Is Faith Enough?

[jaelpn]

I use to think that faith was enough- that if I had enough faith, I could accomplish anything. Faith is something that I think can lead us into the belief of being able to have a stronghold on life. When the tough gets going, we start to see that cloud of darkness roll in. I have always been known to be a Christian, but the closer I get to thinking I know who I am, or what I am and believe in- things change. One minute I am feeling this complete satisfaction of life as if some light of clarity has suddenly turned on inside of me. The next moment I am wondering how I am able to even survive another day on this earth.

There are nights that I have trouble sleeping; I'm just staring up at the ceiling with my mind going a mile a minute. I'm sure there are many other people who do this as well. I just start thinking about things in life. One thought always crosses my mind: I am going to die. We all know it's coming, there is no escaping the reality of what human life becomes. We exist, we live and we die. It's something no one really wants to talk about, yet we are all swimming in the same ocean of life. I try to wrap my mind around the concept of death but it's hard. I see death often since I work in the medical field. It's not that shocking to be doing the final preparing of a body before the funeral home straps the body to the gurney to be prepared for the last viewing before the body is buried six feet under. Sounds kind of morbid, doesn't it? What happens to our souls after we die? There are so many different religions, so many different beliefs. How do we know that our religion, our belief- is the "right" one?

I grew up going to a Methodist church- so from a young age, I was told I was a Christian because I believed in God and sang all the church hymnals, was baptized and did all the things that a young christian person should do. The older I got, the more I thought about how my faith never really started until I lost my faith. I had gone through the phase of depression and lost what faith I had in life. It was much easier to just stay in that dark depression and not feel anything toward life (like a numbness)- but the deeper I got, the harder it was for me to feel anything toward life. I don't really remember how my faith came back, but I knew that I needed to find some kind of happiness in life.

I'm sure most people know about God and the story of Jesus, Noah's arc, etc. As a kid, I remember reading from the children's bible- seeing all these colorful pictures of the arc, the cross where Jesus had died for our sins, the heavenly angels playing the harps on this big white puffy clouds. The more I think of it as an adult, the more it seems all that stuff was written like a fairy tale. We don't want to think of what is -next- after our death so we want to fill it up with something that seems too good to be true.

I don't believe there are coincidences in life. I believe there is a purpose for everything that happens. We may not know it until after our hindsight of the experience, but I think there is a reason for all the good and bad things of the world. After my father's death at the age of 59, I tried to close my eyes and pray. It was hard...I was angry that my dad had died so young, and maybe I just wasn't in the right state of mind to pray when I was angry. I eventually overcame the anger and was in that accepting stage. A few different times I had dreams of my father- almost like I could touch him. It brought a lot of emotions- knowing that he is only as far away as I let him be. We are stuck in these bodies for a long while- these awful, hard to maintain at times- bodies. My dad had a lot of stuff wrong with his heart and lungs- it just caused him an early death. But death isn't as negative as it sounds- it's kind of like putting a beloved pet down because you don't want to see them suffer anymore. God knows the person is suffering, the person's body isn't responding the way it should so he puts the body to rest and their soul lives on in the dimension of the universe for which we can't see with our humanly eyes. There is not a doubt in my mind that there is something "more" ...there are too many miracles, too many things to think we were all created from some "big bang" ...the simplicities of a blooming flower, the sounds of birds chirping, the way the stars shine brightly in a clear midnight sky. That is where my faith comes in. There is just too many beautiful things in the world to think that we humans could make it all up. The miracle of birth- how we all are so different and yet we all have two eyes, ten toes, ten fingers, etc. How awesome is it to see a child born to this world- and life to begin once again.

I may not be the picture perfect Christian. I know I'm not even a good enough human to deserve this life; to be able to see what life brings forward. I know that I am, however, full of faith. Faith has taught me that no matter how hard life gets, no matter the good from the worse things that happen in life, faith will carry me through. I've heard the saying that someone has faith the size of a mustard seed; althought that's a very small amount of faith- it's something that can carry you through. We all need faith- I hope that wherever the wind may blow, no matter how difficult life comes- faith can reach us all. I have faith there has to be a better tomorrow; why? Because without it, there's no use in living. I'd say faith is enough- enough to give us Hope.

[MN-Nurse, ASN, RN]

I don't believe there are coincidences in life. I believe there is a purpose for everything that happens. We may not know it until after our hindsight of the experience, but I think there is a reason for all the good and bad things of the world.

I've had a few patients, especially young quads and paras, who absolutely HATE hearing this type of nonsense from caregivers.

They described it as insulting and crushing to be struggling through what must be a horrible challenge only to have some smiling goofball with two good arms and legs say, "Everything happens for a reason, you just don't know God's reason for what happened to you yet."

You can almost hear them continue, "God wants me to have a full and healthy nervous system, but he wants you to be in constant pain, paralyzed, impotent and incontinent...isn't that wonderful???"

I know this is harsh, but is is about the *patients*. Not us.

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

you can almost hear them continue, "god wants me to have a full and healthy nervous system, but he wants you to be in constant pain, paralyzed, impotent and incontinent...isn't that wonderful???"

i know this is harsh, but is is about the *patients*. not us.

needless to say, at times it makes you think on the reality of some issues~

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

Depends on what you mean by saying

'I can't just blindly believe things will work out, when I know they wont"

Things often work out differently that you would expect but does that mean that it didn't work out? or does it mean they did

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Good answer, madwife! :)

It's disappointing that so many people, both here and in the world at large, still seem to be incapable of discussing their beliefs WITHOUT slamming somebody else's and/or being slammed in return. Some are, as evidenced by the presence of several well-thought-out posts in this thread; unfortunately, these are almost always overshadowed by the kind of synaptic misfirings which, in other times and in other parts of the planet, have given birth to wars.

Just saying...

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

good answer, madwife! :)

it's disappointing that so many people, both here and in the world at large, still seem to be incapable of discussing their beliefs without slamming somebody else's and/or being slammed in return. some are, as evidenced by the presence of several well-thought-out posts in this thread; unfortunately, these are almost always overshadowed by the kind of synaptic misfirings which, in other times and in other parts of the planet, have given birth to wars.

just saying...

i'll 2nd that emotion as well....aloha~

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Good answer, madwife! :)

It's disappointing that so many people, both here and in the world at large, still seem to be incapable of discussing their beliefs WITHOUT slamming somebody else's and/or being slammed in return. Some are, as evidenced by the presence of several well-thought-out posts in this thread; unfortunately, these are almost always overshadowed by the kind of synaptic misfirings which, in other times and in other parts of the planet, have given birth to wars.

Just saying...

I couldn't agree more. If it doesn't hurt anyone and it makes them feel better I see no reason not to allow each their belief. I happen to believe in faith. That there is "something" out there....I call him God.

Is it real to someone else? I don't know........ but it makes me feel better.

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

is faith enough?... to put into perspective i shall say is a strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. however, faith is believing the real world behind the material world around us which can define faith in many forms...just saying

[Phil-on-a-bike]

"Is faith enough?"

Far from it, in my view.

Religious faith is the conviction that 2+2=5.

The more sincere, committed and ardent that conviction, the more we're supposed to admire it.

The concept of faith carries within it a pernicious and harmful idea:

2+2=5 is a Perfect Truth. Therefore, if you look around you, and see that 2+2 does NOT =5... the fault must lie with you.

"If you opened your heart, 2+2 WOULD =5."

If you prayed harder, if you tithed more money, if you turned to OUR denomination, if you read OUR book, if you accepted (insert prophet of choice here).

I don't buy it, and what's more, neither do the vast majority of purported believers.

When illness or injury strike, the faithful may well pray... but they also seek medical treatment.

The central flaw in this article, for me, lies in the phrase; "How do we know our religion, our belief - is the "right" one?"

That phrase shows that the questioner is locked-in to a very specific mindset - the conviction that there IS a "right one" - that there is a single, all-explanatory 'Answer to Life's Great Questions', and that it does without doubt lie within the field of religion.

This is like an alcoholic lying awake wondering why vodka hasn't offered a solution to life's problems, asking himself if maybe whisky is the answer.

This way of thinking has always struck me thus:

There are a gaggle of people clustered around a sack of coal.

Each - for whatever reason - is convinced that somewhere in this sack is a diamond.

Each, in turn, reaches into the sack. First guy is extatic - he's found the diamond - Catholicism!

Everybody else just looks at him. Is he crazy? That's not a diamond - it's just a lump of coal. Next guy reaches in - Islam! Now THIS is the diamond, he proclaims.

And so it goes on.

Theyre all holding coal.

They can all plainly see that the others are holding coal. They can clearly see the others are deluded in the conviction that they possess a diamond.

They cannot see that they themselves are holding coal, and will not entertain the notion that it may be so.

The very same arguments which to their minds, prove beyond doubt that the others hold coal, seem easily explained away when levelled at their own precious diamond.

Why? Faith. Each has faith that they're not just clutching coal.

There can be no progress from that impasse unless someone is willing to consider the possibility that there may be no diamond in that sack.

So is faith of any use?

Of course it is. It can be used to justify, in the minds of the devout, actions which could not possibly be justified by rational thought alone.

This comes in particularly useful when flying airliners into skyscrapers.

Be happy!

[Natasha A., CNA, LVN]

Spiritual needs can sometime be overlooked and although physical needs are important, compassion also repair (re-repair) neurons and create new synaptic connections.

[GrumpyRN, NP]

Spiritual needs can sometime be overlooked and although physical needs are important, compassion also repair (re-repair) neurons and create new synaptic connections.

What???

[ChryssyD]

"Is faith enough?"

Far from it, in my view.

Religious faith is the conviction that 2+2=5.

The more sincere, committed and ardent that conviction, the more we're supposed to admire it.

The concept of faith carries within it a pernicious and harmful idea:

2+2=5 is a Perfect Truth. Therefore, if you look around you, and see that 2+2 does NOT =5... the fault must lie with you.

"If you opened your heart, 2+2 WOULD =5."

If you prayed harder, if you tithed more money, if you turned to OUR denomination, if you read OUR book, if you accepted (insert prophet of choice here).

I don't buy it, and what's more, neither do the vast majority of purported believers.

When illness or injury strike, the faithful may well pray... but they also seek medical treatment.

The central flaw in this article, for me, lies in the phrase; "How do we know our religion, our belief - is the "right" one?"

That phrase shows that the questioner is locked-in to a very specific mindset - the conviction that there IS a "right one" - that there is a single, all-explanatory 'Answer to Life's Great Questions', and that it does without doubt lie within the field of religion.

This is like an alcoholic lying awake wondering why vodka hasn't offered a solution to life's problems, asking himself if maybe whisky is the answer.

This way of thinking has always struck me thus:

There are a gaggle of people clustered around a sack of coal.

Each - for whatever reason - is convinced that somewhere in this sack is a diamond.

Each, in turn, reaches into the sack. First guy is extatic - he's found the diamond - Catholicism!

Everybody else just looks at him. Is he crazy? That's not a diamond - it's just a lump of coal. Next guy reaches in - Islam! Now THIS is the diamond, he proclaims.

And so it goes on.

Theyre all holding coal.

They can all plainly see that the others are holding coal. They can clearly see the others are deluded in the conviction that they possess a diamond.

They cannot see that they themselves are holding coal, and will not entertain the notion that it may be so.

The very same arguments which to their minds, prove beyond doubt that the others hold coal, seem easily explained away when levelled at their own precious diamond.

Why? Faith. Each has faith that they're not just clutching coal.

There can be no progress from that impasse unless someone is willing to consider the possibility that there may be no diamond in that sack.

So is faith of any use?

Of course it is. It can be used to justify, in the minds of the devout, actions which could not possibly be justified by rational thought alone.

This comes in particularly useful when flying airliners into skyscrapers.

Be happy!

Kudos, Phil--don't worry, be happy!

For me, THAT is the essence of faith. It's not about "sky-gods," or flawed mathematical sums.

I had the "When injury or illness strike, the faithful may well pray...but they also seek medical treatment" idea explained to me thus: There was a great storm, followed by a terrible flood. One man climbed up on his roof to escape the waters. After a day, a man in a rowboat came by; "Come down, and get into my boat! The waters are still rising!" "No," said the man on the roof. "God will save me." The waters continued to rise. On the second day, a woman in a motorboat roared up to the house: "Quick, climb down and get in--you can't stay here! I'll get you to safety!" she cried. "No, thanks," said the man on the roof. "God will save me." Still the waters climbed higher. On the third day, with the water lapping at his feet, the man on the roof heard a helicopter approaching. Over the loudspeaker he heard, "Grab this rope and get in the basket, or you will drown!" "Nope," said the man, "I know God will save me!" On the fourth day, the man drowned. When he got to heaven, he cried out to God, "Why didn't you save me?" God shrugged and said, "I tried--I sent the rowboat, the motorboat, and the helicopter, but you wouldn't get off that %#@&ing roof!" Life isn't a movie, where miracles happen by magic; this is reality, and God works miracles through people.

Like the OP, I too wonder whether I believe the "right" things. I don't see this as a weakness, but rather as a strength; humility is almost always good, arrogance almost always bad. When I reach into that bag and pull out my lump of coal, my tendency isn't to pretend it's a diamond: I tend to look for other people who also have a lump of coal so we can combine them and grill something tasty! Or maybe just stay warm. Faith isn't supposed to be a glowing jewel jealously guarded; it's meant to be shared.

And I must respectfully disagree that it is faith in the minds of the devout that justifies flying airliners into skyscrapers; it is ignorance and hatred in the minds of psychopaths that justifies such actions.

I'm a believer, but I'm also a rational person! Please don't call faith irrational--it's simply a matter of perspective. Those who are red-green color blind have to take it "on faith" that such colors actually exist. How many other colors are there that humans simply can't perceive? My dog can hear a dog whistle, but I can't; does that make me less rational than my dog? He definitely hears something--the fact that I don't hear it is not de facto evidence that his hearing is more or less "right" than mine...it just encompasses a wider range.

Food for thought?

[Phil-on-a-bike]

Thanks for your civil and reasonable swing at my pitch, Chryssa!

Random thoughts, in the spirit of chewing the topic over in a friendly way:

I've always disliked the 'I sent a boat, etc' trope, for two reasons...

First, the 'seeing evidence of G's handiwork in everyday events'.

To me, this suggests the mindset of a medieval peasant!

A partridge flew widdershins round the watermill on St. Swithin's eve? It's a sign!

Perkin Thickett overturned his spelt-bucket, and the grain fell in the shape of a benedictio? It's a siiiiign!

This is looking for omens, pure and simple, much as the Greeks did in the entrails of sacrificed animals, the Romans in the patterns of smoke from burnt offerings, or the ancient Britons in the blood-spatter of human sacrifice.

Granted, you're looking for small moments of happiness and optimism in everyday life, but make no mistake, you're looking for omens.

The insidious thing is - those who choose to go looking for omens will always find them.

It says nothing about the supposed "cause" of these so-called omens, but it says a great deal about the person looking!

Also - have you noticed how geographically convenient omens tend to be?

Child pulled from floodwaters in Uttar Pradesh? It's a sign from Vishnu and the 330 million divine beings of Hinduism!

Child pulled from floodwaters in Louisiana? It's a sign from God!

A cynic might even say that these are everyday events being interpreted as confirmation of whatever belief system is locally prevalent anyway.

Second: here's how I see things from the perspective of the Guy With The Boat:

"I'm going to help.

My community is in trouble, and I identify as a part of that community.

My parents raised me with a sound set of values, and I know they'd want me to do the right thing.

I can see my neighbour on the roof of his flooded house - personal friendship and common humanity move me to help.

Normal, healthy psychology gives me the ability to empathise with others and being part of a functional society has shown me the benefits of altruistic action, and to be mindful of how my actions will be viewed by the rest of society.

And my culture is one in which personal bravery and selfless action is celebrated.

In short... pass us me wellies, Gladys; I'm going to get roof-guy off his roof."

BUT... the point of the story is: LOLno, none of that matters, free will is irrelevant, individual human morals and societal mores count for nothing, God sent you. By magic.

Wow. Seen from that POV, it's one depressing story.

On to "ignorance", "hatred", and "psychopaths" as reasons for flying planes into skyscrapers:

"Hatred"? Granted, but so what? Those engaged in any sort of conflict usually hate their perceived opponents.

"Ignorant"? I'd be careful with that label.

The average Middle-Eastern activist has a thorough knowledge of the sociopolitical situation in a region which the average American can't find on a map.

These guys learn to recite the Koran by heart, in Arabic - even if Arabic is not their first language.

If somebody had studied the Bible so thoroughly they could recite it by heart - in its original Greek/Latin/Hebrew - would you seriously describe them as 'ignorant'?

I'd consider the possibility that rather than being 'ignorant', they may be, y'know... religious.

The 9/11 hijackers included several university graduates including an architect, an Imam, the son of an Imam, several war veterans from the Bosnian and Chechnya wars, and men who were trained agents who'd operated successfully from the Phillipines to Malaysia.

And yes... one guy with a history of mental health problems.

Lastly, psychopathy: It's maybe a tad undiplomatic to ascribe so much of the world's problems to mental illness... on a Nursing Forum!

But since we're here, I think it boils down to this: holding a radically different view from you in the matter of religion is NOT a definition of mental illness.

But here's the thing: hatred, ignorance and psychopathy are equal-opportunity phenomena.

They occur right across the board, affecting the religious and irreligious, believers and non-believers alike.

So...

That being the case...

Where are all the agnostic suicide bombers?

Where are the atheist mobs lynching albino children in Africa? Why don't the religiously uncommitted bomb abortion clinics? Why is Joseph Kony's organisation called the "Lord's Resistance Army" rather than the "Humanist Resistance Army"?

Face it.

There are several irrefutable common threads which run through violent extremism, and one of the strongest and vilest is that of religious faith.

Okay, where are we? Red/green colour blindness? Taken "on faith"? Really, that's how you'd describe it?

I'll see you one better: There are some parts of the light spectrum that nobody can see.

X-rays, for example.

So... do you really think we "take it on faith" that there are such things as X-rays?

Or.... do we actually have plentiful, solid, verifiable evidence that they exist?

I'm going with option 2.

Lastly, the dog-whistle?

Now, I'm aware you're not being literal here, I do realise it's just a metaphor, but...

I would respectfully point out that you are employing the same argument you just refuted when applied to 'planes into buildings'!

You weren't willing to entertain the notion that violent extremists are 'receiving a signal which you cannot hear' when it comes to religion.

Anyway, enough of that.

Please give your dog a good rub behind the ears and a nose boop from me!

Cheers,

Phil.