Is faith an excuse for lack of evidence?

I mean, what else do you just believe 'just cause'?

Why is it that many times I'm talking to a religious person, he/she always tries to distance themselves from the blind, faith-based nature of it all?

I don't think there is any evidence that God exists. Personally, God doesn't exists and exists and neither at same time because God is so omnipotent that paradox doesn't apply to God. And we certainly have no ability to understand God's power. We consider it as paradox, but, it is just simple matter for God. Of course, this believe is based on faith that God is omnipotent. God is so omnipotent, we are too powerless to find God's existence nor have the capability to comprehend. magicalclick

As an unbeliever, I'm not sure faith is a conscious choice for all the religious folk out there. Just like I did not make a decision to lose faith and stop believing in my god. I just did. MrPraline

Faith

Noun

1. Complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
2. Strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.

That's pretty much the definition of faith; a belief in something devoid of evidence. 

Christian Scientists just crack me up.  It's ok if you believe in god or whatever, just don't try to prove it scientifically or empirically. 

The very concept of faith implies that there is no sensible/logical reason to believe in whatever object you apply it to. The moment you invoke faith to posit the existence of something, you're basically saying that that something does not exist. If there were evidence for the existence of God, faith would become unnecessary. Adam and Eve, for example, needed no faith, since in Paradise God was as common a thing as a tree or a rat.

Faith becomes necessary when there is a God who takes all kinds of pains to hide himself from human perception. A God so shy, so bashful, so elusive, that, when he decides to intervene in worldly affairs through a "miracle", will only do so in such a way that we can never be completely sure that it was him and not just a natural event happening. The Christian God that ridiculous God that cures colds and internal tumors, but never regrows limbs or fixes deformities. 

So yeah, faith is an excuse to keep believing in what is obviously bullshit. 

Yes, it is.

Faith, by definition, is belief without evidence. 

As an unbeliever, I'm not sure faith is a conscious choice for all the religious folk out there. Just like I did not make a decision to lose faith and stop believing in my god. I just did. MrPraline

Beliefs are not a choice, if you look at them closely. 

i do not believe in god as there is no reason to.

however if it turned out that he existed i would not be surprised, as there is also no evidence to the contrary.

Faith is for idiots. 

That would depend on how faith is defined. But as I use it, yes, faith is an excuse for not having any reliable evidence. If someone actually had evidence to justify belief, then they wouldn't need to appeal to faith.

Some things just seem to be unexplainable. I feel it is possible to be religious and at the same time accept science.I feel one should always be skeptical and ask questions. To me it is especially interesting how mathematics are involved in the laws of nature. It is like mathematics always existed, but that we just discovered it. 

Some things just seem to be unexplainable. I feel it is possible to be religious and at the same time accept science.I feel one should always be skeptical and ask questions. To me it is especially interesting how mathematics are involved in the laws of nature. It is like mathematics always existed, but that we just discovered it. 

consoletroll

No. Evidence is not definable.....it's not of this world...and it's hard to show someone the why when they are want it to be of the world.LJS9502_basic

I'm talking about the difference between how we operate on a daily basis, versus placing value in something that has never been observed/had evidence collected on.

Evidence is that which is in support of an assertion.In this case, the assertion that's being made by the religious (God exists) on faith.

For example, you don't place 'faith' in brewing coffee and whether or not it will produce coffee. You have tangible results from past experience. When you say "I place faith in God that he'll do the right thing" you're essentially saying "I really have no way of knowing if any of this belief system means jack sh*t, but I'm just gonna follow the laws and prophets it produces".

Seems like there are some very serious life decisions (and political ones) that people make because of their faith-based assertions. If there's going to be influence on real-world issues, evidence should also be provided that is of the real world.

Some things just seem to be unexplainable. I feel it is possible to be religious and at the same time accept science.I feel one should always be skeptical and ask questions. To me it is especially interesting how mathematics are involved in the laws of nature. It is like mathematics always existed, but that we just discovered it.

consoletroll

that's exactly how it works. our universe is based on mathematical principals regardless of something as insignificant as humans.

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]No. Evidence is not definable.....it's not of this world...and it's hard to show someone the why when they are want it to be of the world.chrisrooR

I'm talking about the difference between how we operate on a daily basis, versus placing value in something that has never been observed/had evidence collected on.

Evidence is that which is in support of an assertion.In this case, the assertion that's being made by the religious (God exists) on faith.

For example, you don't place 'faith' in brewing coffee and whether or not it will produce coffee. You have tangible results from past experience. When you say "I place faith in God that he'll do the right thing" you're essentially saying "I really have no way of knowing if any of this belief system means jack sh*t, but I'm just gonna follow the laws and prophets it produces".

Seems like there are some very serious life decisions (and political ones) that people make because of their faith-based assertions. If there's going to be influence on real-world issues, evidence should also be provided that is of the real world.

[QUOTE="chrisrooR"]

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]No. Evidence is not definable.....it's not of this world...and it's hard to show someone the why when they are want it to be of the world.LJS9502_basic

I'm talking about the difference between how we operate on a daily basis, versus placing value in something that has never been observed/had evidence collected on.

Evidence is that which is in support of an assertion.In this case, the assertion that's being made by the religious (God exists) on faith.

For example, you don't place 'faith' in brewing coffee and whether or not it will produce coffee. You have tangible results from past experience. When you say "I place faith in God that he'll do the right thing" you're essentially saying "I really have no way of knowing if any of this belief system means jack sh*t, but I'm just gonna follow the laws and prophets it produces".

Seems like there are some very serious life decisions (and political ones) that people make because of their faith-based assertions. If there's going to be influence on real-world issues, evidence should also be provided that is of the real world.

It's a nice way of saying "I gave up and decided to label this warm feeling in my gut as a superior being"

Well, you can choose to believe in a god, or not. Neither side has anymore evidence than the other.

Well, you can choose to believe in a god, or not. Neither side has anymore evidence than the other.

GD-1369211121

No. Evidence is not definable.....it's not of this world...and it's hard to show someone the why when they are want it to be of the world.LJS9502_basic

Well, you can choose to believe in a god, or not. Neither side has anymore evidence than the other.

GD-1369211121

Beliefs are not a choice, if you look at them closely. 

wis3boi

[QUOTE="wis3boi"]

Beliefs are not a choice, if you look at them closely. 

hippiesanta

How?

Faith is for idiots. 

GrannyGoat

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"][QUOTE="chrisrooR"]

I'm talking about the difference between how we operate on a daily basis, versus placing value in something that has never been observed/had evidence collected on.

Evidence is that which is in support of an assertion.In this case, the assertion that's being made by the religious (God exists) on faith.

For example, you don't place 'faith' in brewing coffee and whether or not it will produce coffee. You have tangible results from past experience. When you say "I place faith in God that he'll do the right thing" you're essentially saying "I really have no way of knowing if any of this belief system means jack sh*t, but I'm just gonna follow the laws and prophets it produces".

Seems like there are some very serious life decisions (and political ones) that people make because of their faith-based assertions. If there's going to be influence on real-world issues, evidence should also be provided that is of the real world.

wis3boi

It's a nice way of saying "I gave up and decided to label this warm feeling in my gut as a superior being"

[QUOTE="hippiesanta"][QUOTE="wis3boi"]

Beliefs are not a choice, if you look at them closely. 

TheFlush

How?

[QUOTE="TheFlush"]

[QUOTE="hippiesanta"] That is why Atheism leads to Communismhippiesanta

How?

You don't seem to understand what the definition of atheism is.

meh, don't follow any conventional religions myself, but i do have spiritual beliefs about the universe and our natures...and, well, those beliefs come from an instinctual intuition--a primal feeling that grounds my beliefs, but is difficult to describe to others.

religion, to me, is a personal, elusive thing, so to go round askin for evidence is kinda silly and pointless

If I had to guess, I would assume it is how people get comfortable with the uncomfortable facts of life, and accept the things they do not know yet would otherwise bother them.

[QUOTE="wis3boi"]

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"] And again I'll tell you that those who don't understand faith aren't going to understand what evidence exists for those who believe. It's intangible but the evidence is there to those with faith. It's not like faith exists in a vacuum.LJS9502_basic

It's a nice way of saying "I gave up and decided to label this warm feeling in my gut as a superior being"

faith is for idiots simple and plain. equivalent to a kid believing in santa claus yall are clueless.