Faith, as a term, is often misused by people of faith. It has different definitions.
Faith–noun
The first definition is about trust. I have faith (Complete Trust) my truck will start when I get in it. I do not have this for no reason but because I know my vehicle and how I have maintained it. If it did not start my faith (Complete Trust) would be broken.
The second definition is about religion. It is often called “Blind Faith” because religious claims have never been proven, but people believe because they have been raised in the religion’s traditions or because they were convinced by argument of its truth. It is not complete trust in a thing because of the evidence supporting it.
The first definition everyone has, the second is reserved for people of a given faith or religion. The first is a claim of trust based upon evidence, the second is belief in a religion’s ideas without evidence. It is the second definition I have issues with because I am not convinced of the truth of any religion’s claims.
The fact that people constantly conflate these differing uses of the term faith causes great consternation and sometimes conflict in the world we all share.
It looks to me as if people of faith have created a new meaning for faith, a definition (3), which would be “a complete trust that my religious belief is correct because I have faith (2) in it”, and this is what they want to arise. They want everyone to have a blind faith, just like them, because that is so much easier.
If everyone believes in the same fashion then no thought about why they believe is ever needed. This is anti-liberty and stands against the ideal of religious liberty enshrined in the Constitution.
Faith (3) Is unsound because no person of faith has the evidence to show what they believe is real, because they believe it without evidence. They have faith instead, they believe the tale. It is unsound because it is bigoted against any and every other faith or lack of faith entire. Yet the people of faith who use such terms see this a good thing.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This verse is a very common interpretation of what faith is by Christians. So let us take a look at this very poetic verse. Faith is the substance of things hoped for . . . Sub·stance–noun
What does substance mean in this sentence, a type of matter? Faith has no matter, it is a either complete trust (which has no substance) or religious belief (which also has no substance). Is it the “real physical matter of which a person or thing consists”? Again Faith has no real physical substance.
Yet this poetic line is falsely equating faith as the substance (real actual physical evidence) of hope, another intangible emotion. Religion is said to give people hope, of an afterlife, of salvation from an inevitable eternal torture. and so forth. This sentence is telling people their own faith is evidence of their religious hopes, of an afterlife or salvation.
It is re-defining the term faith. A definition (3) “a complete trust (because their faith is evidence) that my religious belief is correct because I have faith (2) in it”.
That is utter circular reasoning.
“I have complete trust because my complete trust is evidence of my complete trust”.
It is literally saying “I have complete trust (in my religious ideas) because my belief (in those religious ideas) is evidence (of those very religious ideas).”
Yet that is not enough for the poet of Hebrews 11, they also claim “the evidence of things not seen” in the very same line! Let us examine this line, “the evidence of things not seen”.
EVIDENCE
Faith is evidence (Hard, tangible,visible) of things not seen, which is a blatant falsehood.
Faith in a thing is not a tangible evidence of that thing. Faith cannot be evidence of things not seen, by definition. This line of poetry is attempting to define the religious faith into hard physical, visible. existence.
“Now faith (an intangible belief or trust) is the substance (hard material proof) of things hoped for (but not proven to exist), the evidence (visible proof) of things not seen”.
IN this fashion it is the Bible itself which is redefining faith to fit its ends. It has created faith (3) “a complete trust that my religious belief is correct because I have faith (2) in ...
I like what you've posted and that you attempted to define terms. However dictionaries don't always reflect social reality. You are right that the second definition has bled into the first (I think I missed which dictionary you got these definitions from) but I think that shows what the cultural norm for 'faith' has become. Also the first definition and your example of your truck starting are problematic for me. 'Complete' trust to me is faith. Is your truck likely to start:yes. Is it guaranteed:no. Trust is an expectation of an outcome based on past events. It is never a guarantee. That's why, to me, 'blind faith' is redundant and also why I consider myself more anti-faith than anything else. Excellent post! You live in Orono? I've lived in Bangor and Orono too.
Effin'-A well told, Bubba. Well thought out and reasoned, and now I have something to differentiate good hearted people who have particular beliefs, and of course are entitled to them, on the one hand, and Theo-fascists on the other hand. Good job, get yourself a giant cookie from the mall!
FWIW before Christianity, theology was presented as being cause and effect. belief based, whether or not there was an actual causal chain. The staggering new claims needed a new level of belief.