Faith

[Jonathan Jarvis]

I know this may seen otiose but how can you get faith.

I'm not necessarily asking about religious faith but generally.

Can it be learned or is it acquired?

 

[Albion]

I know this may seen otiose but how can you get faith.

I'm not necessarily asking about religious faith but generally.

Can it be learned or is it acquired?

In the religious sense, it is a gift and is possible only thanks to God who uses revelation in order to lead us to it. This Faith is more than mere belief--the Bible is clear about that--but is a deep, trusting, relationship with the Lord.

Of course, we commonly also use the word in daily conversation to mean belief in just about anything--"I have faith that you're going to reply to me," for instance, has no religious implications and no connection to the other meaning of the word. But this only means having a strong presumption or confidence in something or other. This kind of "faith" can be learned, of course.

 

[seeingeyes]

I know this may seen otiose but how can you get faith.

I'm not necessarily asking about religious faith but generally.

Can it be learned or is it acquired?

Um...well, I believe that faith is trust. Trust can be both learned and acquired.

For example: When you are a kid, you have an automatic level of trust in your parents. As you gain experience, you may learn that it was a good idea to trust them, or you may learn that it is not a good idea to trust them.

 

[Heardthebells]

I know this may seen otiose but how can you get faith.

I'm not necessarily asking about religious faith but generally.

Can it be learned or is it acquired?

You have to love in order to have hope and faith. You can't have hope or faith without it.

 

[PsychoSarah]

It can be learned, not everyone can do it for all concepts. After all, you couldn't be able to convince yourself that blue and red were the same color.

 

[Heardthebells]

Um...well, I believe that faith is trust. Trust can be both learned and acquired.

For example: When you are a kid, you have an automatic level of trust in your parents. As you gain experience, you may learn that it was a good idea to trust them, or you may learn that it is not a good idea to trust them.

What do you mean by acquired or learned? Aren't both of them the same?

 

[seeingeyes]

What do you mean by acquired or learned? Aren't both of them the same?

Sometimes we trust "just because". Like my example with children. It isn't learned, it just...a default state.

We can learn to trust someone though. Or to trust more generally (for example, by giving new people we meet a certain "benefit of the doubt"). I believe that this is harder for those who had their initial "default" trust trampled.

 

[Heardthebells]

Sometimes we trust "just because". Like my example with children. It isn't learned, it just...a default state.

We can learn to trust someone though. Or to trust more generally (for example, by giving new people we meet a certain "benefit of the doubt"). I believe that this is harder for those who had their initial "default" trust trampled.

I trust my parents more than I would ever trust any outsiders. Even though I use to be a pretty trusting person to all.

 

[ForJesusChrist]

Faith is belief or trust, so it requires you to believe even if there is no proof or evidence.

 

[seeingeyes]

I trust my parents more than I would ever trust any outsiders. Even though I use to be a pretty trusting person to all.

Why the change?

 

[Heardthebells]

I met up with a few bad eggs and now I am a guarded person and will remain so the rest of my life.

It's a good thing I have a little hope, faith and love left . At least for their sake.

 

[seeingeyes]

I met up with a few bad eggs and now I am a guarded person and will remain so the rest of my life.

It's a good thing I have a little hope, faith and love left . At least for their sake.

And that's what I'm saying. Some trust is by nature, and some is by nurture (so to speak).

 

[Heardthebells]

I don't see how you can say trust is by nature. There are things that I believe is genetic. Trust is something that is built and can easily be destroyed.

 

[seeingeyes]

I don't see how you can say trust is by nature. There are things that I believe is genetic. Trust is something that is built and can easily be destroyed.

Babies "trust" that by yelling loud enough, they'll get fed. That kind of trust is not examined or tested, of course, but it's real. I think we're born to be loved. Trouble comes when we are not.

 

[bhsmte]

Faith is belief or trust, so it requires you to believe even if there is no proof or evidence.

IMO, there is a difference between faith and trust.

To me, trust is something that is built up on experiencing things you can rely on; I trust my car will start in the morning, I trust kids to get good grades because they always have, etc.

Faith, is a bit different. Faith is believing in something without much or any of a track record to go off of. I have faith that I will win the lotto, I have faith that the Cubs will win the world series in the next 5 years, I have faith that there is a heaven, etc..

 

[keith99]

Faith is not belief without proof but trust without reservation.

The kind of 'faith' that consists of belief without proof (or at least evidence) is something pushed by a preacher looking for fools as a flock, not entirely a surprise as a disproportionate percentage of such intend to fleece their flock and that is far easier to do with fools.

 

[variant]

I know this may seen otiose but how can you get faith.

I'm not necessarily asking about religious faith but generally.

Can it be learned or is it acquired?

If not, the religious institutions are doing a major disservice by trying to indoctrinate children beginning at a very early age.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

I know this may seen otiose but how can you get faith.

I'm not necessarily asking about religious faith but generally.

Can it be learned or is it acquired?

It seems to be both/and, rather than either/or.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

If not, the religious institutions are doing a major disservice by trying to indoctrinate children beginning at a very early age.

So...no one should indoctrinate children? Oops...that seems like a subject for another thread.

 

[variant]

So...no one should indoctrinate children? Oops...that seems like a subject for another thread.

That was not what I said or meant.

Here try it this way:

If faith isn't learned or acquired then indoctrinating children is based upon a bad assumption.

I am of the option that this is obviously untrue, many people become faithful precisely because of their religious upbringing.

Faith and religion in my opinion are learned activities. I am however not sure whether belief or faith are choices, I would respond in the negative if asked in that manner.