[ExI] Religions and violence

[Dan]

I believe most people use "faith" in either two senses. One as a synonym for 
"confident belief" -- the way you use it below. The other is, to use a phrase, 
"believing what you know ain't so" -- as in Tertullian's  Actully, the more 
charitable to put this is believing against the evidence and reasons for 
something. The latter is the kind usually used to mean religious faith -- i.e., 
believing something for which no other evidence exists and often against other 
evidence, logic, etc.

Of course, people will often confuse these differing meanings and sometimes this 
is done purposefully -- as in when a religious believer wants everyone to 
believe only people with religious faith are confident. (Think also of the 
idiotic barb, "You don't believe in anything" often tossed at atheists. Never 
use such a statement within five meters of me. It's sure to result in a leap 
without any warning growl.)

Regards,

Dan


----- Original Message ----
From: Dave Sill <sparge at gmail.com>
To: ExI chat list <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Sent: Tue, August 10, 2010 10:34:08 AM
Subject: Re: [ExI] Religions and violence

On Tue, Aug 10, 2010 at 8:46 AM, Ben Zaiboc <bbenzai at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Speaking personally, I'd very strongly deny that I 'believe in' science.  It's 
>belief that is the root of the
> whole problem of religions in the first place.

Belief <> faith, and not all faith is religious.

I believe that if I let go of a rock in my hand that it will drop. I
believe that that happens due to gravity. I believe that I can
calculate its speed when it hits the ground. In fact, have faith in
those things, as well. Faith is nothing more than confident belief.

-Dave