Gurdur

Because ordinary people often used "faith" to mean "trust without previous evidence".
Shortly said. A longer definition and explanation could be given, but maybe that's enough for the moment.
I doubt it.
We could look up the Latin writings pre-100 A.D., or look at how Indians use English in India (and it's used a lot) to see if there is any difference.
But I doubt Christians had much to do with it.
It has been popularized in a religious sense by Christians -- but they seem to have taken a pre-existing term and used it in an over-extended way to mean only religious faith for the most part, which is different from what you're saying.
I do well enough, I think, when I actually give the explanations, as I've done here, and any confusion gets cleared up in questions and answers.
Life is itself complex, especially human concerns, which makes for a messy language. But one does one's best.

DBT

Me too, the words faith and belief have become obnoxious.

Gurdur

*shrug*
I find the realities behind the words "Nazi", "Holocaust", "Stalinist", "rape" etc. etc. to be extremely obnoxious --- yet I still use the words if I wish to describe the concepts behind them.

Godless Wonder

Heh. Yesterday I met an atheist/agnostic named "Christian," poor guy. I suppose there must be a least one atheist woman named "Faith", that's gotta suck.

reprise

Ditto. Although sometimes when I discuss with friends what they "believe", I find that they are really talking about what they "wish" or "hope" to be true and that belief has very little to do with their position.

Godless Wonder

But you don't say "i am a Nazi" or "I am a Stalinist."

I try not to say "I believe," but instead "I think" or "I'm pretty sure" as these are always more accurate for me, and, "I have faith that...." just doesn't even begin to sprout from my brain. I'm not saying that the word faith or belief should be eliminated. I'm saying that faith should be put into the same box as the words Nazi and Holocaust and Stalinist. "Faith" should be given the reputation it deserves.

Corona688

Abso-fucking-lotely. :notworthy I'm tired of people trying to redefine words just because it offends or disagrees with them - if it's so bad, use another word. Not even George Bernard Shaw was able to forcefully redefine our language, and I reckon he had a fair bit more influence than most of us do.

Soul Invictus

Gurdur,

I had a thread a while back that discussed faith. Someone mentioned differentiating faith from trust. I will try to find it. I'd like to see what you think.

Regards

Gurdur

Thanks,
I would indeed be very interested in a full-bore discussion on the topic and your thread.
I find the area quite interesting, especially since it was one of the questions I had to consider when I was writing a bit on just how did religion originate.

Gurdur

I am a Stalinist with regards to rhubarb.
I firmly believe that rhubarb is simply natural evil and should be always taken outside and shot.

Apart from the point that I really dislike rhubarb (and aspic),
in daily life I would say,
"Yeah, I know I don't know this particular person well, but I have faith she/he won't cheat me"
Most of the time my business or social faith gets justified later; sometimes it doesn't.
That's a whole 'nother debate.
I don't see Quakers or Canandian Methodists (now celebtrating gay unions in their churches) as being anything at all like Nazis.
I've known neonazis (and fought them), I know their propaganda and SOP's, and there's a world of difference to liberal, nicey-nicey Christians.
I am an atheist, and I tend not to like Christianity at all, even in the liberal versions, but I do recognise there's a world of difference between some liberal, bunny-hugging, tree-loving, gay-accepting Christian who uses the word "faith" in silly ways, and a neoNazi or Nazi.
Like, I'm bloody sure which I would prefer anywhere near me, if I was given the choice.
Sure, I really dislike fundy Christians (worse than rhubarb, too), but I don't lump in all Christians together.
In practical terms, all Christians simply don't share the same ideology.
There's a world of difference between USA Church of Christ and Canadian Methodist.
OTOH, all neonazis do share pretty much the same ideology in practice, and the same with the old Nazis.