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| A comical image that highlights the unlikely presence of faith in non-religious, rational convictions. |
I was initially confused: Wasn't faith only a product of religious belief?
An ardent Serbian-Orthodox Christian, I didn't know faith without God. I often pitied atheists I knew because they seemed incapable of hope beyond rational expectations.
But the article exposed me to a critical truth: faith knows no religious boundaries.
Because faith works on different levels, I realized how pertinent it is to our modern world. Faith is an incessant instigator for war between groups of different religious and ethnic backgrounds, and at the same time a type of belief prospective political leaders like Mitt Romney are trying to inspire within groups of struggling people with little hope. It is also what we as students must garner in collaborators when divvying up parts of a group project.
Today, the origins, effects, and prominence of faith are very substantive topics to explore--and can be informed by studies of different types of faith--faith in oneself and in others, religious faith, spirituality-related faith, to name a few.
While I feel a strong personal connection to religious faith, the prospect of analyzing nonreligious faith, smaller, displays of faith in oneself and others, and faith in larger concepts intrigues me. Through gaining an understanding of many different kinds of faith, I believe anyone can become more tolerant of people of different religious backgrounds, ethnicities, epochs, and convictions--because becoming aware of the commonality of faith can bind us together.
And for that reason I'm starting this blog.
Though barely a legal adult and very influenced by Christianity, I have this assurance that my unyielding curiosity in the psychological phenomenon of faith and my concern for fleshing out topics will facilitate a reflective, objective discussion. And that this discussion will hopefully lead to understanding and tolerance.
For the purposes of this blog, I will define faith as "a belief that is not based on proof." This more accurately represents my interpretation of faith than Nietzsche's quote, "faith means not wanting to know what is true."
1). To attempt to answer the questions: Who has faith? What in fact is faith? How does it operate?
2). To explore different types of faith, and varying situations where faith is at play
3). To analyze distinct perspectives on/theories about faith
Hopefully our exploration of faith will serve as a new dawning for both of us.
Sincerely,
Tina
I loved reading this first post, Tina. It was very well thought out, and I was intrigued throughout. I look forward to reading your other posts throughout the year.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jordan! I appreciate your interest in the face of my controversial standpoint on the pervasiveness of faith. But should you ever have something to add through your perspective on the relationship between atheism and faith (or whatever else comes to mind), feel free to comment. Getting feedback can lead to a conversation and better understanding of the topic, I think.
ReplyDeleteI didn't understand this when I wrote and posted my first blog post. I was confident in how I'd framed faith, and felt like I'd hit the truth. A few days later in class, another atheist classmate overheard my point that atheism involves faith and openly disagreed with me, in a matter-of-fact way. I got down on myself right then, thinking I'd been wrong and I needed to adjust my perspective--but then I realized that rather than TRUTH, my blog's about someone's PERSPECTIVE, my perspective. So now I've got a mind to pursue authenticity (my own) and legitimacy instead of truth, and let intelligent people like yourself get involved in the conversation.
I'm glad you took Tim's comment to heart and realized that perspective and truth are very different. When it comes to faith, the two are too often confused.
ReplyDelete