Where does one go to find faith?

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Where does one go to find faith?; Can one gain it?
Topic Started: Nov 15 2007, 01:54 AM (128 Views)
Confused	Nov 15 2007, 01:54 AM Post #1
Newbie Posts: 6 Group: Members Member #38 Joined: November 15, 2007	I have never really had faith. I never understood the concept. So I have to ask, where does one go to find it. Now, before I get the answers I am accustomed to, I will tell you now, I have tried church and refuse to admit that anything good is there since they could reject my son without even trying. I have searched scripture and ended up so confused I once actually chose the foundation of atheism. Don't worry, it didn't last. My perpetual state of confusion won't allow it to. So where does one find faith if they have never had anything more than hope, and had those hopes thrown at them one time to many?
	The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them. Albert Einstein Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what's right. Isaac Asimov


ST_JB	Nov 15 2007, 05:19 PM Post #2
Posts: 116 Group: Moderator Member #10 Joined: June 23, 2007	Confused Nov 15 2007, 01:54 AM I have never really had faith.� I never understood the concept.� So I have to ask, where does one go to find it.� Now, before I get the answers I am accustomed to, I will tell you now, I have tried church and refuse to admit that anything good is there since they could reject my son without even trying.� I have searched scripture and ended up so confused I once actually chose the foundation of atheism.� Don't worry, it didn't last.� My perpetual state of confusion won't allow it to. So where does one find faith if they have never had anything more than hope, and had those hopes thrown at them one time to many? HI there Confused, One needs not to go elsewhere to find faith. One only needs to ask for it. It may be simple but it takes an act of intellect assenting to the Divine truth through his will which is moved or which is aided by the grace of God. Without this grace one cannot simply find faith. In most cases people tend to believe they can find faith as if they are buying clothes from the store. That whenever they couldn�t find suitable to their tastes, they look elsewhere until they find that go well with them. Faith is faith, believing is believing. It is not negotiable. The act of intellect signifies the higher, spiritual, cognitive power of the soul. That is the soul�s desire to know the Divine truth. Without such, one will fall into perdition. This is the reason why a person who lacks faith always feels this emptiness inside him/her. This is due to the needs of the soul that can only be attained in union with the Creator. And without faith, union is impossible. The reason why there is baptism. Baptism signifies membership to the Mystical Body of Christ. One cannot be in union with the creator outside of this Mystical Body. Faith can only be attained through the act of the intellect � that is the desire of one�s soul to know the divine truth in collaboration of his will aided by the grace of God. �Will� can be defined as the faculty of choice � that is the act itself, free from any outside influence but only of one�s choice; the exercise of the free-will in accepting the grace of God. Confused, what do you think is lacking in your search for faith??? Why seemed it hard to find???



Confused	Nov 16 2007, 07:41 PM Post #3
Newbie Posts: 6 Group: Members Member #38 Joined: November 15, 2007	ST_JB Nov 15 2007, 05:19 PM HI there Confused, One needs not to go elsewhere to find faith. One only needs to ask for it. It may be simple but it takes an act of intellect assenting to the Divine truth through his will which is moved or which is aided by the grace of God. Without this grace one cannot simply find faith. In most cases people tend to believe they can find faith as if they are buying clothes from the store. That whenever they couldn�t find suitable to their tastes, they look elsewhere until they find that go well with them. Faith is faith, believing is believing. It is not negotiable. The act of intellect signifies the higher, spiritual, cognitive power of the soul. That is the soul�s desire to know the Divine truth. Without such, one will fall into perdition. This is the reason why a person who lacks faith always feels this emptiness inside him/her. This is due to the needs of the soul that can only be attained in union with the Creator. And without faith, union is impossible. The reason why there is baptism. Baptism signifies membership to the Mystical Body of Christ. One cannot be in union with the creator outside of this Mystical Body. Faith can only be attained through the act of the intellect � that is the desire of one�s soul to know the divine truth in collaboration of his will aided by the grace of God. �Will� can be defined as the faculty of choice � that is the act itself, free from any outside influence but only of one�s choice; the exercise of the free-will in accepting the grace of God. Confused, what do you think is lacking in your search for faith??? Why seemed it hard to find??? You bring up many concepts here that I don't really understand. By grace? What is grace. And divine truth? I never understood how someone who is a believer cannot understand why asking for faith is anything but simple. I am not trying to be confrontational. I am honest in my questions here. But do you think I haven't already asked? I have asked and failed. I know this. I can say that in my mind, I was honest in my search. But perhaps if God exists, He knows something that I can't consciously notice. I don't know. Perhaps, subconsciously, I am holding back. I am not sure about this. But faith for me is a difficult concept. I grasp Sir Thomas Moores "Utopia" easier than anything written in scripture. I am not sure if it is the desire part that I am lacking. I want to believe, but perhaps I am afraid to. I have spent so long trying not to believe that I am not sure how to reverse this train of thought. I have spent so long sad and angry that I know of no other reaction. People often say "Let God into your heart". What if you have no heart. I am quite sure that though I have an anatomical heart, it is beyond being made of stone. I care for others, not for myself. Is this making sense. I am horrid at talking emotions.
	The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them. Albert Einstein Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what's right. Isaac Asimov


ST_JB	Nov 18 2007, 04:16 PM Post #4
Posts: 116 Group: Moderator Member #10 Joined: June 23, 2007	Confused Nov 16 2007, 07:41 PM ST_JB Nov 15 2007, 05:19 PM HI there Confused, One needs not to go elsewhere to find faith. One only needs to ask for it. It may be simple but it takes an act of intellect assenting to the Divine truth through his will which is moved or which is aided by the grace of God. Without this grace one cannot simply find faith. In most cases people tend to believe they can find faith as if they are buying clothes from the store. That whenever they couldn�t find suitable to their tastes, they look elsewhere until they find that go well with them. Faith is faith, believing is believing. It is not negotiable. The act of intellect signifies the higher, spiritual, cognitive power of the soul. That is the soul�s desire to know the Divine truth. Without such, one will fall into perdition. This is the reason why a person who lacks faith always feels this emptiness inside him/her. This is due to the needs of the soul that can only be attained in union with the Creator. And without faith, union is impossible. The reason why there is baptism. Baptism signifies membership to the Mystical Body of Christ. One cannot be in union with the creator outside of this Mystical Body. Faith can only be attained through the act of the intellect � that is the desire of one�s soul to know the divine truth in collaboration of his will aided by the grace of God. �Will� can be defined as the faculty of choice � that is the act itself, free from any outside influence but only of one�s choice; the exercise of the free-will in accepting the grace of God. Confused, what do you think is lacking in your search for faith??? Why seemed it hard to find??? You bring up many concepts here that I don't really understand. By grace? What is grace. And divine truth? I never understood how someone who is a believer cannot understand why asking for faith is anything but simple. I am not trying to be confrontational. I am honest in my questions here. But do you think I haven't already asked? I have asked and failed. I know this. I can say that in my mind, I was honest in my search. But perhaps if God exists, He knows something that I can't consciously notice. I don't know. Perhaps, subconsciously, I am holding back. I am not sure about this. But faith for me is a difficult concept. I grasp Sir Thomas Moores "Utopia" easier than anything written in scripture. I am not sure if it is the desire part that I am lacking. I want to believe, but perhaps I am afraid to. I have spent so long trying not to believe that I am not sure how to reverse this train of thought. I have spent so long sad and angry that I know of no other reaction. People often say "Let God into your heart". What if you have no heart. I am quite sure that though I have an anatomical heart, it is beyond being made of stone. I care for others, not for myself. Is this making sense. I am horrid at talking emotions. Noted. How do you think a person would ask for something he/she really never understands in the first place? I mean, what if you really never ask for the faith as in the faith of the true Christian? How would you know if the faith has long been offered to you but you failed to grasp or to take notice of for the simple reason that you really never recognize what you were looking for? How would you search for something that you don�t have a clear understanding? Grace can be express as the aid or assistance from God. It is like giving you an extra push when you are heavily laden. It�s like having an extra hand when you can�t do it with your both hands. And grace can also be express as when you are changing the oil of your car so it can run smoother. In other words, grace also cleanses the soul. There you have these two aspects of grace. Its operation to man can be viewed from the above mentioned analogy/ example. Assent to Divine truth is to acknowledge the existence of a Creator � that is to believe unconditionally.



thomas (apostle)	Nov 19 2007, 05:04 PM Post #5
Posts: 587 Group: Moderator Member #7 Joined: May 27, 2007	confused I have never really had faith. I never understood the concept. So I have to ask, where does one go to find it. Now, before I get the answers I am accustomed to, I will tell you now, I have tried church and refuse to admit that anything good is there since they could reject my son without even trying. I have searched scripture and ended up so confused I once actually chose the foundation of atheism. Don't worry, it didn't last. My perpetual state of confusion won't allow it to. So where does one find faith if they have never had anything more than hope, and had those hopes thrown at them one time to many? Hi confused, For me faith is a grace and a blessing from God, however, it requires our cooperation. I don't really believe that you do not have the faith, i believe otherwise, only it is not properly focused. As i see it, correct me if i'm wrong, the problem is not about your faith but about yourself. We can never come to know, love and serve God if we do not know who we are, our weakness and our strength. Knowing ourselves is very important to the question of "who are we" and "what are we doing in this world" and is very essential to our whole being for it opens us to a more intimate relationship with the creation and most importantly with our Creator. Now, the mere fact that you are doing everything to find that "faith" is in fact a proof that you have that "faith" in you; In trying to know who is God and everything that is all about God, His founded Church.... and so on and so forth tells all about your faith...... I invite you to meditate on these words of Jesus "Love others as you love yourself" In "Who was once Mary"
	"Let us also go, that we might die with him" - St. Thomas


Pocoyo	Oct 2 2009, 12:56 PM Post #6
Newbie Posts: 1 Group: Members Member #88 Joined: October 2, 2009	Hi confused! Romans 10:17 17So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. That is if God's word is being taught correctly. Salvation is 100% God's, all you have to do is believe in his name if you heard the gospel being preached. "Faith" is translated from the Greek πιστις (pi'stis), was primarily used in the New Testament with the Greek perfect tense and translates as a noun-verb hybrid; which is not adequately conveyed by the English noun. Pi'stis in the New Testament context is a physical action, based upon a mental belief and sustained with confidence. Belief, in this context is non-synonymous with faith because, belief primarily conveys the mental action, thought of confidence, trust, and/or firm persuasion, not the physical act. Depending on the context, the Greek word may also be understood to mean "faithfulness" or "fidelity". Repentance is an act of Faith. No one is righteous on earth, no not one, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Though are sins be as scarlet, He will forgive our sins if we confess it to Him, for He is faithful and Just. He shed his blood that we will be as white as snow. Christ said He is the only way to the Father, and as the author and finisher of HIS FAITH (Christ), we should look up to Him and trust him. He promised to come back and take with him back in the place He has prepared to those who believed and are faithful to the end. Trust is an act of faith. Trust him, and He will make straight your path. I hope I'm not adding more to your confusion. Let me know if I can be of help.. God bless.



Philip	Oct 2 2009, 06:26 PM Post #7
Posts: 168 Group: Moderator Member #63 Joined: September 26, 2008	Hi Confused, I do not pretend to understand what you are going through because I have always believed since I was a child. I can try very hard to imagine how it is not to believe, and I can imagine it, but your experience of it is real, not imagined. So still my attempts at empathy are lacking...deficient. You know what I think, though; I admire your desire to believe. Because there are many who profess to believe and yet their purported belief has not affected them. Yet you, Confused, sorely feel your desire to believe. Your desire to believe causes you to seek that faith notwithstanding your apparent inability to find it. I salute your search. I admire your resilience. But I ask you to make a leap here... I ask you - who claims not to have faith - to have a little faith. By this, I mean continue your search. Because your very desire to find faith speaks volumes to me. And that if there is any faith to be found, you will find it. And i think you will find it bigtime! I think someone who has sought hard for something will treasure it more than someone who always had it. Have faith that you will find faith. Believe that belief will come to you. Can you make that stretch, Confused? I hope you will not give up. By the way, what do you mean about your son having been rejected? Can you say something more about this? In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Philip
	Lord, show us the Father and it will be enough for us... -- Saint Philip


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