Is there anything more weak-minded and meaningless than having "faith"?

[northernladuk]

I suspect for people who (for eg) lose a child, it's surprising what you might start to believe, just to get through. Hence these 'psychic' con artists still being able to ply their trade.

I have friends that have done this. One lost her mother and has turned to faith just to know that she is in a better place. She wasn't religious at all before but it makes her happy to think there is something else and her mum is there.

Thing that gets me is surely if you believe there is a higher deity controlling life and all that or have faith in something more, why don't people think about why this deity or whatever has taken their child/mother etc. People with faith I feel always want to believe the good things but seem to forget by the same argument their relatives etc are happy and in good hands it was the same thing that took them away. Anything is always good if you want to ignore the bad side of it

[MarillionFan]

The Jury is still out on whether God exists or not.

[TimberWolf]

I have friends that have done this. One lost her mother and has turned to faith just to know that she is in a better place. She wasn't religious at all before but it makes her happy to think there is something else and her mum is there.

Thing that gets me is surely if you believe there is a higher deity controlling life and all that or have faith in something more, why don't people think about why this deity or whatever has taken their child/mother etc. People with faith I feel always want to believe the good things but seem to forget by the same argument their relatives etc are happy and in good hands it was the same thing that took them away. Anything is always good if you want to ignore the bad side of it

logic alert

[TimberWolf]

The Jury is still out on whether God exists or not.

It might help if God were defined. It could mean anything.

[sasguru]

It might help if God were defined. It could mean anything.

Old bloke. Bit like MF's avatar.

[TimberWolf]

Old bloke. Bit like MF's avatar.

WC Grace.

[d000hg]

Thing that gets me is surely if you believe there is a higher deity controlling life and all that or have faith in something more, why don't people think about why this deity or whatever has taken their child/mother etc. People with faith I feel always want to believe the good things but seem to forget by the same argument their relatives etc are happy and in good hands it was the same thing that took them away. Anything is always good if you want to ignore the bad side of it

Probably because their faith is something they construct themself as a protection against the world. You are quite right, but Christianity doesn't describe itself as something to make life easy and warm and comfortable. In many countries, to become a Christian is to open yourself for real persecution and even risk of death, somewhat akin to a Pakistani moving to a BNP street. All this warm and fuzzy "acting Christian" CofE stuff gives the wrong impression (IMHO). Deciding to believe in some kind of Heaven simply because you lost a child, well that does fit in with Sas' claims of delusion.

[MarillionFan]

It might help if God were defined. It could mean anything.

Not sure about God, but I've heard that Heaven is a half pipe.

[kandr]

Probably because their faith is something they construct themself as a protection against the world. You are quite right, but Christianity doesn't describe itself as something to make life easy and warm and comfortable. In many countries, to become a Christian is to open yourself for real persecution and even risk of death, somewhat akin to a Pakistani moving to a BNP street. All this warm and fuzzy "acting Christian" CofE stuff gives the wrong impression (IMHO). Deciding to believe in some kind of Heaven simply because you lost a child, well that does fit in with Sas' claims of delusion.

Yeah I agree, Christians will kill each other because they disagree on which is the best type of Christianity (see Northern Ireland for recent example), none of this warm and fuzzy stuff.

[cailin maith]

Sas, do you think that any one who does have faith, gives two hoots about what you think anyway?