Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

To: running_dog_lackey

Tangentially, but even then not required. Faith, by definition, means belief without basis; faith is simply belief without cause. Belief in God does not mandate belief in the men who wrote the Bible, or even their accuracy. It simply is.

Looking for logic or reason or consistency or factual basis when dealing with faith is to look for spoons for worms or smartphones for chickens; they have nothing to do with faith, they are orthogonal to the question of faith and the beliefs carried.


6 posted on 08/26/2011 10:26:36 PM PDT by FromTheSidelines ("everything that deceives, also enchants" - Plato)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies ]


To: FromTheSidelines
“Ultimately, if you could know for certain that there is a God, then you have no need for faith. Faith in God requires that you cannot know for certain there is a God...”

Faith, by definition, means belief without basis; faith is simply belief without cause. Belief in God does not mandate belief in the men who wrote the Bible, or even their accuracy. It simply is.”

Logically these two declarations of yours are inconsistent if not contradictory. I can accept the first while categorically rejecting the second. One can not know something with total certainty, but still have very good reasons for believing it. In fact there are very few things we know with absolute certainty, but nonetheless they have an extremely high probability of being true. I believe that my wife loves me and will be faithful to me throughout the rest of our lives. Do I know that with 100% certainty. No, but based on 31 years of marriage I know it to be highly probable bordering on certitude. My understanding of the Bible is that belief in the God of the Bible is highly probable. In fact David says that only a fool says there is no God. Faith in the Bible is a belief that God is good that he will provide for those who trust Him in this life and in the next. Simply this means that we believe that He has our best interests at heart (provided we are loyal to Him) and that He has the power to overcome evil in the long run. Although we can't know this for certain there is abundant evidence to believe that it is true, thus making it a rational belief. Faith and reason are not opposites.

10 posted on 08/27/2011 12:46:17 AM PDT by Pres Raygun
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson