From: Jei (jei@cc.hut.fi)
Date: Fri Nov 28 2003 - 00:38:30 MST
On Thu, 27 Nov 2003, Erik Aronesty wrote:
> "...i know you didnt mean it this way, but"
>
> Feel free to add that qualifier before all your interpretations and
> meaning-making.
>
> The truth about judaism is the same as the truth in all religions. On
> one hand, Jews value knowledge, always questioning and seeking
> clarification. This is the noble heart. On the other side, the religion
> is full of rituals whose original purpose had been forgotten. It is
> exclusive, and it contains an implicit "ranking" system, where no Jew
> ever feels adequate enough or Jewish enough.
>
> There are positive and negative sides to every religious practice. The
> trick is to, when dealing with a religious person, foster the good stuff
> and look beyond the stuff that doesn't appeal to you. Every person on
> this planet has potential.
>
> And on the subject of "a little dogma is just as bad as a lot" ... My
> answer to that is that by villifying all religion, you are creating a
> religion of your own, just as dogmatic and as the rest. This is fine,
> just so you know what you are doing.
Faith is what is left to those who have not the time nor the brains to see
and decide for themselves that which is true and what is not. The sheep
faithfully follow the sheep herder. Few dare make their own minds, let
alone keep them, faced with a hostile majority who merely wish to lull in
their soothing rhythm of dreams and beliefs. Faith in something being
true, causes a stagnation in scientific development, of religious and
spiritual development, of seek of truth in any matter, even the oppression
of those who dare question the majority or suggest a change or an
alternative. Faith, sufficient to lull the majority, yet imperfect and
nagging to those in the know, still awards a moment's peace and is always
preferable to the masses faced with the alternative of admitting the
violent horror that all we know and believe be wrong.
(How) Dare you NOT believe? ;-)
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
religion
n 1: a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that
control human destiny; "he lost his faith but not his
morality" [syn: {faith}, {religious belief}]
From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:
FAITH, n. Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks
without knowledge, of things without parallel.
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:
Faith
Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a certain
statement is true (Phil. 1:27; 2 Thess. 2:13). Its primary idea
is trust. A thing is true, and therefore worthy of trust. It
admits of many degrees up to full assurance of faith, in
accordance with the evidence on which it rests.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Belief \Be*lief"\, n. [OE. bileafe, bileve; cf. AS. gele['a]fa.
See {Believe}.]
1. Assent to a proposition or affirmation, or the acceptance
of a fact, opinion, or assertion as real or true, without
immediate personal knowledge; reliance upon word or
testimony; partial or full assurance without positive
knowledge or absolute certainty; persuasion; conviction;
confidence; as, belief of a witness; the belief of our
senses.
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