I just don't get it!
I was brought up as a Catholic but presently do not adhere to any formal religious grouping and do not believe in the likely existence of a Western style God.
Nevertheless, as I do not have an alternative explanation for the purpose, if any, of our existence, I do spend quite some time discussing and reading about religious matters.
My many religious friends and acquaintences invariably cite "faith" as the key component to attaining what they term "salvation".
Please understand that I greatly admire these people for their tranquility and desire to help others and in no way have I ever belittled their beliefs nor do I intend to in the future,
But I just don't understand what they mean by "faith".
However, it does certainly seem that it entails dispensing with all rationality and resorting to some type of mysticism which lies well beyond scientific analysis.
I know that if I were to proclaim a new found faith in a benevolent God and the possibility of eternal happiness in front of certain audiences, my views would be greeted with rapturous applause and perhaps a few tears.
If, however, I announced to the same audience that my faith also extended to a belief in the existence of the Yeti and the Loch Ness monster and that a rhinocerous was going to be the next President of the United States, I would be considered a lunatic.
But why is one type of faith highly acceptable and the other viewed as ridiculous.
Could it be that one type of faith fills a major gap in our lives and makes us feel good about ourselves and, particularly, our prospects for avoiding the horror of a finalization of our existence? The other "faith" does little other than provoke a momentary giggle.
I am fully aware that the vast majority of humans who have lived on this planet have spent their lives in misery as do very many people today. Indeed, I have myself seen how severely miserable the lives of many people can be. Now if these people can benefit from a faith in a supposed loving, caring God who can offer them an eternity in paradise, then that's marvelous. It gives them hope and allows them to put up with their degrading conditions here on earth and even feel happy about it (as I have seen many times myself).
Faith, therefore, would be defined as a type of benevolent self-delusion,
I think, however, what concerns me most is that I have been told that without "faith", I will be condemned to eternal damnation. This implies that those who insist on applying a degree of rationality and scientific appraisal to their thoughts about their lives, instead of just settling for a blind faith, are considered unworthy of salvation by the Almighty Creator.
This just doesn't seem right.