In this article we will try to understand with you what faith is. We will consider the concept not only from the point of view of religion and theology, but also as a result of research by scientists.
Faith is one of the foundations of self-identification and the existence of a person in society, therefore a more accurate understanding of this phenomenon is simply necessary for everyone. Read on and you will find out what supporters of different religions think about the need for faith, and also sociologists, psychologists and other researchers.
Etymology and classical meaning of the term
Before we talk about the definition of this phenomenon, let's dwell on the etymology of the word "faith". Scientists see the meaning in a consonant adjective from Latin. In this ancient language, "verus" meant "truthful, true." There are words with similar sound and meaning in both Old Irish and Old High German.
Now let's talk about what isfaith for the average person who does not go into the intricacies of psychology, philosophy or different religions.
So, it is generally accepted that faith is the recognition of a truth that cannot be verified by logic, fact, experience or any other way. In mathematics, a similar concept is called an axiom.
Thus, it turns out that faith is a kind of unproven fact, which is justified solely by subjective belief, does not require confirmation, but sometimes it can try to find them.
This is where the concept of “trust” comes from. This state is the basis of all social relations. Including loy alty, it depends on certain rules that, when broken, move the relationship into another category - betrayal.
But before the conditions are met, this concept means the unconditional ability of the subject to transfer certain rights, information, things or people to the object of trust.
Bertrand Russell writes that once there is any evidence, faith is out of the question. Then we are already talking about knowledge.
Object and subject of faith
After we have briefly defined the basic concept of what faith is, it is worth starting to deepen it. Now we will try to separate the object and the subject.
The first one is usually not felt at all. None of the five senses is capable of realizing the presence of the object of faith. Otherwise, this would already be empirical evidence of physical existence.
Thus, the object for society isexclusively in a state of possibility. Although for an individual or a group of people it seems to exist in reality. Due to various processes in the body, it can be felt psychologically, emotionally, figuratively.
The subject is the whole of humanity as a whole and each individual in particular. Viewed from this perspective, faith means the attitude of a person or society towards an object.
For example, ancient people believed that thunder is a roar from the chariots of the gods, who are angry with them and send lightning down. This was the attitude of primitive society to such a natural phenomenon, which caused panic and horror. Today, due to scientific discoveries, even a schoolboy knows that these are just processes in the planet's atmosphere. They are not animated in any way, but simply mechanical.
Accordingly, faith has also changed. We do not make sacrifices to the "terrible Thunderers" in order to save our lives, unlike the ancient people who sincerely believed in the expediency of such behavior.
Religious understanding
Spiritual faith is often replaced by synonyms such as religion, creed and religious doctrine. You can hear both the terms "Christianity", "Christian religion", and "Christian faith". Often, in colloquial communication, this is one and the same thing.
By the word "believer" in a religious context, we mean a supporter of a certain picture of the world who supports the views of one of the existing religions.
If you ask about what faith is, Christians, Muslims or other representatives of monotheisticworldviews, we will hear that this is the most important virtue of man. In the absence of this quality, many events are simply impossible both during life and after the death of a believer.
For example, in the Abrahamic religions, all unbelievers and doubters are waiting for eternal torment in hell or fiery hell.
The ancient sages, whose reflections are fragmentarily given in various scriptures, give amazing examples of this from everyday life.
If we take a farmer as an example. He may be a Christian, a pagan, or even an atheist, but faith is the basis of his activity. No one will put hard work into cultivating the field, sowing seeds, not believing in the future abundant harvest.
Sociology
The basis of modern Western society is the Christian faith. It is its principles that govern the relationship between people on almost all continents.
But sociologists call for separating religion from faith. They say that the former is more designed to suppress the human essence in the individual. In terms of the fact that in fact the believer is only interested in himself, his needs and benefits. The true desires of a person are hardly inherent in the desire for altruistic help to the Church or the priest.
The natural thoughts of people are based solely on selfishness, which is introduced into the framework of social norms of behavior. Therefore, faith should be taken only from this point of view.
Thus, sociologists are not interested in the phenomenon of faith itself, but in the result to which it leads in society. Studying various religions, scientists conclude that people strive to create optimal conditions for individual happiness through participation in groups, sects, ashrams and other associations.
Psychology
Psychologists first of all declare that any faith is subjective. Therefore, there can be no talk of any single phenomenon that is exactly identical for all participants. Everyone perceives and feels to the extent of their abilities, attitudes, previous traumas and doubts.
From the point of view of psychology, the Christian faith is based on the absence of contradictions. There are no clarifying questions, and the opinions of ordinary parishioners are of no interest to anyone. The pastor must care for and lead his flock to salvation.
Thus psychology treats faith as its opposite. It cannot be understood, measured or calculated. This is something comparable to the notorious "human factor", which leads to unexpected consequences.
Theology
This discipline puts faith in the basis of knowledge of the world. “I believe, therefore I am.”
The problems of these issues in theology are divided into broad and narrow understanding.
In the first case, the study includes the whole of science, as it explores not only the content of the concept, but also its implementation in our world. That is, here special attention is paid to faith as a life practice and a person’s personal relationship with God.
In a narrow sense, faith is the relationship and knowledge of the Almighty by people, which was initiated by the Lord. That is, the Orthodox faith speaks ofcomprehension of God only with the help of the means that he himself gave. This includes primarily revelations.
The Almighty is perceived as unknowable. Therefore, we can only learn what he conveys to us, based on human abilities of understanding.
Atheists
In the framework of this article, it is worth touching on such a thing as atheism. If we turn to the translation of the term, then it means "godlessness".
In fact, atheism is a belief in man, science and progress. But the very concept of "faith" is inadmissible here. Scientific atheism claims that the basis of the attitude of its followers is the acceptance of reasonable and proven facts, and not belief in myths.
Thus, such a perception of the world simply tries to describe the visible material world, without touching the question of God and faith at all.
Materialists
In Soviet times, materialism was known as the Russian faith. It was precisely this worldview with an appeal to science and atheism that they tried to replace the previous social foundations.
However, today the supporters of this philosophy speak of it as a faith. Today, materialism is the unconditional belief that matter was primary and spirit secondary.
Thus, faith in man and his ability to manage the world, and with proper development and the universe, forms the basis of this worldview.
Faith in ancient societies
Let's now talk about what happened before the first systematized faiths of the world appeared.
In primitive society, people first endowed everythingobjects, living beings, landscape objects and natural phenomena of the soul. This worldview is today called animism.
Further comes fetishism (belief in the supernatural power of certain objects), magic and shamanism (belief in a person's ability to control nature).
But between these views, atheism and the subsequent return to spirituality, there is a long path that humanity has traveled within the framework of various religions.
Christianity
Talk about the attitude to faith in individual religions should start with Christianity as the most widespread belief on the planet. This worldview has over two and a half billion followers.
All life aspirations of a true Christian are aimed at salvation. Theologians say that the basis of faith lies not only in striving for the Lord, but also from events in real life. If we look at the history of mankind, we will see that the picture does not change during all the millennia. As Fromm rightly noted, history is written in blood.
It is on this fact that the Orthodox faith is based. This is where original sin comes into play. Priests say that the state in which we live is the result of disparate desires of the body, mind and soul. Therefore, during your stay in this world, you need to atone, correct this failure, so that after death you can feel bliss in paradise.
Russian faith has always striven for holiness. It is on this territory that miracles take place in the cells and various God's people travel with the ability to heal,preach and other gifts.
Islam
Muslims approach matters of faith more strictly. Here "iman" (faith) means the complete and unconditional acceptance of everything that the prophet Muhammad conveyed to people. Any doubt in at least one of the six "pillars" of Islam turns a Muslim into a kafir. In this case, he will have to sincerely repent and read the shahada, provided that he understands every word said.
The basis of Islam lies in six basic provisions: faith in Allah, angels, books, messengers, the Day of Judgment and the predestination of fate. A devout Muslim must know all these "pillars", pray five times a day and not commit even the slightest offense.
Thus, faith in the future is actually swept aside. The fatalism of a Muslim, on the one hand, lies in the fact that nothing depends on a person, everything is already written in the Great Book, and no one is able to change their fate. On the other hand, it includes a sincere belief that Allah has chosen only the best for his children, so bad events are just lessons.
Judaism
If you compare Judaism with other religions, you get some discrepancy. It does not place faith above knowledge. Here they try to answer any, even the most confusing question, since it is believed that only by asking you can find out the truth.
Some sources refer to the interpretation of Havakkuk's quote. He said that the true righteous will only live by his faith. But in translation from Hebrew, the word "emuna" means exactly "trust".
Therefore, further discussion and comparison of these two concepts. Faith is an unconfirmed feeling of the truth of some object or event. Trust, on the other hand, is based on the knowledge of certain rules that the two parties adhere to.
Therefore, the Jews believe that the Almighty sends them only the right, kind and good. And the basis of human life lies precisely in complete trust in the Lord, which, in turn, is the cornerstone of all commandments.
From here grows faith in the future, as a constant process of development and improvement of the human soul.
Buddhism
Buddhism is considered by many to be one of the most popular religions in the world. But in fact it is a philosophical belief. If we turn to the history of the emergence of this phenomenon, as well as to its philosophy, we will see huge differences, for example, from the Abrahamic beliefs.
Buddhists do not recognize original sin. Moreover, they consider karma to be the basic law, which is not a moral code. Therefore, sin is not inherently immoral. This is a simple mistake, the transgression of a person on the path to enlightenment.
Buddha said that the main goal is to achieve enlightenment. For this, there are the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. If all thoughts, speeches and actions are correlated every second with these two postulates, then it will be possible to interrupt the wheel of samsara (rebirth) and achieve nirvana.
Thus, we have figured out what faith is. We talked about the significance of this phenomenon for scientists, as well as for believers of different religions.
