Team Hoyt
Topic of the Week: What is Faith?
Faith is a grace. Faith is a risk. Faith is reasonable. Faith is certain. Faith seeks understanding. Faith is a virtue. Faith requires a free human response. but then, faith, I think, is also unreasonable. Faith is not certain. Faith does not always manifest itself in very understanding ways. Faith requires courage. Faith also requires feebleness. Faith, for me, is no more or less than the person who demonstrates it. Faith is an intrinsic part of who we are. If we are strong in body mind and spirit, then we have strong faith in ourselves. If we are weak in body, mind, or spirit, then our faith in ourselves will often be surpassed by our faith in others. Faith is not synonymous with religion. Faith is not synonymous with peace. I think it it harder to pin faith down than we might think, and it is not always clear to see.
Three ideas that I would like to remember:
1) Inside the Mind of an Iraqi Suicide Bomber- Faith has many forms. I may not see eye to eye with someone, but that does not mean there isn't any truth to or any power behind what they are saying. We often depict others who have a different faith or a different way of expressing faith as radicalists and fanatics. But are they really? Marwan Abu Ubeida, as he calls himself, is not a crazed fanatic. He does not seem illogical or brainwashed. To me. his actions certainly do seem extreme. Perhaps this is a case of moral relativism. What is right for me may not be right for him. I cannot justify murder and suicide, but these are teachings and realities he has grown up with. Also, I( have no idea how he must feel in his situation. The U.S. is an occupying force in Iraq, and however good our intentions may be, we are still the aggressors. Wouldn't I want to defend my homeland from an apparent enemy?
2) Second Hand Lions-
"Damn, if you want to believe in something, then believe in it. Just because something isn't true that's no reason you can't believe in it.
All right. There's a long speech I give to young men. Sounds like you need to hear a piece of it, just a piece.
Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things that a man needs to believe in the most: that people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power, mean nothing; that good always triumphs overt evil; and, I want you to remember this, that love, true love, never dies.
You remember that, boy, you remember that. It doesn't matter if it's true or not. A man should believe in those things because those things are worth believing in. Got that?"
This is a very good quote about faith. Many of my core beliefs and my highest values are things that are not necessarily tangible, or even true. The ideas put forward in this quote, that "that people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power, mean nothing; that good always triumphs overt evil; and, I want you to remember this, that love, true love, never dies," are very similar to the concept of believing in God. We believe in God not because he is obvious, not because we can prove he is real and good, but because we feel in ourselves that he must exist. These ideas may not be true in the end, and when I die I may find that God does not exist, but it is worth it to believe them because they are good.
3) Mr. McBeevee- Andy Griffith provides a simple and endearing example of faith in this episode of "The Andy Griffith Show." He shows courage in standing by what Opie says, however unbelievable it may seem. Faith is defined as a belief and/or trust in a person or idea. Andy exemplifies this definition by trusting that Opie is not lying about a man with twelve arms who can make smoke come out of his ears. It is easier for Barney to want to punish the boy, or for Andy to have been ashamed of him, but Andy knows Opie is no liar. Believing in the seemingly impossible is something people are asked to every day by their religion, and hopefully if they believe in it deep down, then they will have the love, the courage, and the faith to stick with it.
One question to ask myself: what kind of faith do I have— am I more like Fr. Gabriel, or Fr. Rodrigo?
I have a faith more like Father Gabriel. I believe that passive resistance is preferable to violence. However, I also believe that some things in life are worth fighting for, if it comes to that. I don't know that I would have the courage tat Father Gabriel has to continue on peacefully when I see my world falling down around me. I think it would take more courage not to fight than to fight.