What is Faith?
1. Key Idea
Faith comes in two parts, a religious Faith and a secular faith. A secular faith is a total trust in any person, object, or idea, and that even though you do not know if it is true, you believe anyway. Every person in the entire world has a secular faith in something whether they know it or not. Religious Faith is an intellectual assent to loving God and His revelation. Both kinds of faith are based on facts and reason, but are known to be true. Having faith in a person or Faith in God is risky. You do not know for certain that what you believe is true. Both faith/Faith require a human response, an action that tells you if you truly do trust and believe. To have Faith in a religion, you must live according to the set rules of that religion. If you have faith in a person, you must show that you trust and believe them. Faith/faith is not always easy, but using beliefs supported by reason is often seen as the best way to live ones life.
2. Two of the Most Important Ideas
Faith requires a human response. Faith is active. God gives you this grace and you now you have the choice to respond. But, you cannot say you have Faith in God or a religion not try to live to further that relationship or abide the Church laws. If say you have Faith and you do act in such a way, you are a hypocrite. God does not force you to believe in Him and act according to His will. He gives you the free will to decide for yourself. One must work in order to have Faith.
Hub’s speech to his nephew
Walter: “Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things 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 over evil; and I want you to remember this,
that love... true love never dies.” These are the things that are uncertain in
life, but the things worth having faith in. These are the things that lead one
to good and just life. It is a life filled with hope, an optimistic view that
you are not wasting your time here on earth. Although these are secular idea to
have faith in, some of the ideas correspond with teachings of many churches. The Bible
says, “So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is
love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). Both state a belief in the importance of
love. No matter if you believe in God
or not, these beliefs are a guideline to living a worthwhile life.
3. Picture
4. How Does This Apply to Me Here and Now?
My life is filled with many questions that can’t really be answered. Yet, there are answers faith/Faith. How do I know that my parents love me and are giving me sound advice, especially when classmates disagree (drinking, sex, etc.)? How I know that this religion I grew up with is true, when there are dozens of other religions with different answers? I can never know these answers for certain, but through believing with reason I can have faith that my answers are true. I can trust my parents and believe that their advice is for the better. I can believe that this Catholic Faith, which I grew up with and have come to believe in, is truly teaching me the way to salvation.