Whats the difference between Faith, and Proof?
By barehugs
@barehugs (8973)
Canada
March 16, 2009 2:20pm CST
When you sign up for a savings account, The bank will ask for proof of your identity. A picture identification card, or a passport, or in some cases a person of authority to vouch for you. When crossing an International border, you will need a Passport to Prove your identity. No Border Guard will have any Faith, that you are whom you claim to be. He needs, expects, and requires Proof. All things Important on earth depend on Proof.
Religion does not require Proof. Religion requires faith. Faith is all that's needed to be a member of a religious Organization. You need faith that Jesus is the Son of God. Faith that every word in the Bible is true, and even faith that the bible is the word of God. In this case Proof is not necessary. No religion ever needs, or asks for, any Proof what-so-ever. My dictionary defines Proof, "Evidence that something is true or exists." And Faith, "complete trust" or," a system of religious belief." I personally would have a lot more Faith if I had a little more Proof! Whats your take on the difference between Faith, and Proof, and would you like a little more Proof in your Religious Faith?
2 people like this
13 responses
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
22 Mar 09
Yeah...to me, that's it. That's what Faith is...it's something you know but something that you feel all around you and deep within as well. I don't have that. If you have that, it must fill your life. I have spirituality and things like my animals and the sky and the moon and a solitary tree are what feed my spirituality and fill my life.
@micheleg34 (141)
• United States
16 Mar 09
I think anyone with "faith" can find their own "proof". I have had Christians give me "proof" that their religion is right, such as miracles that God brought to their own lives. I have had other religions as well give me "proof" that I was wrong and they were right. Even though I try to be completely open minded about religion, I have my own "proof" that my beliefs are right, at least for me. I do wish that we could all put even half as much faith in our fellow human beings as we do in our gods.
2 people like this
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
17 Mar 09
Yes, if you have Faith it may seem Ok to call it Proof.I can understand a Christian giving his proof that his religion is right for him. I have no problem if his faith is his proof, but thats for him, not for me. I am looking for concrete proof, something that gets hot when you boil it, or cold if you froze it. With this concrete kind of Proof I would have reason to entertain Faith.
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
18 Mar 09
That's interesting. I don't trust the bible and I have for some time realised that I don't have "Faith". Where does one get Faith, how does one get it? Why do some people have it and others not?
Of those that have it, what does it mean other than you believe in God and in the case of Christians, in the bible. Other than that, I see people just go about their lives without any other thought for their beliefs. Yes, some people try to follow the teachings of their beliefs but many just take it all for granted and do whatever they please and justify their lives saying they have Faith.
I guess some sort of proof would help me to see things more clearly in that case. If you were to ask me what sort of proof would help me, I wouldn't have a clue what to answer you. I don't even know if I'm making any sense...
1 person likes this
@fasttalker (2796)
• United States
16 Mar 09
What one believes, one cannot know. What one knows, one cannot believe. To believe something means that its perceived veracity depends upon the subjective loyalty of the believer, based upon reason, personal, experience, or some other compelling catalyst to such faith; to know something depends upon its being provable as fact.
In truth, then, the worst thing that could happen to the faithful person would be the discovery of a means to prove that there is indeed a God, for this would preclude the possiblity of faith, altogether! Rightly, the answer to the question, "Is there a God?" is not yes or now; it is rather, "I believe that there is a God" or "I do not believe that there is a God." Given the lack of proof, in scientific terms, either way, those who do not believe in God may actually be faithful equally to those who do believe in God, only their faith is in the lack of a God.
If faith depends upon the measure of doubt left available to us when knowledge eludes us, then faith in God seems to me to be the far superior option to faith in no God.
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
17 Mar 09
A proven fact precludes faith? Is that what you are saying? What I'm saying is science is the new Faith in our world today, and we are used to seeing the Proof of it in Medical, Technical, Mechanical, and Educational data. Without this litmus test, Religion is an out-dated and antiquated belief.
@Chiang_Mai_boy (3882)
• Thailand
17 Mar 09
fasttalker I believe in the results displayed by my plagiarism checker and it says that you plagiarized this from http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/belief-vs-knowledge-faith-vs-proof
I believe that one of the Ten Commandments mentioned something about stealing. Plagiarism is theft.
1 person likes this
@Theresaaiza (10487)
• Australia
18 Mar 09
I don't need proof to have faith. Finding proofs would only seem like I didn't have faith at all.
But what's the difference between faith and blind faith?
1 person likes this
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
18 Mar 09
If you have faith without anything to base it on, its Blind Faith. When I looked into my dogs eyes and saw his soul, I believed, then I had Faith that my dog had a soul. If I had not looked into my dogs eyes, but still believed that he had a soul, that would have been Blind Faith. Blind faith is based no nothing substantial, without facts on which to base it.
@lynne3171 (80)
• China
21 Mar 09
"Faith"is trust in sb's ability or knowledage and strong riligious bilief.
"proof"is the process of testing wheeher sth is true or a fact.
I believe in the superme worth of the individual and his right to life .
liberty and pursuit of happiness..
My belief is going beyond what the evidence warrants.
1 person likes this
@sudiptacallingu (10879)
• India
17 Mar 09
Well I cant explain logically but its my understanding that faith is associated with things which have no material value and proof is required for things which have material value i.e. on which we can calculate profit or loss. We have faith in the love of our near ones…that love cannot be calculated, but if I want to open a joint savings account with my beloved husband, the bank will ask for a proof of our relationship.
And no, I would not like any proof in my relation with God.
1 person likes this
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
17 Mar 09
Spiritual proof is all around. That God Is, is not a problem.
Where I insist on Proof is in Religion. I need physical proof that Jesus actually lived in Palestine 2000 years ago, was born in Bethlehem, or was murdered on a cross. I am expected to accept this on faith. Sorry, but this I can not and will not do, until and unless, some Archaeologist gets lucky and digs up a chard of broken Pottery with an inscription or picture that places Jesus there 2000 years ago. That is all the proof I need. Is that too much to ask?
@kalav56 (11464)
• India
17 Mar 09
Ask for proof and religion will go for a toss!
You cannot prove abstract concepts .By the very nature of the word' abstract' this is felt than seen.So, whether a person has faith or not is an individual choice.
As I am writing this response I have no proof that you will not mark my discussion negative.But, since you seem to ask for opinions I write with the faith that you are going to take it in the right spirit. When it is so with ordinary mortals, I would definitely not look for any proof in my religious faith, because we are talking of an Omnipotent Force that guides us all and this can only be felt , not proved visually .
When it is so with ordinary mortals, I would definitely not look for any proof in my religious faith, because we are talking of an Omnipotent Force that guides us all and this can only be felt , not proved visually . 1 person likes this
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
17 Mar 09
Your response is most succinct, will be taken "in the right Spirit." There are degrees of Proof, and of Faith. I'm not a believer in Blind Faith. Anyone who has looked into the eyes of his dog, and seen his dog's soul, knows (without doubt) his dog would happily give his life for his master. This knowledge is proof that a dog is not just another dumb animal. In this case the Omnipotent Force is visible though the eyes of a dog, and can be seen as Proof. Ask any dog owner!
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
17 Mar 09
Hi barehugs, Very well said my friend. This has always been true for all religion and is why leaders of religion hold so much power. It may not be quite as bad now as it was in the middle ages but indoctrination often based more on fear than on faith,still has great power. I have no problems with someone who follows the golden rule, no matter what religion he /she follows. That is religion enough for anyone and requires no proof, we all can see that it works. Blessings.
1 person likes this
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
17 Mar 09
The Golden Rule is Provable. We can see the Proof by simple observation. It takes very little Faith once you have seen the Proof. There are very few who would argue this point. Anyone with the Faith of a Mustard Seed can see the Proof of the Golden Rule by simply practicing it.
@tinkerick (1257)
• United States
16 Mar 09
Faith is the believing in something (entity or event) without ever having physical proof of it. Those of little faith require the physical proof.
On the other end of the spectrum, those whose livelihood depends on physcial proof (scientists) can still display great Faith. (There are new theories that combine Evolution and Religion these days)
Most religions require faith as there is very little to zero actual physical evidence of their entities.
In real world events such as Border Patrol - for our own security we cannot have our guards rely on Faith since there are way too many people traveling under falsified pretenses. They would jump on the chance to take advantage of a guard who was judging based on faith and not physical proof.
Faith is supposed to be strong without having proof. But I do believe a little proof goes a long way in supporting a Faith. Hence, why when a relic or miracle object suddenly appears there are also suddenly hundreds of "new" or "renewed" believers.
1 person likes this
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
17 Mar 09
Of course religion needs Faith in lieu of Proof. There is nothing wrong with faith if supported by a little proof. It would be much easier to teach the truth of the Bible of there were some supporting Proof. Archeologists report their use of the Bible to name ancient excavated villages. There are no other sources to draw from. This is Ok as far as it goes, but it does little to prove the Bible as the origin of "God's Holy Word."
@savypat (20216)
• United States
16 Mar 09
Maybe faith is something you know, but you don't know how you know. Like energy
for a long time man felt energy fields but had no proof. Now they discover more and more proof of these fields. Electric power is one, radio waves another. I have a story that show just how this works. My hubby's Grandfather lived in rural Texas and did not believe in airplanes flying. He had only seen them on the ground then one day he came upon a plane that had crashed, he was there soon enough t watch the dust settle and in fact used his rope to get the pilot out of the plane. He knew the plane could only come from the air so he had to have faith in that but he also
needed to see the crashed plane to make him believe.
1 person likes this
@Archie0 (5636)
•
17 Mar 09
I think when someone has faith on someone they dont need any kind of proof to prove them right. But where proofs are needed, there are 0% of faith in the relationship. Proof makes a relationship weak and creates misunderstandings
where as faith makes the relation so strong that the person gets invovled in the other so much that he wont believe anyone else who tries creating misunderstandings.For me faith is absolutely necessary and no proofs, i wont require a person who needs proofs to prove that i care or love them.. :)
happy mylotting
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
17 Mar 09
You refer to a whole different Ball Game! I'm speaking of Theology, where you speak of Human Relations. Relationships revolve around emotions of 2 people trying to live together in Harmony, whereas Religion is a structured set of rules, portrayed (and changed as the church sees fit) to keep your life on the Straight and Narrow, all the while attending Church, (and tithing) on a regular basis.
@hustonphotography (569)
• United States
17 Mar 09
Faith is what we believe and proof is what we see. Faith has a lot to do with religion or even believing in someone. Proof has to do with actual facts and something you can physically verify. I think both are important in our society and in our lives. I think these assets are also valuable in our relationships. We have faith in many things. So much is proven right and wrong on a daily basis. I think it is just all a part of life.
