Why is "faith" good (Page 3)

Originally posted by jennifer_runs

Originally posted by Left Brain

Originally posted by drewb8

Originally posted by Left Brain

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..... 

That's what I mean though. Work on little things that have big power in aggregate. No one has the power to change the world individually, but as humans isn't that what we are trying to do as a whole? If not, then what's the purpose of life at all? Why have children? Why even live? I can't believe that there is something "better" out there when I die. That just doesn't do it for me. I'm deeply religious but in a humanist sense. If that makes sense.

I think I live for the joy of it.  I think I had kids for the joy they bring me.  I hope I have raised them to pass that on.....that will help the world in the way you are talking about, and I agree with you. 

I don't think I ever look at it as "changing" anything....although there surely was a time when I did.  It's REALLY hard to change people.....but you can help them all you care to.  I enjoy that.

In the context of most religions; living for the "next life" is all about living a good life in this life.  In other words, you don't get to the next life unless you take a few steps in this life which make you a far better person.  

The alternative is to have no belief in a next life which is far less incentive to "be good" because it doesn't matter.

I don't see it that way. I don't believe in some afterlife, but that doesn't mean I'm don't want to "be good."  Living life through love, self love and love to others, has so far proven to be the best perspective on life that I have encountered.  Being kind feels a lot better than being angry.

When i see most theistic religious, what I see is a big book of reasons for some people to tell other people that what they are doing is evil, and a big book of ways to control people and make them do what you want them to.

It's not that you don't want to be good, but you don't have to be good.  I agree that most people who aren't spiritual in any way are good people that do good things, I was simply stating that believing in an afterlife is more likely to influence somebody to act better versus worse overall.

As for the "big book" controlling people, I'd say it's more about a book of laws/rules to follow to be productive members of society.  
Ironically, you would agree with probably 95% of what the Christian Bible instructs us to do in order to live a sin free life.  Don't kill, don't steal, don't bang your neighbors wife, etc.  Just because there are a couple of rules you don't like doesn't mean there's nothing good in there.  Most of the moral laws we have in society are rooted in religion (and they just plain make sense).

Sure....no argument with anything you said.  I agree. 

For me, I'm happy to try to do good and help people see that being good is help enough.  If I got too wrapped up in making change it would drive me nuts since in my day to day life I deal with quite a few people who are not good, and they aren't going anywhere....and most of them are not changing.  Still, I like my front row seat to life, so I'll take the bad with the good.  

I figure the best I can do is raise good kids and be involved in raising other good kids by always being willing to do things like becoming a swim official when the team needed volunteers, or coaching a kid's baseball team, or being a scout leader, or any number of things that I've been more than willing to help with as my kids have grown.  I'd be really good with the idea that one of those kids I've been involved with, or my own, will do something tremendous and be an agent for change......or goodness. That would/will be awesome.

As for the recent social changes, absolutely......almost all of them are a long time coming.  Inclusion seems to me to be the best way to a peaceful existence for all of us. I have no problem using my voice toward that end when the opportunity comes up, but I don't go searching for those opportunities.

Afterlife?  Like I said, that'd be cool and I hope there is....but it doesn't influence who I am.

I just read this today and thought of your comment.  

New model of cosmic stickiness favors ‘Big Rip’ demise of universe

I'm gonna' go back and try to answer the OP's original question.

Faith is not inherently a good thing.  However it IS treated as a good thing, so that people feel better about themselves for believing in things that make them feel good, which otherwise they'd know were not true.

Why do you hate Santa Claus?

Theres a funny story about a 6 year old dave who told all the neighbor kids santa claus wasn't real.....

Love this answer.  Thanks for helping ME to articulate my feelings better.

Whatever dude......if a 6 year old tried to sabotage our fun with the kids and Santa we would have launched a major smear campaign against the little bastard.

That's basically what I mean when I talk about my conscience, which I credit for guiding me to try and do good.  It's what leads me to believe there may be an afterlife.....I don't know why I, or any of us, would have a conscience if there was nothing after this.

Obviously there are plenty of "faith filled" people who are good and bad, but in my experience I typically see faith making people far better than they ever were before.

I do a lot of work with my church mentoring men and my wife and I mentor couples in crisis and I could spend hours telling you amazing stories of lives changing through faith.  One close friend of mine was a 5 time felon in and out of jail his whole life who turned his life around through faith.  He's now an extremely successful businessman father of 3 and sober for over 5 years.  
Another friend was a drug addicted murderer.  He spent 15 years in prison for slitting a guys throat over drugs.  He was pure evil!  He's now the worship director at one of the largest churches in Omaha and is married with 2 absolutely beautiful daughters.  He surrendered his life to faith and never looked back.

Faith isn't just about going to church and saying, whelp I have to live by all these rules now.  It's about accepting that there is a power greater than yourself and getting in touch with it.