2002-10-06 - 9:36 p.m.
<
Faith, it is such a simple word, with such a simple meaning...unrestrained and fervent belief in something. Yet, faith is the most powerful type of idea in all of history, more powerful than any other emotion or human feeling. Faith allows humans the sense of self-actualization, which is, according to Maslow, a sense of direction and meaning to ones life. Without faith, a human cannot be truly complete and functional. A true loss of faith is perhaps one of the most traumatic and psychologically disturbing experiences A human being can have. Truly, it is faith that allows we humans to function under society. I postulate therefore that it is with faith that a human being gives his or her life meaning, and thus, a reason to exist.
Now, it may be misunderstood from my words that my conclusion is that everyone must be party to some form of religion or worship. Let me assure you that I have no such notions. The concept of Faith is not limited to belief in a metaphysical entity, but encompasses temporal ideologies and ideals as well.
For instance, an Atheist, a person who absolutely does not believe in any supernatural entity, has faith there is no such thing. An active Atheist is willing to take measures to prove his belief, decrying religion and presenting any proof, whether empirical or not, to disprove any notion of the existence of a metaphysical entity. This is all to validate his beliefs. If confronted with absolute and undisputable proof that metaphysical being does indeed exist, the weak willed, or irrational Atheist is left with two options. Acceptance or non-acceptance. If he not accept it, he will attempt to find some way to disprove it against all logic and reason. If he accepts it, to him, it would be an acception that his faith in Atheism, is wrong, and that he was wrong to have faith in it. Thus, he will degenerate and lose his will and purpose in life, leaving behind an empty shell of what was once was a functioning human being. On the other hand, if a strong willed, or rational Atheist were confronted with the same absolute proof, he would immediately and without hesitation become a devout believer in that metaphysical being. Because his faith was disproved, he would be forced to fill the void with the new idea of a metaphysical being. The template of the Atheist can be applied to all forms of faith.
It can be argued that because Religion and even Atheism occupy the realm of spiritual beliefs or the "hereafter", temporal beliefs or the "here and now" are a lower form of belief and thus, the same faith that one can invest into a spiritual belief cannot be invested or exchanged for a temporal belief. However, a devout follower of Communism, a political, economic, and social theory, is able to throw away his spiritual belief in God in exchange for a temporal belief that a utopia on Earth can be reached through a process of communalization and socialization. Thus, faith is not restricted to spiritual beliefs but can encompass temporal beliefs as well.
From this, I must ask the question, does it matter what one believes in? As long as he believes does it matter whether it is in God, or an ideology, or even in himself? For that matter, is it moral for one human being to attempt to disprove or cause a total loss of faith in another human being if the result of such actions can be at worst, a catastrophic blow to the psychological and mental health, or at best, a world-shaking event for that person? Can you honestly say it is?
