4 ms·

Religion: How is a faith system i.e. "pretending to know things that you don't know" going to help? Community is a good thing, sure. But how does faith help?

• jstelly 13y ago
  Your definition of faith is incorrect. Faith in anything (religious or not) is merely choosing to believe in it without the necessary evidence or facts that would prove it to be true. "Pretending to know" implies something fairly different. I'm not sure I would recommend religion to this person. But I wouldn't be surprised if his unhappiness comes from what he chooses to believe in some context.
  • tomrod 13y ago
    I'm not arguing that this is the only nor optimal solution, certainly. Nor that he should adopt or adhere to something he doesn't believe. I mention this simply to note that many in the stage of life where they're discontent and are "soul-searching" find solace and meaning in religion. In short, it's an option that's there.
• mercer 13y ago
  Having spent most of my life in a very tight-knit, conservative religious group, I've found that it's the interaction between shared beliefs, shared values, frequent 'formal' and informal get-togethers, a sense of care for 'our own' and a sense of purpose (salt of the earth). And probably a bunch of other, less-obvious things. About seven or eight years ago I lost my faith, and I have not found anything that quite replaces that. It's quite worthwhile, but obviously very difficult if 1) you don't actually believe what said group does, and 2) you actively dislike some of their beliefs (homophobia, etc.). But even with all the bad stuff, I might one day join a church again.