What is the meaning of faith?

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Im going to contradict most of what I have read here. I am going to say it seems as if most people relate faith in a religiously defined accepting way. Let me get right past that and say that faith in this regard is irrelevant other than the way it damages someone waiting for something that will never come to fruition. Ever.
Faith as defined then is "complete trust or confidence in someone or something."
It is here we see the power of faith but can faith ever have meaning in and of itself? Questionable.
 

Unquestionable. Some of us have witnessed the beauty of the Holy Spirit within ourselves. For those who have not, they are not wrong in feeling the way they do. They are not wrong in thinking the way they do. They are simply without.
Is human trust and faith the same?
 
I live in a universe of faith. Science is a predictive tool based on faith. While mathematically possible I could get out of bed and literally fall through the empty spaces of the atoms that make up my floor, I have faith that it will not happen.

When you come 14 billion years late to the party, you have to start with some assumptions if you want to move forward in your learnings. If you are willing to make an assumption, you must first have some faith that that assumption could be true.

I accept faith into my heart. I couldn't function without it.
 
Those 14 billion years are put there so we can try to imagine and understand things based on our present understanding. I ask myself when the earth was first governed by time. Time is a human concept, and we understand temporal things easier than heavenly things. The turning of the earth makes days and nights seem conceivable, as do summer and winter turning into years.

I would that all mankind could understand we have all God's promises available to us right now, with the exception of passing back into the heavenly where time has no rule. When we leave the temporal, we no longer have this form of body we have now. The embodiment of the Children of God in spiritual and pure forms is all I do not have now. It is, therefore, all I still have faith I will be getting....we will be getting. Why do we yet pray for things we already have? Why do we still hope for them? To some, our faith on earth has become realities. Faith is a learning process, I might think.
 
SkipINFJ said:
Does not having it affect quality of life? I believe so, absolutely. Negatively. Without faith, I imagine only relying on things I can detect with my five senses, and affect with my own hands.
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Anecdotally, I would have to disagree. I rather enjoy my life free of religion and I find it very liberating and fulfilling. Granted, I do continue to follow a pretty decent set of morals and values, but I enjoy the fact that they are set on MY terms and it's my choice to follow them, rather than out of guilt or fear of a deity. I still have faith as well, but it's in myself, my loved ones, and my friends.
 
Vicarious said:
Anecdotally, I would have to disagree. I rather enjoy my life free of religion and I find it very liberating and fulfilling. Granted, I do continue to follow a pretty decent set of morals and values, but I enjoy the fact that they are set on MY terms and it's my choice to follow them, rather than out of guilt or fear of a deity. I still have faith as well, but it's in myself, my loved ones, and my friends.
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I was answering on my own behalf about my own beliefs. I was not writing about religion - I was writing about faith, the topic of this thread. I don't think that quoting the bible would make me any more religious than quoting a politician would make me a member of his or her party.
 
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Knowing you will not fall through the floor is not the same as faith. You dont need faith for something you know will not happen. Faith is only required when there is the possibility of doubt or there has been doubt in the past. Faith can be erased, it can be moved or lost. That which is known...fundamentals cannot change with out the very fabric of all known existence changing as well.
 
SkipINFJ said:
I was answering on my own behalf about my own beliefs. I was not writing about religion - I was writing about faith, the topic of this thread. I don't think that quoting the bible would make me any more religious than quoting a politician would make me a member of his or her party.
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Your wording implied you were speaking in general, my bad for misunderstanding. I was also answering on behalf of my own beliefs, so I don't understand the defensive tone of your reply. I was just simply disagreeing that a life w/out spiritual faith negatively affects quality of life for many people. I think you misunderstood my post as well. The only reason I mentioned religion is to be clear which aspect of faith I was talking about, it had nothing to do with your post. I was replying only to the part of your initial post that I specifically quoted.
 
What is the meaning of faith? What purpose do you think it serves?

For me faith is a belief in something that is greater than ourselves. It can help reduce stress and improve one's quality of life. Faith in God or in spirituality provides a sense of purpose and gives one hope. In Zen we learn that we are all interconnected. That we are all one. To me it is a very reassuring concept and helps me open up my heart to others. When someone believes in God that person can never prove it and this is where faith bridges the gap. For example I believe in reincarnation. I cannot prove it; no one really can but for me it is a reassuring idea that helps me deal with my own death some day. Meditation and prayer is a great way to reduce anxiety and ease the stress of everyday life. It can also help us cope with life changing events like the lost of someone close to us or an illness. It is hard to carry the burden of life's problems alone.

Does not having faith affect quality of life? How?

I have friends and family members that are atheist. For those of them who do not believe in anything, they tend to live selfishly. Often their lives are about status, consumption and material gain. But I have other atheist friends who have a deep purpose to their lives and they are very generous and high minded individuals. Some devote their lives to their families and have a strong code of ethics and want what is best for their children and society as a whole. They don't believe in God or in a spiritual practice per say but they believe in something that gives a deep purpose to their lives. So in a way even that can be considered faith. I suppose you have to have faith in something in order to reach a certain level of happiness. So I would say not having faith in anything can deeply affect the quality of your life.
 
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