinese Confucian scholars argue that Confucius' ethical teachings are right because their practice improves social stability, and they have not been disproved in 2,500 years. They would argue that scientists who throw out such concepts because they can't be verified by their empirical methods would lead society into social chaos.
Scientific faith
Scientists have faith and beliefs. In this sense they are religious, or sometimes called quasi-religious. For example, many scientists believe in Darwinism, which has been called a "pseudo-religion." They believe that the concept of unguided random mutation and natural selection can explain the development of life on earth. While they can point to reasons why they believe this, they cannot prove it with the scientific method, nor can they disprove those who believe the universe was designed by a Creator.
Religious Faith
Main Article: Religious faith
Small groups and sects
Religious faith is generally associated with a community with shared objects of faith. The word cult, which is the root of the word culture, is associated with core objects of faith essential for the life of the community.
Historically such faith was limited to family and kinship groups or tribes which lived together in small face-to-face communities. It related to the common historical experiences and goals of the community, often non-verbal and non-rational. Such a faith may be associated with an object of faith, or a god, which provides favors or protection for the group.
Religions
Religions are the transference of faith to a large group in society, not all in face-to-face relations. They are organized by common cultural practices and teachings (scriptures) which bind together groups that transcend traditional communities. They may have many temples or churches for different communities. However, an adherent to one church will feel comfortable joining another church of the same religion in a different area. A general expansion of such religions occurred in the axial age (600-200 B.C.E.) as commerce and trade brought large groups of people into relationship with one another and large urban areas developed by seaports.
In the Ancient Near East family and community gods were eventually superseded by the idea of God, the creator and sustainer of the entire world (Monotheism). Often the names for God used by a particular group, like "Yahweh," (Lord of Hosts) or "Elohim" (Father sky) were said to be different names for the same God. This allowed absorption of smaller religious groups into the larger religious sphere.
Faith Development and Psychology
Main Article: Faith Development
Modern developmental psychologists expalin understandings of faith as a developmental process that evolves in certain definable stages. At birth, one is totally dependent on one's parents. The world of the parents, including their faith, is absorbed by the child. As one's own identity develops, one has to distinguish personal faith from that of the parents, which could be said to be communal.
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 also Freud's theory of the ego.Critics of faith often describe it as being irrational and they argue that one should only accept what is directly supportable by logic or evidence.
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
Having "Faith" in something greater than oneself appears to be a common strand in the major religious traditions, if not all religious traditions. Thus, faith works to create unity and a community of the faithful.
Faith. See the discussion of faith in "World Scripture" which gives many nuances of the term, from adherence to a creed to an internal life-attitude.
In Buddhism, for example, "sraddha" means provisional adherence to the doctrine until experience and practice convinces one of the truth. [Mahayana Buddhism very much emphasizes the importance of faith. /Takeuchi]
In Islam, "Iman" means acquiescing to a truth of a thing in the heart (heart being the spiritual center). Faith is not mere belief, but firm commitment to a knowledge of truth of which we do not doubt.
Etymological analysis; Faith in Chinese characters consist of two characters ( ); the first one ( ), which consists of a pictograph of "a person" ( ) and an ideograph of "words or speeches" ( ), has a meaning of "trusting" or "believing." The second one ( ) consists of a pictograph of "a person" ( ) and a radical with a meaning of "raising one's head and looking up to" ( ). Thus, faith in Chinese character has a connotation of "a human action of trusting in the words of a leader or a teacher in spiritual matters and looking up to him or her or a superhuman being behind him/her."
Discuss the relationship between faith and knowledge. There are various standpoints.
Providential view: OT age of justification by the law—"Don't do..." gave way to the NT age of justification by faith—"Believe...". This is because God's providence moves. Today we are entering the Completed Testament Age, justification by realizing true love in the self—"Become."
Classic biblical passage for Christians on faith is Hebrews 11. Faith includes and consists largely in trust. Greek word used in NT is Pistis; Latin fides. Note: Credot ut intelligam (Augustine)
Credo quia ineptum (Tertullian) On must live by faith, which is not totally ignorant or blind. Through the life of faith one gradually acquires a kind of knowledge (Calvin saw this.). Though faith has an intellectual content it is an act of the will. It is a gift of God providing the recipient to perceive, all trials notwithstanding, a definite purpose in life. It is essential very prominent in the Christian life; yet it has a role in all religions.
A really good entry on this subject would be invaluable. Paul lists it along with hope and love, making love "the greatest", nevertheless faith in the first in this trial, being the ground of all else.
Moral stories illustrating faith.
Links to Faith in other Traditions
- Faith in Islam
- Faith in Judaism
- Apostasy
- Belief
- Religious conversion
- Rationalism
- Faith Development
Writings on Faith
- Martin Buber I and Thou
- Paul Tillich The Dynamics of Faith
- John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion
- R.C. Sproul, Faith Alone
- Michael Novak, Faith and Belief
The main religious spheres persisting into the modern era are:
Traditional small group and sects faiths still exist in much of Africa, and among native Americans, and aboriginal peoples in Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Credits
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