We explain what faith is, in what areas it exists, its importance and characteristics. Also, what are the Christian faith and the Buddhist faith.
What is the faith?
When we speak of faith, we usually refer to a form of belief or trust in a person, thing, deity, doctrine or explanation, which is supported without any need for evidence in its favor. That is, we have faith in what we choose to believe above the possibility (or impossibility) of verifying its existence.
The word faith comes from Latin fides, that is, "loyalty"Or" confidence ", and it was the name that received in Roman mythology the goddess of confidence, daughter of Saturn and Virtus. In the temple of the goddess the state treaties of the Roman Senate were kept with nations foreigners, so that the goddess would watch over their mutual I respect and compliance.
Therefore, the main meaning of the term in our days is linked to religious belief, although this is not so much a heritage from Roman mythology, as from Christian doctrine, which for centuries established faith in God, that is, belief blind in God, without question and without doubt, as the highest value of a good Christian.
This is a trait shared by all monotheisms: exclusive loyalty to his God, the only one, the true one. That is why wars religious have been so common during the history.
The concept of faith, however, applies to worldly matters as well, as a rough synonym for trust. We can have faith in someone, when we blindly trust him, or his abilities to solve a problem. trouble or conquer the success on a specific matter.
For example, we can have faith in our doctor or in the medicines that he prescribes, or even in the explanations that the science provides us with respect to the reality. However, in this case, the scientific thought does not ask us at any time to grant him our faith, but gives us empirical and corroborable demonstrations of his hypothesis. That is, it offers us explanations and evidence, instead of asking us to simply believe it.
At the same time, the word faith is used to refer to the set of beliefs that make up the doctrine of a religion (the Catholic faith, the Muslim faith, etc.), and to certain documents that serve as support, that is, that support - paradoxically - our faith in what they contain (baptism certificate, life certificate, single status, etc. ).
In some countries, there is even talk of “attest to something”To say that one believes in it, or that he has evidence of it or that he is convinced of it, thus serving as a witness, guarantor or guarantor.
Characteristics of faith
In general, the concept of faith is characterized by:
- It implies the belief or blind trust, without doubts, without requiring tests, demonstrations or verifications.
- It is a concept far from the skepticism and, at times, also far from reason, when what one has faith in is not questioned, but clings to it for subjective reasons.
- There is no single model of faith, nor is faith incompatible with other value systems, such as the scientific one. For example, it is not a requirement to lack religious faith to be able to do science, but it is a requirement not to resort to faith instead of using the scientific method. In the contemporary world, religious faith is an intimate, personal matter.
- Sometimes it can be synonymous with "hope", as in the case of believers who, in a situation of need or danger, cling to the conviction that God will provide them with salvation.
Importance of faith
Faith can become important in different aspects of everyday life. For the parishioners of any religion, it is part of the fundamental beliefs that organize their experience of reality, especially in aspects moral and existential. That is why losing faith can lead to a period of suffering and deep questioning of the meaning of life.
At the same time, faith in a cosmic order and a guardian entity can give people greater confidence in doing things and a sense of self-confidence. welfare and protection.
On the other hand, faith can be an important component in certain medical treatments, insofar as the general mood and predisposition of the patient have proven psychosomatic effects on the functioning of the organism.
For example, emotionally depressed people have less active defenses and respond more poorly to treatments than people of stable mood. In that sense, faith (religious or not) can help treatment.
Christian faith
According to Christian doctrine, faith is a theological virtue, that is, one of the habits that God himself instills in the mind of the human being to lead you on the right track. That is, the Christian faith is not passive, but rather organizes life morally and ethically, in accordance with the ideals and teachings of its prophet, Jesus of Nazareth (c. 4 BC - AD 33).
Christian doctrine inherits the Old Testament concept of faith, which is that of the Abrahamic tradition of the ancient Jewish prophets. In that sense, it consists of the belief that God promised humanity a savior, a messiah who would come to lead them back to paradise lost, separating the just from the unjust, the faithful from the unfaithful.
However, the Christian New Testament proposes that Jesus Christ renewed the covenant between God and the humanity, sacrificing himself for it, but that in the future he will have to return, to undertake the judgment of souls and grant punishment (hell) or redemption (paradise).
The Christian faith, in principle, is understood as a voluntary act and that cannot be imposed on anyone, since it is in the internal forum of each person where it occurs. This is how Saint Augustine (354-430) states it: “credere non potest nisi volens”(“ You can't believe if you don't want to ”).
That is why Jesus Christ, according to tradition, never forced anyone to follow him, something that the Catholic Church did for centuries of Inquisition and holy wars against other equally intolerant monotheisms, such as the Islam.
Buddhist faith
Unlike Christianity and its sister monotheisms, the Buddhist tradition does not demand blind and absolute faith from its followers, possibly because Gautama Buddha is not perceived as a deity, nor as a prophet, but as the discoverer of a method for personal enlightenment. (bodhi).
In this way, Buddhism demands faith in the method, that is, in the spiritual teachings (dharma) and in the community of followers (sangha) of Buddha, who plays a role as teacher, as a guide towards awakening consciousness.
Thus, the particular faith of Buddhism does not propose blind adherence to a code, but rather invites its followers to experience and investigate the teachings in a personal way, based on what they have learned and accepted. Texts like the Kalama sutrain fact, they promote in their followers an attitude, rather, anti-authoritarian.