Can Religious Faith Enhance Will Power?

[Saint]

I think as long as you are not superstitious, religious faith can be manipulated by you to strengthen your will power, to give you confidence to face challenges of life, to be optimistic, so that you can achieve success in life.

 

[BoulderHead]

Originally posted by Saint
I think as long as you are not superstitious, religious faith can be manipulated by you to strengthen your will power, to give you confidence to face challenges of life, to be optimistic, so that you can achieve success in life.

But what is faith?

“Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.” - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

 

[Mr. Bill]

(hey there boulderhead... has been awhile) Faith is belieing in what is unseen...

 

[BoulderHead]

Why, Mr. Bill, it is so good to 'see' you!
I was 'watching' as you changed your avatar and was excited for you to make a post so I could say Hi!

I'm hoping you can get me interested in religion again (debunking it that is, )

 

[megashawn]

How can one not be superstitious and have religous faith? You believe in things that are unseen, unproven, and more then likely made up. That is, a superstition.

2. An ignorant or irrational worship of the Supreme Deity; excessive exactness or rigor in religious opinions or practice; extreme and unnecessary scruples in the observance of religious rites not commanded, or of points of minor importance; also, a rite or practice proceeding from excess of sculptures in religion.

from http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=superstition


And how is it that your idea would work any better then having faith in oneself to pick yourself up off the floor and try again? You can wait on a superstitious being to fix all your problems or you can do it yourself. If you would then like to credit your choice of gods with you taking care of yourself, that is your perogitive.

 

[plus]

Religious faith gives strength in that it may ensure that people live more conventional lives- as they do not want to reap bad judgement in heaven.

It chains people to a particular lifestyle though.

 

[BoulderHead]

Originally posted by plus
Religious faith gives strength in that it may ensure that people live more conventional lives- as they do not want to reap bad judgement in heaven.

It chains people to a particular lifestyle though.

And I see such behavior as acting out of fear, not love.


“Atheists would teach men to be moral now, not because God offers as an inducement reward by and by, but because in the virtuous act itself immediate good is insured to the doer and the circle surrounding him.” - Charles Bradlaugh, 1864, /A plea for atheism/

 

[Alexander]

Originally posted by plus
Religious faith gives strength in that it may ensure that people live more conventional lives- as they do not want to reap bad judgement in heaven.

It chains people to a particular lifestyle though.

Like child molestion? Suicide bombing? Burning "infidels"? Crusading?

 

[FZ+]

Originally posted by Saint
I think as long as you are not superstitious, religious faith can be manipulated by you to strengthen your will power, to give you confidence to face challenges of life, to be optimistic, so that you can achieve success in life.

Are optimism, and strong will power really desirable? To every strong man, there will always be a group to follow, a group to be conquered. Success often emerges from the failure of others, and the path of the self-righteous is a perilous one... for everyone else.

 

[Iacchus32]

Faith vs. Understanding

From the thread, https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1307&perpage=15&pagenumber=20" ...

Originally posted by Iacchus32
What? The acknowledgment of truth is inborn? And hence the acknowledgment of God as well? You will "never" be able to prove the existence of God, to yourself or anyone else, unless you can get past this.

"Blessed art thou Peter, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto you, but my Father which is in heaven ..."

How do you know 1 + 1 = 2? Wouldn't the obvious answer be because you can see that it's so? Does flesh and blood have to reveal it to you? (i.e., through the external senses). No.

This is the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Wisdom is inborn. Knowlegde deals with dead "external facts."

If in fact God exists, then this cancels out everything which has been said so far.

What does the acknowledgment of something through one's understanding have to do with faith?

 

[Royce]

Saint; I think your righ, all though we don't have to manipulate faith to make us stronger. Faith does that all by itself. Having faith makes us stronger better and wiser people. Keep working at it you get there. When faith become conviction and conviction becomes a way of life then we have truly grown to mature beings. Megashawn needs to read his difinition a little closer him/herself.

 

[Alexander]

As saying goes, where there is a will, there is a way.

 

[BoulderHead]

Originally posted by Royce
...When faith become conviction...

Faith, n. Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel.
-- Ambrose Bierce

...and conviction becomes a way of life then we have truly grown to mature beings.

“Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.” - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche