Faith, whether regarding religion or not, is a firm belief in an idea or subject which is beyond proof. You can have faith that Big Foot exists, without having proof. And, there is no such argument that can convince you or logically prove that Big Foot does not exist.

Bible referenced answer "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

I could ask the same question. I got kicked out of two Bible classes because I was told I don't have "faith". I had been invited to one of the classes by the leader, when I told him I didn't have any faith, and I wanted some. He said "Join my class, and read the Bible, you will find what you need". I did read the Bible, but I did not find "it". Sorry I couldn't be more help. Oh, my whole family apparently has 'it', and I have often seen them when they are "feeling" the presence of God, and I really feel left out, because I don't.

Normally I would skip this question because it's posted in Christianity, and I'm Buddhist. But I think my view is relatively inoffensive to Christians, so here it is: There are different versions of the definition of "faith". For some people, it really is nothing more than suppression of doubt... which most critical thinkers would find of questionable wisdom, I think. A somewhat more sophisticated flavor of faith recognizes and allows doubt, but emphasizes developing a trust which transcends doubt and evidence: a "leap of faith" like an act of will, which commits oneself to something which may not provide the reassuring warmth of evidence. Then there's faith which is based on something tangible... for example, I have some faith that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, even though I can't point to an absolute and testible chain of evidence to support this faith. This is more an educated guess based on a variety of factors -- it just seems more believable than the alternatives. Lastly there's faith that's more like intuition: an subtle synthesis of clues which, on their own, don't necessarily indicate anything in particular, but when taken as a whole suggest a connection to something unseen. A detective solving a crime may have a kind of "faith" that a certain individual is the perpetrator, long before there's sufficient evidence to arrest him. I would probably only throw out the first as useless and harmful. I think the others have something going for them in one context or another.

Faith is what you believe to be true when all evidence points against it or there is not enough to support it.

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. St. Thomas Aquinas Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation. -- Elton Trueblood “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” Martin Luther King, Jr. Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.--St. Augustine “When you have come to the edge Of all light that you know And are about to drop off into the darkness Of the unknown, Faith is knowing One of two things will happen: There will be something solid to stand on or You will be taught to fly" Patrick Overton

The way i define it: It's deep rooted belief in something that is infinitely beyond out understanding and comprehension

In Hebrews 11:11, wwe can read "1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for." contrary to what many people see as faith, the Christian belief does not base its faith on things that cannot be proven. Quite the opposite. We base our faith on who we know: Jesus. Paul met him personally as did the other writers of the New Testament. They saw him dead. they saw him risen. That is their faith. Faith is trust in something we know to have been tested. If I go to sit on a chair, I know that that chair has been tested and will almost certainly bear my weight (I have had a couple of surprises in life, however! LOL Nevertheless that did not stop me sitting on the next chair). If, once we trust, there are still things we do not understand, then faith is extended to "I trust Jesus; he tells me it is under control and that he will never leave me. So, no matter how I do not understand what I am going through, nevertheless, I will still trust him". Job displayed this trust in God in the Old Testament, when his life fell apart. He said "Though (God) may slay me, I will still trust in Him." Meaning: because I know him and trust him, I have to believe that what is going on is under control, though it may not seem so." Faith, therefore, is trust: trust in the God and Father of humankind, who sent His beloved son to die for us and to rise, so that we may be forever in his family.

What is faith? The most complete definition or description is found in the eleventh chapter of the Bible book of Hebrews. We read: “Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld.”—Heb. 11:1.

&quot;Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." Romans 10:17 "It is written: 'I believed; therefore I have spoken.' With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak." 2 corinthians 4:13 "We live by faith, not sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7 Faith, to me, means that no matter how non-believers try to prove that my belief system is flawed, ridicule/belittle me, or say that I am ignorant for believing in what they consider to be fairy tales, that my faith in God, His word, and His love is real and nobody can destroy it. I don't need proof that God lives, I have faith that His word is true and that's all I need. It means everything to me because without faith, I have nothing. In His service, <:))))<>< "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21 Edit: God Bless you mightily, troll. I love you and am sorry you are so full of hate. If down rating me helps you release some of your hatred, please continue. You are in my prayers, again-God Bless you.

Great question! When people say they believe something "on faith", they mean to distinguish that particular belief from their other beliefs. I think it's a relative quality, though. Every belief requires at least little faith, but some require much more than others. People only call it out in the more extreme cases. So what is the distinction? It seems to me that the critical difference is in how evidence is evaluated in either case. Faith-based beliefs tend to rely more on subjective feelings of intuition, comfort, etc. as evidence. Non-faith-based beliefs tend to discount the subjective aspects, and rely more on what can be publicly tested and confirmed objectively. In practice, I think people normally require significant objective evidence for almost all of their beliefs about the world. But when it comes to specific things that they WANT to believe but for which the normal level of evidence just isn't available, they rely on "faith" instead as a kind of substitute. To illustrate the difference, try taking a common faith-justifiable claim (e.g. the truth of scripture), and try to apply the same kind of evidence that supports it to some other kind of claim (e.g. that I am the fastest runner on the planet), you will find that the evidence is totally unsatisfying to convince you of the truth of the claim. Instead, you'll require an empirical measurement of some kind. The big reason "faith" works for people is that it lets them go on believing things they dearly want to be true but that they would have to abandon if they applied their normal level of scrutiny to them.

Faith exists in opposition to rationalistic thought. It can refer to any of a number of ideas, including:[1]: Confidence in a person or thing (e.g. "I have faith that he will keep his promise"); Adherence to an obligation of loyalty to a person, organization, or idea (e.g. "I will be faithful to my spouse."); Holding to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods; Belief in a proposition or belief system without proof (e.g. "I have faith that God exists.").

One word: Trust.

Faith is that which you would like to believe to be true, whether it is or isn't.

Faith is belief in something that is not concrete, something that cannot be measured or quantified.

A belief in something you believe in

Belief in something without proof

Ask George Michael....whatever it is, you can make a lot of money off of it:)

Mental acceptance of and confidence in a claim as truth, without proof supporting the claim.

Having a strong belief in something (based on several references)is what should create faith. However, too often people just blindly accept things and call it faith (which is really, really ignorant).

Faith is a state of openness or trust. To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float. And the attitude of faith is the very opposite of clinging to belief, of holding on. In other words, a person who is fanatic in matters of religion, and clings to certain ideas about the nature of God and the universe, becomes a person who has no faith at all. Instead they are holding tight. But the attitude of faith is to let go, and become open to truth, whatever it might turn out to be.

Faith is a state of openness or trust. To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float. And the attitude of faith is the very opposite of clinging to belief, of holding on. In other words, a person who is fanatic in matters of religion, and clings to certain ideas about the nature of God and the universe, becomes a person who has no faith at all. Instead they are holding tight. But the attitude of faith is to let go, and become open to truth, whatever it might turn out to be.

Faith is a good thing when religion is not involved

As C.S. Lewis said - faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has accepted, in spite of your changing moods.

Faith is to be sure of what you hope for, and the evidence of things not seen.....

Lack of knowledge and certainty, Well, that's MY oppinion, I know most people here will disagree..

Faith is that I can hope to understand how the natural world functions. You don’t need to believe in God if you can even understand a little bit more about the world around us. If one looks at the natural world, that’s enough amazement.

belief in the unseen or unproven like faith in evolution

Faith is both: • A gift of God • A human act In faith, the believer: • Gives personal adherence to God • Freely assents to the truth that God has revealed It is this revelation of God which we • Profess in the Creed • Celebrate in the sacraments • Live by right conduct • Respond to in our prayer of faith Faith is both • A theological virtue given by God as grace • An obligation which flows from the first commandment of God The first commandment requires us to nourish and protect our faith with prudence and vigilance, and to reject everything that is opposed to it. A few quotes about faith by unknown authors: Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death. Weave in faith and God will find the thread. A little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but a lot of faith will bring heaven to your soul. Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it by the handle of anxiety, or by the handle of faith. With love in Christ.

It is a belief that leads to action.

Believing.