WHAT IS FAITH?
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?
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 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.
Those lacking any Faith are bereft,
unable to perceive hope of a better future,
any path to an improvement in our condition,
unable to operate effectively in the world around them.
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.
We may have lost, or discarded, our foundational principles on the way.
and thus lost our trust in others and those who used to guide us.
Do we then dare to challenge the doctrinal beliefs of others,
proclaiming another understanding of their doctrines,
or must we return to the safety of familiar ground?
How long can we hover indecisive?
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?
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.
We are told that it in accepting such constraints that our faith is ratified;
in believing the doctrines developed by the priestly class of that religion.
When renewal of faith presumes the rectitude of the conclusions others have drawn,
we are merely hiding, fearfully, behind protective boundaries.
Faith lies in trusting our conception of divinity
and acting as if that conception is true.
Faith is shown by what we do!
For a Christian it is
the Way of Jesus.
