Faith

NOTE: This is stream of consciousness, so many thoughts might not seem put together in a recognizable order. You have been warned.

FAITH (n.)

1. Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.
2. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. See Synonyms at belief. See Synonyms at trust.
3. Loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance: keeping faith with one's supporters.
4. often Faith Christianity. The theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God's will.
5. The body of dogma of a religion: the Muslim faith.
6. A set of principles or beliefs.

Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

The first set of definitions is a grouping taken fron Dictionary.com and the verse is from the NIV.

I find it interesting that they do indeed mention Islam as well as Christianity in the definition. It just makes it really interesting. How can sooo many people believe so many different things so strongly? It is baffling. What do we know though? Faith is confidence in something. No matter what it is, it's knowing that one something is so true, that all other things fade away, regardless of factual basis. But what are facts? We are still trusting a person, idea, or thing when we believe facts. What makes them more valid? Obviously we seem to have an inate sense or something that allows us to 'know' that most facts are true. Is that because we are Doubting Thomas? Do we need to see before something becomes 'fact'? I don't know, but it bothers me that my faith is so deeply placed in Jesus and yet others do not accept that as fact. It brings up doubt in my head and it makes me cling to the faith tighter as well. Yet their faith is in something. They have a faith that is in the people that say there is no afterlife. They have a faith in the ideas that there is no God. They have a faith in the things of this planet. Yet there is still faith. But it really bores down to that most important word. By Faith we have been saved. By faith we 'know' that the Gospel is true. By faith people 'know' that God can't exist. Science 'disproves' that much. People don't want to be challenged to believe something that is slightly intangible. They want to be comfortable and claim no faith at all, because 'faith' is something of the middle ages and the third world. We don't need it in America. We're too advanced for that. And yet people STILL HURT. People escape to sex, alcoholism, money, and yet their escape is not recharging them, it's not changing them for the better...it ends up owning them and becomes less of an escape and more of an addiction. Does God become that for believers? He becomes an escape at first, but after a while, I think he has the potential to become an addiction because he's that amazing. So shouldn't that be bad too? I feel in my heart that it is that much better in fact! I've seen God transform lives of people that were caught and destroyed and controlled by things like alcohol, sex, and money. Now it should be noted, I do not think any of those things are bad solely to themselves in a way that is not controlling of our person. WOW...I've tangented...silly stream of consciousness.

FAITH...how in God's name is it so powerful? In the case of Christianity and Islam, these faiths are very similar. They are based in the same history. Adam and Eve, Abra(ha)m, and Abra(ha)m's sons. Islam is a nation created by Ishmael and Isaac gave way to Judaism and finally Christianity through the final covenant. So wrap your mind around that. Ishmael, the son that was cast away, a son of a mistress, becomes the father of a billion+ people in today's world. Isaac, the son that was nearly sacrificed to God becomes the father of another billion+ people in today's world. So what's being said here is that a massive portion of the world believes in a bastard (the literal sense) or someone that was nearly killed by his own father? This really is a broken world! But perhaps that isn't even as important as what two men did in caves. The salvation of an entire planet depends on what two men did in caves. That's right, all alone where nobody saw them. So Jesus rose from the dead in his cave and all was good right? What about when Muhammed came out of the cave with the Quran in hand after Allah inspired him? How are we supposed to know which one is right? Here's my application thought point I think...

We take the facts that are accepted by all of humanity and apply them to these situations. Then we take the things that have been written about/by these two men and see how they hold up to eachother and against themselves. Are there contradictions? Are there parts that are just false? Wait, there are still parts that are impossible to figure out? BAM...FAITH. It comes down to that. So now that I've gone in a circular situation, what am I saying....? I'm not sure, but please, lets look at what faith is, what it means to you, and how you can own your own...