Religion and the concept of Faith

[aequitas]

I'm a Sociology major and I recently had a class that discussed the Sociology of Religion. I had an interesting thought earlier today about this topic and I thought I'd expand on it a bit. It might be a little touchy for some people, but most of the people on here seem intelligent enough to actually stop and think about what's being said and not merely tune it out and go on a religious rampage about how their beliefs are absolute. With that being said, I encourage everyone to read this and leave your thoughts/beliefs/ideas. I really want to hear people's perspectives and thoughts on this, just try to keep it intelligent and respectful. Discussion and disagreement is fine, but I don't want a mindless war starting.

One of the basic principles of almost any religion is the concept of faith. You are supposed to have faith in your God (or gods) and believe in them, even though you can not see them, touch them, or speak directly with them to reaffirm your belief in them. People will always say that miracles happen and that this is proof of the existence of God/gods. There is a problem with this, however. Every religion will tell you that their beliefs are true. Several religions go as far as to say that they are the only way to achieve true happiness, be it in the form of heaven, nirvana, etc. The existence of countless religions should make one wonder, "How do I know which religion to place my faith in?" It's not just a question of whether you have faith, but where you choose to place it.

I'll use this as an example: choosing which religion to have faith in is a lot like waking up in the middle of a room. In this room, there are roughly twenty different hallways extending out away from the room. My guess would be that, after the initial shock, you would rationalize that there has to be an exit somewhere and you believe, through faith, that this exit exists. The problem, however, is that you have no idea which hallway leads to this exit. Is there only one hallway that will lead to the exit, or are there several? What will happen if you go down the wrong hallway? Does an exit actually exist?

The same can be said of religion. You are supposed to make a choice, based on faith alone, as to what your religious beliefs will be. How do you know where to place this faith? Is the act of having faith in some higher power enough, even if you are unsure of the specifics? Like the hallway example, are there multiple paths to the exit, or have you simply imagined this exit because it gives you a sense of purpose and hope?

I think that should be enough to get people thinking. So, this would be the part where you tell me what you think. Remember, keep it civil and try to provide something meaningful rather than posting for the sole purpose of criticizing someone else's thoughts and beliefs.

[Xtreme]

It's somewhat less complex than it may seem at first, I think.

[marinaroz]

[Xtreme]

[aequitas]

[Xtreme]

[Duck]

The thing with this argument is that it doesn't really lead anywhere. Marinaoz pointed out that most people are born, and their family is of one religion (or atheist), and the vast majority of people in their area are of the same religion, and thusly it's the normal thing to do and they grow up without it being especially challenged.

Alternatively, somebody might have their faith challenged, and then, yes, they do realize that having to choose a faith is basically a pretty crappy situation. I would say, however, that once somebody is insecure enough in their faith to realize and pay attention to this reality, that they're unlikely to make the leap required to latch on to a new faith. A leap with this sort of knowledge is, after all, a lot harder to commit to than the 'leap' that is basically just conforming to a norm.
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[aequitas]

I agree, Duck, that most religious arguments won't lead anywhere. The majority of people are so fixed in their religious beliefs that it would take a tremendous amount of evidence to the contrary to change the way they feel. This wasn't intended to be an argument, merely a discussion. Everyone thinks differently and it always surprises me how many different views you can get on a subject by having several people speak up.

While people who are born into a particular society are often more likely to accept the faith of those around them as accurate, it shouldn't be made to sound like it is completely uncommon for them to discover a new religion on their own. I know quite a few people that have decided to change religions and go with something that makes more sense to them than the one they were born into. And I know several people who have grown up Christian only to decide for themselves that they do not believe that God exists. While Atheists may not believe in God or gods, they still have faith. They simply choose to place their faith in the idea that there is no higher power.