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More information/knowledge enhances one's belief or faith. Right?

paarsurrey

Veteran Member
More information enhances one's belief or faith. It is a wrong notion that information diminishes or ends the belief or faith. The faith/belief that ends or diminishes with more information or knowledge is a blind-faith/belief; it was not a truthful faith or belief to start with. My faith/belief increase with information and knowledge that is why I am always in search of more information and knowledge and I welcome it.
Right? Please

Thread open to all human beings of any hue or shade, whatsoever.
Regards
 

g2perk

Member
More information enhances one's belief or faith. It is a wrong notion that information diminishes or ends the belief or faith. The faith/belief that ends or diminishes with more information or knowledge is a blind-faith/belief; it was not a truthful faith or belief to start with. My faith/belief increase with information and knowledge that is why I am always in search of more information and knowledge and I welcome it.
Right? Please

Thread open to all human beings of any hue or shade, whatsoever.
Regards
Faith is the substance of things hoped for , the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1
 

George-ananda

Advaita Vedanta, Theosophy, Spiritualism
Premium Member
More information enhances one's belief or faith. It is a wrong notion that information diminishes or ends the belief or faith. The faith/belief that ends or diminishes with more information or knowledge is a blind-faith/belief; it was not a truthful faith or belief to start with. My faith/belief increase with information and knowledge that is why I am always in search of more information and knowledge and I welcome it.
Right? Please

Thread open to all human beings of any hue or shade, whatsoever.
Regards
The challenge then becomes are you truly open to the new information/knowledge and go where it points; or do you have set beliefs you are attached to and then hammer all information to make things fit into your beliefs. Basically the question is; are we truly open-minded or really just defenders of our chosen worldview?
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
Many people just get confused, especially when the new information contradicts existing information, and the person has difficulty thinking for themselves. They end up having no belief that is solid, or changing their mind all the time.
 

Laika

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
More information enhances one's belief or faith. It is a wrong notion that information diminishes or ends the belief or faith. The faith/belief that ends or diminishes with more information or knowledge is a blind-faith/belief; it was not a truthful faith or belief to start with. My faith/belief increase with information and knowledge that is why I am always in search of more information and knowledge and I welcome it.
Right? Please

Thread open to all human beings of any hue or shade, whatsoever.
Regards

belief systems have to have an in-built ability to interpret and re-interpret their beliefs in order to evolve in response to new information and circumstances. There is probably a set of "core" beliefs that are relatively fixed (and can't be dropped without leaving the belief system) but less essential beliefs are more open to interpretation. The ability to communicate that core set of beliefs without necessarily committing someone to precise positions means it can evolve, especially in response to new information. E.g. Belief in God does not automatically mean taboos on homosexuality or prohibition of gambling, drinking alcohol, etc.

The problems start when those core beliefs (dogmas?) conflict with new information as they are less open to interpretation. E.g. Evolution versus a literalist understanding of the biblical account of creation in Genesis.
 

DawudTalut

Peace be upon you.
More information enhances one's belief or faith. It is a wrong notion that information diminishes or ends the belief or faith. The faith/belief that ends or diminishes with more information or knowledge is a blind-faith/belief; it was not a truthful faith or belief to start with. My faith/belief increase with information and knowledge that is why I am always in search of more information and knowledge and I welcome it.
Right? Please

Thread open to all human beings of any hue or shade, whatsoever.
Regards
Peace be on you.
More info enhances one's faith if one's religion is really true, otherwise one will discard at least in heart!
I humbly believe our faith withstands, rather guides knowledge - by the grace of God.
 
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Quintessence

Consults with Trees
Staff member
Premium Member
Though I am quite the devotee of the Spirit of Learning, I cannot say that learning (which includes obtaining information) is necessarily an "enhancing" activity. With knowledge comes its burden as much as its blessing.
 

Guy Threepwood

Mighty Pirate
More information enhances one's belief or faith. It is a wrong notion that information diminishes or ends the belief or faith. The faith/belief that ends or diminishes with more information or knowledge is a blind-faith/belief; it was not a truthful faith or belief to start with. My faith/belief increase with information and knowledge that is why I am always in search of more information and knowledge and I welcome it.
Right? Please

Thread open to all human beings of any hue or shade, whatsoever.
Regards

I'd second that, I grew up instilled with a staunch belief in atheism, but I did not acknowledge that as faith, so it was a blind faith as you say.

The more I learned about the world and cosmos around us, the more life experiences I had, the more this hardened blind belief was diminished, and the more faith I gained.


Also I agree that faith begets more exploration, questioning, scientifically and otherwise. As an atheist I always sought to close the door at the simplest 'God refuting' explanations for everything

But with faith there is no such barrier to look ever further, to always look for the cracks, look beyond conventional scientific consensus to the science itself. This is how Lemaitre, Planck, and most of our greatest scientists were able to move science forwards
 

paarsurrey

Veteran Member
I'd second that, I grew up instilled with a staunch belief in atheism, but I did not acknowledge that as faith, so it was a blind faith as you say.
The more I learned about the world and cosmos around us, the more life experiences I had, the more this hardened blind belief was diminished, and the more faith I gained.
Also I agree that faith begets more exploration, questioning, scientifically and otherwise. As an atheist I always sought to close the door at the simplest 'God refuting' explanations for everything
But with faith there is no such barrier to look ever further, to always look for the cracks, look beyond conventional scientific consensus to the science itself. This is how Lemaitre, Planck, and most of our greatest scientists were able to move science forwards
A great post, really. THE POST OF THE DAY.
Regards
 

Milton Platt

Well-Known Member
More information enhances one's belief or faith. It is a wrong notion that information diminishes or ends the belief or faith. The faith/belief that ends or diminishes with more information or knowledge is a blind-faith/belief; it was not a truthful faith or belief to start with. My faith/belief increase with information and knowledge that is why I am always in search of more information and knowledge and I welcome it.
Right? Please

Thread open to all human beings of any hue or shade, whatsoever.
Regards

Demonstrate your proposition. You are making the positive statement. I have no obligation to assume you are correct unless you can provide substantial evidence to support it. Until then, I am unconvinced.
 

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
Many people just get confused, especially when the new information contradicts existing information, and the person has difficulty thinking for themselves. They end up having no belief that is solid, or changing their mind all the time.

Yes indeedy. Information overload, analysis paralysis.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
Yes indeedy. Information overload, analysis paralysis.
And yet there is something that boldly resists this idea. Not sure exactly what it is, but its part of intellectual grid. Ramana never read books. Not sure about Ramakrishna. My Guru read one copy of the Upanishads, and the rest (what he wrote) was unfolded from within. I think there is this sticky odic thought-form that goes along with book intelligence ... magnetic and binding, but duping you all along. It's like reading about swimming, riding a motorcycle in the wind, climbing a mountain, or going to a Hindu temple. No book can do any of it justice, and yet there is that part of us that just insists illogically that the more books we read, the better off we'll be. Rather odd actually when you look at it from some intuitive level. Personally, I have difficulty reading novels, let alone dry philosophy, difficult 'literature', or scripture from a foreign (to me) faith.
 

McBell

Resident Sourpuss
More information enhances one's belief or faith. It is a wrong notion that information diminishes or ends the belief or faith. The faith/belief that ends or diminishes with more information or knowledge is a blind-faith/belief; it was not a truthful faith or belief to start with. My faith/belief increase with information and knowledge that is why I am always in search of more information and knowledge and I welcome it.
Right? Please

Thread open to all human beings of any hue or shade, whatsoever.
Regards
Never underestimate the powers of ratification.
 

Rick O'Shez

Irishman bouncing off walls
More information enhances one's belief or faith. It is a wrong notion that information diminishes or ends the belief or faith. The faith/belief that ends or diminishes with more information or knowledge is a blind-faith/belief; it was not a truthful faith or belief to start with. My faith/belief increase with information and knowledge that is why I am always in search of more information and knowledge and I welcome it.
Right? Please
Thread open to all human beings of any hue or shade, whatsoever.
Regards

Have you heard of confirmation bias? Please?

People who are strongly attached to beliefs will invariably process new information through those beliefs, so bias is inevitable. We all have beliefs and assumptions, but perhaps it is better to hold them lightly.
 
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Rick O'Shez

Irishman bouncing off walls
Historically, "more information" has always been the enemy of faith. As the actual causes of the 'miraculous' world become known, faith and belief in magic diminish.

It does seem that way. Our ancestors didn't understand how nature worked, and filled in the gaps with supernatural explanations. But the gaps are progressively shrinking, and God must be feeling rather cramped by now.
 

Rick O'Shez

Irishman bouncing off walls
Many people just get confused, especially when the new information contradicts existing information, and the person has difficulty thinking for themselves. They end up having no belief that is solid, or changing their mind all the time.

Uncertainty isn't necessarily a bad thing, and is probably better than premature certainty. Acknowledging how little we really know, resisting the urge to make stuff up.
 
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