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May 26, 2005 In the continuing debate between science, religion and philosophy it is inevitable that some people would try to distort the truth. This is unfortunate but understandable since human beings tend to avoid admitting they are wrong especially when their beliefs are long-standing and define who they are. It is frightening for us to give up what we once held dear to embark on a new, unknown path to freedom and dignity. Franklin D. Roosevelt said it well when he said, "All we have to fear is fear itself." It is in that spirit that I seek the truth. However, my committment to the truth will most certainly endanger my presuppositions and assumptions. In other words, in my pursuit of truth I need to be prepared to give up my beliefs when the facts prove that I am wrong. So, let's begin by defining the concept of faith. "Faith," it says in the Book of Hebrews, "is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." In other words it's believing in something even though you have no evidence to support your belief. It is trusting in something when you can do nothing else. The danger, of course, is that you become susceptible to believing things that simply aren't true. This is where faith runs into trouble. I've had fundamentalists and evangelicals assert that simple faith is enough for them. They claim that to believe is all that is necessary for their faith to be true. However, a simple look at this concept shows that it is obviously false. Without evidence or proof it would be foolish to believe anything, but this is exactly what religions ask you to do. Just believe in god. Just believe in original sin. Just believe in miracles. Just believe in the resurrection of Jesus. Just believe in heaven. The problem, of course, is that none of these things is true. Fact, on the other hand, is provable. Something is considered fact not because we believe in it, but because it becomes self-evident by being put to a test. I don't have to believe that 2+2 is 4. All I have to do is put this simple equation to the test. When I take two objects and combine them with two other objects, I end up with a total of four objects. Of course, many scientific truths are more complex than this but it easily demonstrates the difference between faith and fact. Fiction tends to cloud the issue. Fiction, I like to think, is a product of our imagination. It is the things we make-up in our own minds to entertain ourselves or in some cases to help us understand problems from a fresh angle. Fiction is fun and is a direct expression of human creativity. It poses a serious problem, however, when humans decide to treat fiction as fact. In order to combat this tendency we developed the scientific method so that ideas could be effectively tested for their veracity. So, fiction helped us describe the universe until science could tell us the truth. This brings us back to the case at hand. Faith and fact are not the same thing. Fiction is an entertaining expression of our creativity and should never be passed off as truth even though there may be elements of truth in it. This can only bring us to the conclusion that religion is myth disguised as truth. In order for us to effectively guarantee our future survival, we need to tenaciously pursue the truth and nothing but the truth. This requires us to give up our faulty faith in non-existent deities and impotent religious doctrines and focus on the truth about our current reality. After all, faith in fiction is really no faith at all. ------------ About the author: Keith Cantrell is a musician, artist and writer who lives in a small town in Oregon. He has worked at many different professions and currently is writing a book on the origins of the Bible entitled "The World's Most Dangerous Book." He has been a professing fundamentalist and is now struggling with atheism. His life has been spent searching for truth, and nothing but the truth. He loves comments, feedback and even verbal abuse if it is intelligent. He has 4 children and 4 grandchildren and loves everything about living in Oregon. Email: kwcantrell@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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