The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

I humbly ask apologies in advance if I ramble, but this one is a hard one to frame.

What is faith? How does one measure the strength of faith?

I've always believe that faith is to believe something in the absence of proof - yet I've met many "true believers" out there who claim to have bucketloads of faith - yet cite "proof" that their beliefs are indeed factual or correct. Often the "facts" and "proofs" they cite are not empirical or quantitative - they are effectively just a qualitative belief with no tangible backing.

So do they have "faith" - or do they cling to the delusion of proof as a crutch to their "faith"?

Oh Lordy, I have been in a debate with this topic before....

All I know is my faith in anything is wavering.

faith is something you get from your heart

faith to me means that you believe you ur self aswell as ur friends or family hon

Faith is believing something firmly, without a need for proof. Faith is blind, and doubtless, and true faith is very rare indeed.

To have faith in something or someone...You must be a very, very big fool.

I tend to agree - faith should not need proof...

As to having "faith" in people... I really thing that's a little different - more like "trust" in people...

I agree faith is believing in something without proof, and i think a lot of people will grasp on to any little thing they can find to prove that what they believe in is true...

Faith can also make you stronger. There have been numerous stories of people beating diseases, surviving grevious injuries, etc. based on the power of faith. However, I think that faith dosen't just have to be in a higher power. Personally, I believe in the power of the Self.

I believe that faith is a word used by the religious cadavers who seek to manipulate society. Testing convictions is a strong way to create bitter enemies, or to have someone join your legion. Either way, to me it is just a religious practice.

P.S. I have faith, faith that every time I press a certain button on the remote, the telly comes on...LMAO!!

i have faith in something but thats common of corse. i waver on what i beleive to be "god" as i study the veiw point of the kabbalah and wicca. i find these two opotions mean the most to me but i can never quite decide. sometimes i fear ill die searching for the ultimate truth and it ends up a lie but then i laugh and think how cool 'died serching for the ultimate lie' sounds.

Faith means different things to different people.

faith is something get from ur soul before the heart

my opinion:

when you have faith in something, it simply means you believe in it unconditionally, wether it seem to be true or not, right or wrong, fictional or nonfictional

Faith in something is a A Strong Term.. To me it means to have Trust to know that something will happen to be able to depend upon it without Doubt.. To know that no matter what wether bad or Good The situation would have done all it could to pull through..
For Example to have Faith in A significant other.. You Trust them with Your Heart and Your Life and Your Whole being... If You were in danger He/She would be right there.. If they were in a Contest You having faith in them They would perform to their best of their ability and do so in Honor of You ...
Faith is a Deep Emotion Based on Trust and Belief in the Person and or Being Your Casting this To..

You speak of faith as though it is a metaphor for unconditional love. How odd.

Faith is believing in the unseen. Having faith that when you push the break petal it will stop the car. You don't see it happen but you know it will.

faith is more than just saying you believe. you are acknowledgeing your maker,(who ever or whatever,). the act of reverance toward other living things shows true faith.

I do not think that someone is going to beat a diseases because they have faith, they may think because of their faith they did but in reality it is because of medicine or treatment for the disease...

im athist.

but, i do have faith in my friends.

Faith is different for everyone , for me it is something I must come to terms with in my own heart. Still , I cannot help but feel foolish for even considering it.

Faith is different for everyone , for me it is something I must come to terms with in my own heart. Still , I cannot help but feel foolish for even considering it.

meh, true.


(( nice 2x post ))

Faith is not something to believe in the absence of truth..In some cases it might be...Faith is something you believe in that you don't care if there is any proof...Like when a When a father says that he has faith in his son...He doesn't need proof,he already believes in it...

ok gauthem, i'll give u that 1, ur right.

Faith is delusion... bolstered by ritual piety and seen as the justification for many an evil... reason should be the motivator for belief...

faith is hard to define and therefore hard to describe. that makes this an impossible question to answer.

faith can be good, it can sustain you when nothing else is, but it depends on the type of faith...and what the meaning behind it is, ive always been an advocate for faith itself, the type though i have issues with some of those.

That is a good question. Once you have proof about something it is no longer faith but knowledge. So some that has false proof of something would have knowledge based on poor information I guess. They could still be right but I don’t think it would be faith but more a belief.

Gauthem said it the best I think. When you have faith you do not care about the proof.

You just believe.

I would say that to believe in something is to do so without proof, but to have faith in something is to do so when you have proof.
Reminds me of a joke:

Whats the difference between faith and belief?
A mother knows her baby is hers, a father believes it is...

Faith to me is belief in myself, without the need for validation from others.

I think from all these posts, there is only one conclusion to be drawn.

Faith equals Trust. If you have faith in something to work, then you trust that something will work. Like that of a telly, a light switch, or in religious referance, the laying on the hands. If you trust that it will work, it will. Therefore you have faith that it will work. Nothing to it. So much babble over the meaning of faith...One word is all that should be used instead...Which is TRUST!! Next someone might ask...What is trust?? Gahhh!!

Faith is believing with out proof.. and you place unconditional trust in that.

Trust between individuals is an entirely different situation and people being as they are it fluctuates daily.
Trust has to be grown nutured and rarely if ever infringed upon.

Come now, faith is a word used to manipulate the masses into the melodrama of wanting no proof at all. To this degree, it begins religious toleration. Therefore the term faith is but a metaphor for religious trust. I will argue forever about this point. Until someone takes away my tenacity.

I have great faith in the Sphagetti Noodle MonsterGod.

I believe that faith is an almost indescribable feeling of intense trust in someone/thing. It might be that something has or will happen, or even a person or celestial being. It may be unique to everyone. I do not believe that everyone is capable of having faith, because some people cannot open their minds to what they don't know.

a simple enough question, but one of the hardest to truly debate, no two people will ever have the exact same opinion.
You can only strive to aim for 100% faith and if you only reach 20%, 30%, or whatever -- treat that as still beeing in profit apertaining to faith.

I am not sure if this is what you were meaning...

Yes I think faith starts out as belief in something without proof.

But let me set something up for you.

ok poof one day you have that if you pray to God A he will answer you and all your troubles will be over. You pray for rain.. and it rains.

Now is this proof that your God will answer you? or is it just happenstance?

I think what is considered proof by one may or may not be seen as such by another.

I have seen and felt the effects oh a spell I have cast.. it that proof that they work.. yes to me it is. But I do not expect it to be so to you.

So to me faith starts out as belief without proof but in time we get proof we are correct in what we believe. Perhaps only proof that makes sense to us .. but since it is our beliefs... does it matter if others do not believe?

Soulshroude

Unconditional love.....yep that's faith too.

in the bible faith is:

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Kings James version)

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is assurance of [things] hoped for, a conviction of things not seen." (American Standard version)

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is [the] substantiating of things hoped for, [the] conviction of things not seen." (Darby version)

now, faith in the bible is described as a conviction, an evidence of things not seen, we haven´t seen heaven or hell, but the ones who have faith in God and in is word have absolutely 100% sure that they exist, if anyone doubts in anything, even the smallest thing, then he has not
faith... in terms that we all can understand, we can put it like this: when we are stopped in a traffic light and then it turns to green, we automatically advance forward, but no one can assure us, that some weirdo will not pass the red light in the other side, and provoke an accident that can even take our life... that attitude can also be called faith, we instinctively advance in the green light because we believe nothing bad is going to happen... "faith is a conviction of things not seen"

Faith is also believing insomething something so much you state your whole religion around it

Faith is belief in absence of proof. The problem is when you believe in something enough you want to find proof of it. Then what was faith becomes a belief in something with some sort of proof, and is no longer what it was originally - faith.

I hope that sounds better typed than it did in my head.

Faith, like so many here have said, is blind. Like so many have also stated, it is believing in something without proof. You can't measure faith. Someone might believe in ants, and that is where they draw their inspiration, but you can't measure the amount of faith that they have in that solitary ant. Faith is unanimous throughout if you truly believe in something. If you faith is wavering, then you don't truly believe in anything at all, you are simply accepting that which you once had faith in, but aren't sure you have faith in that anymore.

jagee7

lol....I was trying to explain that and just couldn't get the words right, I agree with you.

Yes i also agree that faith is believing in something without proof.

thats all well and good...........but what about putting 'faith' in somethig that you can see, or someone you can see.

thats hardly blind faith -- there is a difference

Faith is the ability to believe in the unbelievable for the most part so it is only as strong as we are. There is no set base for measuring it.

Yea. I agree with jagee7

faith is something you get from your heart

Faith is believing with out proof. If u go to church u have faith in god but where is the proof he ever existed. Theer is none but we still have faith he does exist

faith should not need proof...

For Carvall -

I will argue this point, that faith is not unconditional love. These are too entirely differant feelings. In my opinion, only zionists would confuse these two for the same thing.

You may not have unconditional love for a lightbulb, but have faith that it will in turn light up just the same. This is my point.

And again, which form of faith do you speak of? The faith that you need lack of proof to feel, or the faith that the telly will turn on when you press the switch? More often than not, these two are the same thing, but sometimes religion does cloud judgement when practiced blindly. Now, with this being said, is it religious faith, or objective faith that you believe in?

i lost my faith long ago and haven't been able to find it again. I never look for good anymore cause i've been let down so many times.

BloodyVampireRose

i will go with your opinion.. you kinda took the words from me

Why I wonder does everything always have to deal with good and bad? Society seems to always envelope around these emotions. Is it me, or does society care too much about morality...And always conjecture the outcome of every event and conversation.

All of what I say does deal with faith. Gaining nor loosing faith, does not make you a better or worse individual. Idealy, the fact is, that no matter what opinion or principal you live by, things will always remain unseen. Don't ask me where I am going with this...Something to do with religious nonesense.

Soulshroude

lol....I wasn't thinkinkg of the inaniamte re; unconditional love.

Faith , Thats hard to say or answer
Especially the way soceity

faith is just a strong belief in something

personaly my faith is in evolution and there is plenty of proof to back it up

Faith has been defined to me that you believe without proof or tangiable evidence. You may have faith that a certain friend will stand by you in a time of trouble, but until they do so, you have no proof. A Christian believes that Jesus wil save them from Hell , but again they have no proof until they die or until judgement day. Once they get that proof, they are dead and cannot come back and share their findings with the entire world.

Those who say they have proof their faith is correct and if they say they have tangiable evidence ( like the kind that would hold up in a court of law), are full of it. They are just trying to convince others that their way is the only way. Someone should tell them to sit down and stop making an idiot of themselves.

I do not discount anyone's faith. I believe in a God. I may be wrong. I will find out when I die. Unless, I can contact you or another from the other side, I cannot prove anything to anyone.

Faith is believing in something that you may not be able to see. You just have to know it's there. And then a lot of times, it will eventually show itself if you are true to it and yourself...and not agreeing just so that you can be like everyone else.

Faith...... is individual, and unique to everyone. Not everyone sees it the same way. But there are still people out there that can have just about the same meaning or way of expression of it. Faith is what you want or make of it. It is as strong as you want it to be or as strong as you make it.............................

Basically its up to you!

To define faith is simple. It is something you believe in without seeing it, touching it, or being able to prove it exists.
Finding faith is the hard part.

believing in something without proof,

I used to have faith in alot of things. My oh my how things change throughout the course of life, lol.

If faith is the conception of believing in something without any adequate proof, then I have very VERY little of it. So many things in this world that are talked about are so far fetched anymore that it's hard to believe what's true and what's not without some sort of proof.

I'm a very skeptical person and tend to use logic more than most. Of course, I've seen some pretty unexplainable things in my life also which throws logic right out the window, lol.

faith is something unwaivering, you feel it inside and don't let it go, if you need proof its not faith its just proven, your faith is amazingly powerful if true faith, but still faith is in your mind the most powerful thing in the world anything you truely, and i mean truely believe is true becasue your mind makes it so.

I think just the ability to believe, without proof...is what gives us strength and hope.. Kind of like the power of positive thought...

Having faith in something is built on trust and knowing that whatever it is will come through no matter what

I think faith is faith but those that cling to so called proof are just looking for something to say that their faith is solid

having belief in something

"faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". It is my opinion that all faith is blind, no matter how much knowledge you have in whatever you believe in. The simple fact that whatever you believe cannot be proven under any circumstances makes it faith. You can believe in anything, you can believe in nothing, no matter what it is you believe, if it can't be proven...you are exhibiting faith. Now this doesn't apply in some cases. I could be an absolute loon, stand on a train track, and have all the faith in the world that I won't get hit by a train. THAT can be proven, however I would not be alive for you to debate me about it. :-)

Harlequin

I would say that what I have faith in has been proven to my satisfaction....so of course it would depend on what critera is used and by whom.

faith is for the weak that doesnt want to see the truth about really goes on this world

I do think faith is for those who just don't want to find out the truth about things. It is good in a sense that it gives some hope that need it but bad sometimes in that is closes the minds of those who may end up finding the truth

If we are discussing religious faith there are certainly different levels. There are those who believe blindly and never question. Sometimes they are the ones who have endless amounts of "proof" to back up their actions in life committed for the "faith". Then there are those of us who constantly question our faith.

I'm on a constant quest to better understand what I believe. What it is, where it came from, what are the reasons behind certain rituals? What's my motivation? This isn't questioning in a bad way, it's more of a constant reevaluation. It makes my faith stronger. It's not looking for "proof" that I'm right and everyone else is wrong. It's a reaffirmation that what I believe in is right for me. That's what faith should be, believing in what works for you.

faith is something you get from your heart

For me faith is trust in the unknown and a calculated belief if not in the outcome, then in the manner in which the unknown will be faced/met... I agree with Scipio that it is not the privilege of the religious but it is a trait of the open minded and spiritual...

Faith -the belief in something that is very difficult to materially prove exists.
Not restricted to religious beliefs alone.
The weaker the faith the more the need to find proof/evidence to confirm your belief to your self.

i have faith in myself my sowrd amr and my triger finger nothin or noone else ....

Faith, to me is that you believe in yourself enough that you do not doubt yourself.

Therefore an open mind and everything and all things are possible with or without the Proof of seeing it.

Faith is within yourself. my opinion is all.

If you need proof, it isn't faith. That's why love usually fails.

I think faith is a set of beliefs that are told to u as a little kid to make up on how you were to be directed to live your life and it is a base line of how how u make most of your decisons in your life.

just one example of this is when you believe in your children that they will do great in whatever they do. that is faith. i do believe in faith. having faith that when you are sick that you WILL get better.

I agree with most on here there are many things we have faith in without needing any proof if it. If you can see it and touch it then its not faith anymore it si just knowing. Faith is something you feel deep inside.....you just know it's there. I do have faith in a lot of different things and people.

Faith means differently to every one... some need to believe something, and don't need proof. They just want to believe... others, need to see and then believe... i have faith in what i believe...

I have faith in God. I was taught this but I can feel it in my heart. I think that is what faith is, believing in something so much you will even follow it blindly. Like falling in love, that's a huge leap of faith! You trust the person, but do you really know what they do when you aren't around? No, but you have faith! I hope this made sense, I tend to ramble when I am tired.

Faith doesn't have any mental faculties involved. That's the whole idea of it after all. Once you are in the habit of not questioning you'll swallow whatever they tell you. That's why it's demanded in every religion that's political. A very bad thing I think~ Faith.

Faith is something that you cannot quantify, and each person's faith is theirs alone. You can have faith in a person, or in a religion, whatever. I think it's best to have a little faith rather than aloty when it comes to anything. I've taught myself never to trust anything or anyone, so faith kind of goes alongside that.

faith is what you feel in your heart.... you can't exactly chose what it is.... but you can decide how much you have

Faith is not based on fact or it would not be faith. I have very little faith in anything. If I can not prove it I have an issue but they have proven that people with faith will help people heal faster and at times make them get better. So it does work to help people so they should use it if they have it.

I suppose faith is beleiving in something that has no proof, or in a sense, very little chance of happening.

You tried wikipediaing it? Lol, love wikipedia

Faith is something that we can not always see but its something that we believe in and that we can feel with in ourself and in our hearts.

that ias a good question that might never be answered

This is a difficult question for ones faith may not be just for another, Faith to me is the strong belief in what we believe in, wether its for god, family, home or friends. the faith that keeps mortals searching for answers to help in the paths of their lifes. Faith in yourself to do better than your parents or at your job.

I am Catholic and I have faith in a higher power...do I run around trying to prove that it is the only way and that it is "Right"? No because it isn't right for everyone and besides that who said you needed proof to believe in anything? My faith gives me strength. And that is all I need. Something to believe in whether anyone else thinks it is true or right doesn't matter as long as you think it is. Faith is faith and whether held by a group or by yourself does it really matter if it makes you feel good? Having something to believe in keeps me sane because if I didn't believe that I'm going to a better place after I die I'd see it as having nothing to live for. During illness and hardships I pray and I hope and things have always come through for me. Say its luck thats your opinion but I believe it was my faith in God. Faith comes from you as an individual and you take it to the next level.

Faith is certainly the belief in something for which there is no proof. But it is human nature to then search for the truth and attempt to both define and defend that faith no matter how illogically or unscientifically. Faith cannot be proven to a non-believer. My opinion is that once you begin attempting to prove your faith you have lost it, because you are truly trying to prove it and justify it to yourself.

I believe faith is in everything, and it varies with each person, it also is the mind body and spirit hopeing for something it cannot change

I'm having a hard time with faith as of late. I see so many people who have done wrong leading such wonderful lives. Then there are the people who deserve to have good happen and they just get crapped on. I am sooo confused about faith right now....

This thread has been automatically closed for length.