Shadowy Man

I define "faith" as belief without, or in spite of, evidence and reason.

I trust in many things, but have faith in no thing.

Amie

can you give me an example of something you "trust" in? I am asking because I think I may be using the word faith where you would use the word trust.

Viti

Hey Amie, I think you are using faith where others might use trust or confidence...meaning previous experience or evidence indicates that "X" is likely.

If you say "I have faith in you" to a person, it usually means they have shown themselves capable (resourcful, whatever) and so you have confidence they can succeed at whatever the task is.

rdalin

There's another forum I frequent on which this issue comes up all the time. It's most easily resolved by resorting to the dictionary, which informs us that there are about seven or eight different meanings for the word 'faith.' As you have pointed out, Amie is attempting to conflate different ones, and I think that's where the problem arises.

Richard

Amos

But LadyShea, the faith of Amie is much the same because she does not believe, or put much trust in, or advocate the parts of theology she does not understand and whatever she understands she knows from experience.

Biff the unclean

Hmmm, an Angel???!! What did it look like?

I ask because the Angels in Genesis with the flaming swords at the gates of Eden had the bodies of lions, the wings of eagles and the torsos and heads of men. Later in the Bible they are much the same but they have many wings on their backs.

If you saw something like the angels in Renaissance art you should know that they aren't Biblical Angels at all. If you saw a beautiful man, taller and thinner than a human, with enormous radiant white wings then that's the god Eros. He is the patron of sexual love.

Lucky girl. I didn't know you believed in the Hellenist gods, but if you saw one then you must be a Pagan after all.

Viti

I am really confused now and can't understand why this thread has created animosity.

Amie, in a nutshell, it is very rare that someone asks if you believe in something you have never heard of. Anyone here who says they don't believe in god probably has a definition they are working from. If someone was to say "Do you believe in snoshhingerazzles" most people would probably ask "What is that?" and then can make a determination. So I am confused as to what you are confused about I guess

As for "faith" it is an ambiguous word and has many meanings...what kinds of things would you expect an atheist to have faith in and we will try to explain why it is not "faith" as in religious faith

Amie

Hi LadyShea
I personally think that in order to say you don't believe in something you must be able to define that something to some extent. Thats just what I think however I was told this:
so it conflicts with my thoughts on the subject.
I realize that faith has several meanings, but to have a trust in someone and a confidence in them is in a way having faith in that person. It just seems that many are not comfortable with that word "faith". LadyShea if I say to you I have faith in certain people, would you think that word Faith is not appropriate?

Goliath

Amie,

Again, you are incorrect. I do not know what a saldfjag is, and I do not believe that a saldfjag exists.

Sincerely,

Goliath

Amie

I agree with this.

If someone asked me if I believed in saldfjag I would not say "no" I would say "what the hell is that?" then I could formulate an opinion.