The power of Faith

Originally Posted by Maguru

How do you use the power of belief/faith? If we are being realistic would faith make any difference?

Realism aids to the power of belief because we understand how it works. You can be an atheist yet do all the rituals and praying you want, pouring deep belief into it, and use to to your advantage without thinking it is objectively true. There's no denying the power of belief, it's not hard to find cases or test it yourself.

Originally Posted by Adept

That's not true.

How do you decide that for another's truth..well you can decide it for yourself of course.

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by Adept

Realism aids to the power of belief because we understand how it works. You can be an atheist yet do all the rituals and praying you want, pouring deep belief into it, and use to to your advantage without thinking it is objectively true.

If you don't think it's true, how can you have faith/belief in it? How or what would be an advantage?

There's no denying the power of belief, it's not hard to find cases or test it yourself.

Such as lotto wins? As someone pointed out there are millions who pour their beliefs (and rituals) into a lotto win and don't.

I have tested my beliefs and honestly I have had to drop a lot because they just did not work. I'm trying to think of any beliefs that have been an advantage and I can't. The ones I had were definately not to my advantage.

That story made me think of faith because they all based their lotery numbers on the count of those fortune cookies. It made me think of faith because somewhere when they played these numbers, they must of beleived in them somewhat.

The chances of something like this ever happening is so slim that it brings to question just how much did they believe in them and was it enough to bring them (the winning numbers) out of the lot?

I guess in this case, it was.

Stories about faith I have many to share...some are related to me some are not. But love and faith are related somewhat in each of these stories. Maybe not in this case so much...but, you will see in the future when and if you read what I post the relation I beleive exist between the two.

[Seawolf]

Originally Posted by Maguru

I haven't thought of faith as a 'working' component. I've always viewed faith as a belief that 'something' either does work, or will work, or is just true. It's the 'object of that faith' that promotes faith. It doesn't stand alone, we have to have something to have faith in. I could be wrong though, it's just my experience.

i agree there's always an object of the faith, but it could be lots of different things. All religion and spirituality is about faith, but they believe in vastly different ideas, yet it all has a similar effect... helping guide and inspire people to better lives and goodwill towards others. I'm looking on the outside but from the inside perspective it's certainly the object of the faith that counts.

Originally Posted by silent whisper

How do you decide that for another's truth..well you can decide it for yourself of course.

Luckily truth doesn't depend on belief.

Originally Posted by Maguru

If you don't think it's true, how can you have faith/belief in it? How or what would be an advantage?

Such as lotto wins? As someone pointed out there are millions who pour their beliefs (and rituals) into a lotto win and don't.

I have tested my beliefs and honestly I have had to drop a lot because they just did not work. I'm trying to think of any beliefs that have been an advantage and I can't. The ones I had were definately not to my advantage.

It simply takes more practice. It's easy for the mind to trick you but you have to learn to trick the mind. Start simple, wake up every day and tell yourself it'll be a good day as if it's objective fact. Once you get good it'll generally work. Move on to changing your attitudes - sure it's a bad day so far, but I've decided to enjoy the rest of it.

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by Adept

It simply takes more practice. It's easy for the mind to trick you but you have to learn to trick the mind. Start simple, wake up every day and tell yourself it'll be a good day as if it's objective fact. Once you get good it'll generally work. Move on to changing your attitudes - sure it's a bad day so far, but I've decided to enjoy the rest of it.

Ah, this is having faith in yourself. Nice one.

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by Seawolf

i agree there's always an object of the faith, but it could be lots of different things. All religion and spirituality is about faith, but they believe in vastly different ideas, yet it all has a similar effect... helping guide and inspire people to better lives and goodwill towards others. I'm looking on the outside but from the inside perspective it's certainly the object of the faith that counts.

It seems as though it doesn't matter if the object of faith is real or true if it 'works'. Is it a case of 'the end justifes the means' in your example?

[A human Being]

I won't weigh in on the whole debate about lottery numbers, just wanted to make a comment on faith generally. For me, faith goes hand-in-hand with letting go - can you completely let go (of the stories you tell yourself to make sense of your experience; of the illusion of control, etc.), safe in the knowledge that everything will be okay? I'm not quite at that place yet, but I feel like I'm slowly getting there.