originally posted in:Secular Sevens
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This is an honest question from an atheist to those who believe in any kind of religion or more general 'spirituality.'
In my debates with religious folks, the word 'faith' comes up rather often. Whenever I bring up my perceived lack of evidence for a particular belief, or logical inconsistency of the argument they use to support a notion, they'll say "People just have to have faith," or something to the effect of "If God showed himself, what would be left to have faith in?"
So my question is this: [b]Why is faith something to be valued?[/b] Why should one [i]want[/i] to believe in something for which they have no supporting evidence or argument? How is the act of accepting the truth of a notion despite having no reason to do so beneficial or desirable in any way?
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The problem is that people settle for believing with faith, rather than acting with faith. David did not believe Goliath to death... Instead he took a stone and lobed it at his head and had faith that it would kill him. He had faith in god sure, but also in his skill with the sling. Being "made in God's image" and how we should "have faith in God" maybe it also means have faith in what you have, and act with confidence rather than let doubt hold you back.