A Question Of Trust

[Riverwolf]

Originally Posted by cardero

What does it take to trust in GOD?

To do what?
[quote=cardero;1195724]What does GOD do that prompts people to incorporate a trust network or system over infallible Truth?

Uh... nothing. YHWH hasn't really done anything in 2000 years, unless I missed something... which should be impossible.

Originally Posted by cardero

If a religion proclaims that it is imperative for everyone to receive an accurate understanding of GOD, why do they request that one must practice and exercise faith?

Now... THAT'S a question.

[cardero]

Originally Posted by Dunemeister

I don't understand. What do you mean by "incorporate a trust network or system"?

Depending on which organization one belongs to, faith seems to be passed like a torch. It is sort of infectious among certain religious circles. Whenever one has a question that one doesn't understand, one is usually perscribed to take faith as an answer.

Dunemeister writes: What's "infallible truth" and how is is distinct from the trust network?

The infallible Truth is the proven Truth that alleviates the need for believing as opposed to the trust network which incorporates the "You'll just have to take my word for it" program of believing.

Dunemeister writes: Why is this a problem? What do you think faith is that makes it incompatible with a religion requiring its adherents to have an accurate understanding of God?

The concern that I have is the source that they seem to be relying on. In some cases it doesn’t seem to compare or to be consistent with the trust that they would currently extend or exercise to a another philosophy or philosopher.

[Rolling_Stone]

Originally Posted by cardero

What does it take to trust in GOD?

What does GOD do that prompts people to incorporate a trust network or system over infallible Truth?

If a religion proclaims that it is imperative for everyone to receive an accurate understanding of GOD, why do they request that one must practice and exercise faith?

If I grant that a reality greater than I is the author of the universe, why should I not trust that it will carry me through life's struggle?
I am not deluded into believing that I can know, or even should know, everything about everything; I am not so vain as to think that only those things that I can know are worth believing.

[Dirty Penguin]

Originally Posted by cardero

What does it take to trust in GOD?

Which one? I hear there are thousands out there

[Rolling_Stone]

Originally Posted by Dirty Penguin

Which one? I hear there are thousands out there

That's because you don't know what truth is.

[Riverwolf]

Originally Posted by Rolling_Stone

That's because you don't know what truth is.

Just as Pilate said: What is truth? Is truth unchanging law? We both have truths; are mine the same as yours?

[Mestemia]

Originally Posted by Rolling_Stone

That's because you don't know what truth is.

*grabs rubber raft...*

[Dunemeister]

Originally Posted by cardero

Depending on which organization one belongs to, faith seems to be passed like a torch. It is sort of infectious among certain religious circles. Whenever one has a question that one doesn't understand, one is usually perscribed to take faith as an answer.

"Faith" has many meanings. First, it can be a dynamic relationship that binds a person with the Creator. Second, it could be the content of belief. I'm going to assume that you mean this latter meaning. If so, your comment's certainly true in the case of Christianity. What this means is that the Christian faith is what it is apart from individual opinion. You are free to have your own faith if you want, but if you want to have CHRISTIAN faith, you're going to have to go along with Christian traditions. If you step outside them, you're no longer being specifically Christian.

The infallible Truth is the proven Truth that alleviates the need for believing as opposed to the trust network which incorporates the "You'll just have to take my word for it" program of believing.

Okay, it seems that you're operating with some philosophical confusions. "Belief", from a philosophical point of view, is an attitude one takes to a proposition. If you believe a proposition, you think of it as true. It's unclear to me that this is a need. It just seems to me how belief works.

Besides, who proves what is true? In the VAST MAJORITY of cases, belief is based on some sort of "trust network." I believe that E=mcc, but that's not because it's been proven because it hasn't (at least to me). And given my inability to do math, I doubt it's possible to prove it to me. Yet I believe it on the strength of universal scientific opinion. We are never "alleviated" of the need to believe. We all have faith in search of understanding.

The concern that I have is the source that they seem to be relying on. In some cases it doesn’t seem to compare or to be consistent with the trust that they would currently extend or exercise to a another philosophy or philosopher.

Okay, again I'm not entirely sure what you're saying. You seem to be that certain religious people rely on religious authorities for their beliefs. Yet "it" is inconsistent with the trust they put in other philosophies. First of all, what is "it"? Is "it" (a) the practice of putting trust in religious authorities? Or is "it" (b) the set of beliefs derived from religious authorities? Or is "it" (c ) the religious authorities themselves?

If (a), how is the practice of putting trust in religious authorities inconsistent with putting trust in other authorities / philosophies?

If (b), how does this make religious people any different from anyone else? Nobody has a perfectly coherent set of beliefs (a set of beliefs we've derived from competing authorities).

If (c ), I'm certain you've misspoken because it's not possible for the existence of religious authorities to be inconsistent with putting trust in other authorities. So if this is what you mean, please clarify.

[d3vaLL]

Originally Posted by Rolling_Stone

I am not so vain as to think that only those things that I can know are worth believing.

How is that vain?

Originally Posted by Rolling_Stone

That's because you don't know what truth is.

Yeah, THAT'S not vain.

Originally Posted by cardero

What does it take to trust in GOD?

Don't know the guy. I went nearly suicidal trying all the methods people told me to perform to get to know him.

Originally Posted by cardero

What does GOD do that prompts people to incorporate a trust network or system over infallible Truth?

I have theories, I don't know personally.

Originally Posted by cardero

If a religion proclaims that it is imperative for everyone to receive an accurate understanding of GOD, why do they request that one must practice and exercise faith?

Beautiful Question. The Paradox in a nutshell.