Religious faith: concepts, beliefs, and practice

¶ … ideals of Religious faith looking at such questions as "What are the grounds of religious faith? What does a faith do for a life?. Examples used are historical data such as Germanic faith, Vedic cultures and faith from Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Bibliography cites four references

Faith; Blind love or stupidity

What are the grounds of religious faith?" This question is as ambiguous, and as difficult to answer as the question "Does a God exist?" There are many ways of understanding the need and grounds for a religious faith, such as psychological, sociological and cultural. It also needs to be recognized many devout followers believe that their God is supreme, for instance followers of the Muslim faith.

However, to answer the question, where are the grounds for faith in religion, we need to look at the evidence and the reason of the existence of faith. The moist common answer may be simplified into a single example; miracles created by the leader of a religion. Where apparent miracles occur faith will rise. Yet this brings us to the second question; what does this faith do for us in life? Faith brings us closer to something dear to us; something has a special place in our hearts and can protect us and guide us. It is also an escape and an excuse for anything that goes right or wrong in out lives, this is the faith of Religion for as the bible states with Job's faith in God, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised" (Job I, 21, New International Version). Therefore, it is both a comfort as well as an ability to externalize events that occur in an individuals life, without taking personal blame.

Religion is a subject that many either have a zest for or hate. Whatever way it is perceived religion is in our lives. However, anyone can be religious and follow a set religion of our parents or a belief pattern learned in school. The most important issue though is whether we have faith in that religion, its god or gods and most importantly whether that faith is unyielding, otherwise it is not true faith.

For example, if called upon would the individual die for the faith, become a martyr, for a god who is never seen and the only contact you have with him is through either a neighborhood priest, a holy book that lists do's and don'ts on how to live your life and stories of miracles. There are many such people in the world today who are willing and many who have died for their faith in their god and religion.

Moreover, despite the many religions of today, their have been many religions of the past that have also encouraged Man to worship his God's and Goddesses. For instance, the pantheons of Greece and Rome known as the classical Gods, these are clearly illustrated by writings such as Dryden and Homer as being fickle, spoilt and mixed with either too much or not enough humor, many lacked the intelligence, or will, to help man. Man was seen as inferior to these Gods, despite their fickle nature, but was expected to be faithful to them.

Other examples of influences on culture and therefore religious belief exists one of these may be seen as The Vedic Age or era. This was the most decisive and influential of eras to place a trend upon the culture of the people of India and the Hindu faith. However, these trends have now changed and moved on since those times, but the underlying rituals of this age still have an underlying effect upon the requirements of modern life (Sen PG). The blind faith issue may be seen reflected in these rituals that remain almost unchanged.

There have been some changes if we consider the customs of the Hindu people and their elaborate sacrifices, known as Yajna, these have been changing in their direction since the end of the Vedic traditions and the incoming of the new Ashina. This preached a non-violent and no hatred doctrinal theology and the heretical ideologies of the Jainas and the Buddhists have been mainly left forgotten (Sen PG). Therefore, in this instance we may argue that as the world has change the faith has adapted, and therefore it is not an unthinking or unlearning faith, and for some may be blind love.