Faith as a positive trait

[Stuckinthebush]

My 12 year old was watching the Hawking God/Creator show this week with me and asked me a good question. She said, "Why do Christians say that faith is so important and good? Saying you have faith is like saying you are going to believe something with no evidence."

I agreed with her and said that the only thing I can think of is that Christians have no evidence so they have to rely on revealed knowledge. That type of knowledge is easily dismissed so they have to hold up the word "faith" as a positive trait so people won't ask questions.

I wondered aloud that maybe the reason Christians get so upset when you question "faith" is because deep down they know it is not worth much in a world that values evidence. I remember numerous discussions with Christians over the years where the conversation ends with them saying, "Well, all I know is that you have to have faith. I have faith and that's all that matters to me." End of discussion.

I have faith. I have faith in my children. I have faith in my family and friends. I have faith in these people because the evidence shows that I can rely on them due to past actions. Perhaps faith is a wrong word - I have trust.

What is this thing "faith" in Christians anyway? Would they say that they have evidence of a omniscient god so, therefore, have faith?

[trotsky]

1. Marketing Genius

You take your product's greatest weakness (no evidence whatsoever) and turn it completely around into its main selling point. You are good and virtuous because you believe uncritically. Gotta stand back and admire the bullshit sometimes, cause they have packaged it so damn well!

[Kerrytravelers]

2. "a world that values evidence"

This use to be true. However, after watching Thunderf00t respond to some of these silly creationists on YouTube, and seeing what these misguided willful fools use as "evidence," I am terrified that we are entering the Age of Unreason.

To the question at hand, why is "faith" positive to the christian? Because faith is the one thing the rational can't disprove. We can disprove all the other nonsense, but we can't disprove the fairy tale they've written in their mind. So, they hold dear to that one thing.

[cleanhippie]

3. You should repost this in R&T.

[Stuckinthebush]

4. Ha!

I'm not sure it would go over well!

[cleanhippie]

5. Who cares? Its not a popularity contest.

Sure, the usual suspects will bash it (and you. More of those christian values, you know) but right is right.


Put it out there!

[Stuckinthebush]

6. Hard to argue with you there

Ok. Let me reword a bit for the audience. I'd really like their take ok this.

[skepticscott]

8. I've asked the question in RT many times

Why is faith (i.e. believing in things without evidence, or in the face of contradictory evidence) a virtue, and something to be respected? Still waiting for an answer.

[FiveGoodMen]

7. Strangest of all are "Faitheists" who claim it's okay to hold any faith -- but you need to have one

All the religions claim that all the others are false.

Yet they will all get together every now and then and say that -- first and foremost -- a person just needs SOME faith; any faith.

They can't really mean it, and yet they say it.

Only skeptics are left out.

Everyone is okay as long as they solemnly promise to be an easy mark for SOME con man.

[Arugula Latte]

9. "Faith is believing what you know ain't so." -- Mark Twain

[FiveGoodMen]

10. Twain knew how to get right to the crux of it!

[Arugula Latte]

11. Definitely!

That says it all.