"A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything"?
Posted on December 29th, 2009 by admin
How does the quote "A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.?" prove anything? Obviously someone with a little common knowledge can see the error in this type of thinking to try to disprove any religion. I may have faith but if my faith isn’t based on facts then is it even considered faith? If I have faith without facts then sure the faith doesn’t prove anything but what if I have faith and facts. What then? Anyone mind telling me how this is a valid argument for atheism?
A "lunatic" will believe things based on his own perception of reality, and I’m not sure it’s wise to believe that our perception is much better.
I threw that in quotes because the idea of a lunatic is quite relative, and the idea of an asylum is archaic. My source for this is the book "Madness: A Brief History" by Roy Porter.
Faith, while based in fact, by definition requires belief without solid scientific proof.
I’d like to clarify my position as not an atheist, but as an agnostic. I think it’s just as foolish to believe something without concrete proof as it is to disbelieve something because of a lack of concrete proof. For example, while there are many equations that explain the nature and strength of gravity, there are none that explain its source. Quantum physicists are looking into that as we speak, but the answer eludes them. Am I to stop believing in gravity because we can’t locate its source? I don’t think so. Agnostic: Just a fancy word saying "I don’t know, and I don’t even know how to find out."
What can I say, concrete proof is big to a lot of people. A leap of faith is a tough thing to accomplish. Just because a lot of people wholeheartedly believe something doesn’t make it true, and a loony bin is a vivid example (though flawed) of a group of people who strongly believe things that anyone with common sense can see is wrong.
December 29th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
IDK….but I might agree that it’s not faith’s job to prove anything. In fact, I think it’s a necessary condition in order to HAVE faith. But I think the meaning is meant to say that faith can be as misguided as anything else…that faith alone isn’t enough since crazy folk can have faith; and their perceptions aren’t necessarily more valid because faith is involved.
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December 29th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
I agree it doesn’t prove anything but I cannot say I like you trying to imply that faith and facts are proof. Faith is not based on facts, or proof or anything of the sort. Faith is based on a hunch, a feeling, even courage. The fact is that the statement is true but its irrelevant. Yes, I have faith and so do lunatics and so do you. You have faith that God does not exist as much as I do he does and that’s the undeniable truth. I don’t want to prove to you God is real because the lack of prove is essential to the presence and need of faith.
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December 29th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
A "lunatic" will believe things based on his own perception of reality, and I’m not sure it’s wise to believe that our perception is much better.
I threw that in quotes because the idea of a lunatic is quite relative, and the idea of an asylum is archaic. My source for this is the book "Madness: A Brief History" by Roy Porter.
Faith, while based in fact, by definition requires belief without solid scientific proof.
I’d like to clarify my position as not an atheist, but as an agnostic. I think it’s just as foolish to believe something without concrete proof as it is to disbelieve something because of a lack of concrete proof. For example, while there are many equations that explain the nature and strength of gravity, there are none that explain its source. Quantum physicists are looking into that as we speak, but the answer eludes them. Am I to stop believing in gravity because we can’t locate its source? I don’t think so. Agnostic: Just a fancy word saying "I don’t know, and I don’t even know how to find out."
What can I say, concrete proof is big to a lot of people. A leap of faith is a tough thing to accomplish. Just because a lot of people wholeheartedly believe something doesn’t make it true, and a loony bin is a vivid example (though flawed) of a group of people who strongly believe things that anyone with common sense can see is wrong.
References :
December 29th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
The word ‘faith’ actually means "Strong or unshakeable belief in something, esp. without proof or evidence" therefore if u have faith then u have no facts.
References :
Collins English Dictionary