New musing
What is the full range of consequences of having faith?
‘Full range’ meaning: the positive, the negative, and everything in-between.
‘Consequences’ meaning real-world effects, actualities.
So the full range of consequences of having faith in, say, an afterlife might include: comfort and magical thinking.
I suppose we are all in agreement that some kind of definition is in order :
Faith : Belief in something for no good reason
A brain that can desire to ‘know’ and has the ability to ask: “why am I here?” needs an answer, any answer to keep it from going ‘off the rails’. No one can answer that question. No one knows why. Does it make sense to ask the ‘why’ question? It does if the goal is to ‘know’ how things work here. Can the brain accept the fact that it can’t know ‘why’ it is here but just that it IS here? Isn’t it the attempts to answer that question that occupy the mind in futile hopes of an answer?
And the Double-Entendre Award of the Day goes toooooooooooooooooo … DougDoug!
A bit snide though, ja? More evenhanded would be something like:
Faith: Belief in something based on conviction rather than proof.
Not sure what the tie-in to faith is?
The brain can’t know it’s a “fact that it can’t know ‘why’ it is here” because it can’t rule out the possibility that it may find out why it is here, unlikely as that may be.
Really?..
And truly!
Well if you ask why me, why am I here? Someone will have an answer for you: Faith / Racket, you pays your money and you takes your choice…
I think we are agreeing on definitions, because the above just means :
Faith : Faith in something based on strong faith rather than proof.
The dark side of faith. Horrible things can come from it: delusion, authoritarianism, wars. It’s easy to see its negative workings in the world (culture, politics, religion) and our self (beliefs).
The whole story of faith would need to include its ‘light’ side, its ability to: energize, focus, stabilize, lend meaning to life. What price do we pay for these positive qualities?
Good! So what’s the whole story of faith, as you see it?
Is this one of the unquestioned things: ‘meaning’? The new brain comes up with the concept of ‘meaning’ and its opposite ‘meaninglessness’ then it seeks the one and avoids the other. And from that arises: “if you don’t have ‘faith’ in anything, your life has no ‘meaning’…Why does life have to ‘mean’ something?
Based on the definition it seems totally silly.
Though we can add the effects you mention : a sense of security & possibility of believing in anything.
Also it implies no mechanism for inquiry or falsification - especially with this implied definition :
Faith : conviction despite demonstrations to the contrary.
Third effect : unresolvable conflict between opposing faiths?
It feels primal, the need to find meaning in the world, others, ideas, ourselves. Is there meaning in the unknown?
Meaning it is part of your faith that “meaning” is fundamental (at least biologically? primal = biological? psychological? universal?)
Question : is meaning necessarily subjective?
Up until quite recently I would be nodding energetically. “Faith is for losers!” I prided myself on having no belief system. (Found out I was fooling myself, but that’s another story!)
But I was brought up Catholic, and though I left it in my mid-teens, something of its soul lingers, not the beliefs or dogma, rather: the vibe of it, the dark hallowed ancient ritual-rich mystery. Faith is huge in Catholicism, so I probably have some of that still swirling in my unconscious!
Habit/conditioning is strong in all of us.
Faith (in something) is demonstrably silly. Habit has been demonstrated to exist - matter, action, psychology are its demonstration.
Apart from having faith in faith (due to upbringing - eg. santa claus) what else?
What is the purpose of Faith in Catholicism? its importance? its demonstration? Isn’t it all about gain and fear?
The only religious importance of Faith as far as I can see, is the in the ending of fear. (ending the total dependence on self)
It’s a tangible feeling for me, a yearning for meaning, a hunger for ‘what really matters.’
In other words : Sensation, belief and desire - the movement of the self perpetuating self (aka karma ).
This is the opposite of religious faith. The result of ignorance/avidya (buddhists would say) ie. mistaken identity/ignorance of our fundamental nature. Your pastors have mislead you - the popular interpretations (of the important parts of the bible : original sin & forgiveness) are self-centered, fear mongering, guilt & desire laden habitual psychological human bunkum (you must now deal with the consequences of having your natural conditioning reinforced by institutional conditioning of the same ilk and direction)