For the theist and atheist alike, one of the most difficult subjects to tackle is the word "faith" itself. Unfortunately, we tend to use this word in a colloquial manner. "Hopefully, the bipartisan work that was done to get this bill passed will go a long way to restore people's faith in politicians," and, "I have enough faith in my spouse to believe that he/she will not cheat on me," are common misuses of the term "faith."When we are talking about "faith" in religious circles, we're talking about Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance (or, confidence) of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." This squares perfectly with the second definition of faith as presented in the Oxford dictionary, "Strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof." This is the very definition that most religious persons mean when they refer to "faith." How do you know that heaven exists? "Sometimes, you just have to have faith."
Why start off with such a heady topic like faith? That's a fair question and I hope that I can convey the answer as clearly as possible. Faith is not a synonym for trust. In casual conversations, it's often used as such. When I talk to people and the subject of faith arises, this is how the conversation typically progresses:
"What do you mean, 'Idon't have any faith?' You use faith on a daily basis!"
I respond, "Hmmm. That's an interesting idea. Could you give me an example of what I would use faith for in a daily routine?"
"Well, you drive, right? Every time you put your key in the ignition, you have 'faith' that when you turn it, the engine will start."
"Ah. I think I understand, but I just want to be sure. What you're saying is that since I don't consciously think about the car startingandIsimply turn the key andexpectit to turn over, I am utilizing faith in expecting a certain outcome. Is that what you mean?"
"Well, yeah. You have faith that it will work, you know?"
"Okay, I think I understand where you're coming from. Let me ask you a question. If you were putting the key into the ignition and starting your car, would you be surprised if itdidn'tstart?"
"Well, yeah, I guess."
"Why do you think that you would be surprised that it didn't start?"
"Because it usually does start. I don't even think about it."
"Yup, I completely understand. I noticed that you said it 'usually does start.' That makes me think that you've had plenty of experience with cars. How long have you been driving cars?"
"Ever since Driver's Ed in High School. Heck, even before that! My dad would take me out to an empty parking lot after the mall closed just so I could get a feel for it before I started going to Driver's Ed."
"Great. So, your family had a car before you could even drive. I think that it's safe to say that you have a certain expectation of what it is that a car should do, and that's kind of my point. What you are referring to as 'faith' is really what we could call 'reasonable expectation.' You have been around cars long enough to know that if you turn the key, it's reasonable to expect that the engine will start up. So, in a way, you are a scientist. You've done a specific experiment a number of times to establish a baseline, or an expected result. The experiments that you've done have produced the same results so many times that you are able to reliably predict what will happen the next time you perform the experiment. Many of your peers have also done the experiment with similar results. We have all reached a consensus on what we believe the results will be if we continue to do these experiments. If the car doesn't start, we have a good idea that something within the experiment itself is wrong. So, in this instance, what you call 'faith' is actually a reasonable expectation based on proofs that you have,that were gathered from previous experience."
