WHAT IS FAITH?

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Does Faith lie in firm affirmation of doctrine of which we are unsure? or Does Faith lie in putting our trust in what we can not understand? or Does Faith lie in acting as if the incredible is true? What is Faith? What is Faith? The orthodox understanding of faith lies in it being a belief in the statements embraced within the Creeds of the Church. Yet the opposite of faith is not doubt but certainty, for certainty denies the need for faith. Does Faith in God lie in acting as if God exists despite any certainty of the reality of that existence? Is Faith then what we do because of what we believe or is it the existence of that belief? We Do Need Faith? We Do Need Faith? We can not exist without Faith in the physical world around us; our cars and cycles, the walls of our houses or offices. We need equal stability in our mutual relationships. Thus earthquakes and divorce have similar effects. We do need our principles, moral boundaries, guidelines. Without them life becomes a mess, incomprehensible for we can not predict the behaviour of others nor modify our reaction to their need. Are those lacking any Faith bereft, unable to perceive hope of a better future, any path to an improvement in our condition? Lack of Faith Lack of Faith Lack or loss of faith leaves us exposed to life's vicissitudes. We have no foundation to hang on to, no stability. We may set off on a journey of discovery, but lack a home port to which we can return. If we have lost, or discarded, our foundational principles on the way. and thus lost our trust in others and those who used to guide us, is this the time to change to a another cleaner course or to return to the safety of familiar ground? Seeking Religious Faith Seeking Religious Faith The orthodox understanding of religious faith lies in it being a certain belief in the statements embraced within the Creeds of the Church. Yet the opposite of faith is not doubt but certainty, for certainty denies the need for faith. Yet, if Faith in a God lies in acting as if that God exists, despite lack of certainty of the reality of that existence, creedal rehearsal can have little relationship to my Faith. Does then religious faith lies in the courage to look more deeply to seek the reality of divinity that surely lies behind the mask of religious doctrine? Faith Renewed Faith Renewed Religions, whatever their form, provide firm principles, stability. Rules and boundaries are defined; ways of acting and behaviour. Those rules and boundaries are said to have been defined, though some medium of authoritive communication, in spoken, written or even human form, by the God of that religion. Is it in accepting such constraints that our faith is ratified or by challenging the divinity of their presumptions? When renewal of faith presumes the rectitude of the conclusions others have drawn, are we merely hiding, fearfully, behind protective boundaries? Is divinity the origin of religious boundaries or is the Way of Jesus the path beyond them?