Why is "faith" good (Page 2)

I don't have "faith" in my beliefs, I've looked at the evidence and made a decision.  Just like LB was saying earlier that has lead him to a slightly different decision. 

I would have to agree that the universe is teeming with life.

Our bodies are made of the same stuff the universe is made of........it'd be just like humans to conclude that out of the billions upon billions of planets in the known universe we are the only life.  My guess is that we wouldn't even be considered "intelligent life" by the majority of life that exists.

In some ways it's just semantics, but I always say that everyone has faith in something.  Even with scientific evidence you have to have faith in the process in order to believe in the conclusions of the scientist. 

The Big Bang theory is certainly the main theory of our origins out there now, but it's really nothing more than a theory of the evolution of the universe and in no way explains the origin (as in what caused the big bang).  Even within the Big Bang there are a lot of controversies and inconsistencies with observable Physics.
We're obviously here today and we obviously started somewhere, somehow but is it really that much of a stretch to say we were created out of nothing by some omnipotent being versus create out of nothing from nothing for no reason?  Both require faith to believe and both make no scientific sense.

As for faith in general we all have a desire to understand and live our lives to a core belief system.  You can have faith in our governmental system to live a law abiding life, you can have faith in a religious system and try to live your life by that code, or you can have faith in yourself and live a self centered rebellious life.
Either way, you have to have faith in something to live by it. 

I've always been fascinated with life on other planets.  There's just no way it can't exist in some form somewhere.

if that's the case, how can the Christian god exist in the manner described in the bible.  for how long did the church and infallible pope say that the universe rotated around the earth?

lol, the Bible says nothing to support or oppose life on other planets.  In other words it's not inconsistent in any way if there was or wasn't life on other planets.

As for the Pope, he doesn't speak for Christianity in any way and never has.  He is very fallible and nothing more than the head of the Catholic religion that is what I would describe as loosely based on the Bible.

btw, Scientists believed the Sun rotated around the earth until I think the 1500's with Copernicus and Galileo scientifically proving it to be the other way around.  So, to say the church and pope said this or that based on the "best science of the day" is kind of a silly argument.  Even today the current pope is spouting off about global warming based on the "best science of the day" which could easily be proven wrong in 50 or 100 years and laughed at in the future.

I agree that it's great to live in the cleanest environment possible....it just makes life more enjoyable.  But let's face it, it's really not that big of a problem if we look at the big picture.  The Earth will take care of itself.....as always.  I think the best part of humanity for me is our inherent arrogance....it has been a constant source of comic relief.  We are absolutely insignificant and unnecessary for the health/detriment of this planet......it works the other way around.  Mankind won't always be here.

Well there's billions and billions of habitable planets around so we can always just pop over to one of those if we mess things up too bad.

Maybe it's a new thread, but I do find it interesting to think about how mankind and civilization will end though.  I mean at some point there won't be any humans on earth.  Maybe we'll figure out how to leave.  Maybe the population will just dwindle down until there's no one left.  Maybe an asteroid will wipe out everyone at once.  Maybe a virus will whittle us down to just a small group and then tigers will finish us off.  Only thing that's for sure is that everything you see out your window will be abandoned some day.  Except for Keith Richards obviously.

There you go, now I have a goal.......just me and Keith Richards fighting tigers!!  Then if there's an afterlife I can show up and be like, dude, you shoulda been there for THAT!!! 

I wouldn't necessarily say there has to be something after life, it's more that we hope that there's something after life.

Why? I feel like it makes people live for something later rather than live for what they actually have now.

I don't know about that, but maybe some folks do. I'm living for what I have now.  For me, I don't necessarily hope there is in ......I just think it would be cool if this wasn't all there is.  I'm having a good time.  I'm good with it continuing in some other facet. 

Trying to be a decent person now just seems like the right thing to do.  That's the part I can't figure out.  Where does that come from?  I have dealt with many people who don't give a rats arse how they treat others or what good they can do in this life.  In fact, I have sat with people that I can say are absolutely evil and appear to have no conscience.  Where does that come from? 

I don't think I have the power to make this a "better" world for my children and humanity.  There is just too much that I have no control over.  What I can do is help my children be good people in the world we have, no matter what it deals them.  That's a big enough job for me.

Do you really believe that?  I mean isn't your chosen profession making the world better for your children?

I've been at this for 30 years.......I gave up on fixing the world a loooong time ago.  I can help make life a bit easier on a few people, and I'm good with helping out..... I have always wanted to do that and it makes me happy.  But make the world better?  Nah.  I don't look at it that way.  If you do that you become the bitter guy who has been doing my job for 30 years.  I'm not interested in that.