Faith (with a big "f") and faith greatly influence how people believe in things. While defining faith is an important part of this section, I think that the key idea is how Faith is the golden way. It is important to decide what and what not to believe and trust, and there are several theories that propose answers to this. One of these theories is nihilism. Nihilism means the belief in nothing, and its followers choose to deny the existence of truth altogether. Nihilists maintain that the universe is unintelligible and in flux, so attempting to find truth in it is futile. Nihilism is contradictiry by its very nature: it claims that truth does not exist while at the same time claiming to know the truth. Another theory is radicalism, which is beliving that something is true without any evidence to supprt the belief, or in spite of strong evidence contrary to the belief. Radicalism disregards reason and is therefore flawed majorly. So how do we know what to believe in? Radicalism has beliefs, but no reason while nihilism has reason but no beliefs. The correct answer to this question is a comination of the best parts of radicalism and nihilism: something that uses beliefs supported by reason. This something is faith: the golden way between radicalism and nihilism.
1. The first thing I want to remember is that it is normal to have periods of doubt. This is an important thing to remember when you have doubt in God or another person by assuring you that what you are going through does not make you a bad person, because everyone goes through it. Looking at biblical figures who had doubt in God can also help you get through periods of wavering Faith. The story of peter denying Jesus three times, Thomas doubting Jesus' ressurection, and Jesus saying "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" on the Cross are just some examples of incredibly Faithful people doubting God, many more examples of the doubt are in the Bible.
2. The second thing I want to remember from this section is the story of Aaron Feuerstein, the CEO of Malden Mills who, after a massive fire destroyed his company in 1995, continued to pay his idled workers because of his adherence to the Torah. Feuerstein's incredible belief and trust in God makes him a great modern example of Faith. It is important to have modern examples of Faith like Aaron Feuerstein so that we do not forget that Faith is not some ancient, outdated belief that was only absoluely necessary in biblical times.
It is important to find out if what or who you have faith in deserves your trust. Before you decide to believe and trust in someone or something, you have to determine whether or not that person or thing will take advantage of your trust. That is why you need to ask yourself a question before you decide to put your faith in someone: will this person take advantage of my trust or will they reciprocate my faith in them? This question applies to Faith as well.