Lovely exploration of something that everyone has—faith. Atheists often argue that faith is religion. It is not. When they focus their atheism on that false principle they cannot understand that they themselves have faith—albeit in other things. Religions might be based on faith but they are not faith. They are structured doctrines that hope to teach history and practices and traditions to help people cope with life’s mysteries. Faith is indeed natural and it contains hope. Without both—we are as you so aptly describe it—empty vessels.
Last year I was almost a goner. A team of incredibly smart and intelligent medical professionals, doctors and nurses gave me renewed faith that I could breathe again. I had faith that once on the donor list they would find me a set of lungs. On June 3, 2023 I was given a gift so powerful that it renewed my faith in the advancement of medicine. What a joy waking up days later and being able to breathe with no supplemental oxygen. I owe my life to Dr. Lawrence and the faith he gave me when I needed it the most. Great article Stone, let’s have a cup of coffee.
Love your article except that I differ on the idea that it does not matter what we have faith in. For example, clearly we can not just “ trust the science” or have faith in our democracy etc etc etc We did not create ourselves plain and simple and a good start to seeking God
I am not going to disagree with you here, Holly - in retrospect, I probably should have added a segment about discernment. Live and write and learn, eh? ;-)
Happy you enjoyed the rest of the piece, however - thanks for the astute observations!
I always enjoy your writing when I do open my Substack ( I have been trying during the Dormition Fast to stay away from my phone tho not working so well but still trying lol) and I am glad you did not take offense at my comments I seem to be more critical of those whose work I appreciate. At least I notice that if there is something I am concerned about I try to give my thoughts. Maybe I should ask the writer for clarity instead eh? Thank you friend. Have a good day. We are all fine tuning our hearts and myself I am finding it a much more difficult task than I thought. 🙏😊
The loss of faith could be a good thing too if it's something false. Like, uh, humanity. Or my previous religion I left. I think it's healthy to question faith and revisit that.
One and only exception would be God.
The rest of ya, keep on keeping the faith.
Nice work again Stone. I really enjoy reading your articles.
I'm glad you enjoy them, brother - these really are my favorite types of articles, though they are oft the most challenging to write LOL
And you know how I feel about questioning... well, EVERYTHING ;-) To be honest, I think 'questioning' can actually serve to bolster Faith, if done so in the right spirit. Humble opinion, natch.
We seem to be on a similar wavelength today my friend… the conversation of Faith came up in a discourse recently..
We were in a chase to deconstruct Faith and Expectation..
we surmised that faith can be foisted upon us through upbringing, parental or authority position…. That expectations were variables in trust…
Ultimately landing on the simplistic answer; Faith is belief in something you cannot necessarily explain and Expectation is a manipulation of what you believe is going to happen if…
Thank you for always ‘begging us’ to use our Brains on the daily!! I have The Expectation that you will continue. (Rolling on the floor laughing ) Yet, it’s possible, I simply have Faith in you as a super thought-ful Journalist/Writer…
Wonderful, and thought provoking piece Stone. Everyone has a different interpretation of faith specific for himself or herself. For me, faith is a special word reserved for my belief in the Supreme Being, because for me He can’t fail. I can’t have faith in humans, animals, the weather, a machine, a building, a merry-go-round. I can trust deeply for people like my husband. I know he will try his best to never fail me, but he’s invincible, and one day he might have an accident causing his failure. Those things… the Titanic was supposed to be unsinkable. I suppose it were a crap shoot to trust her too, Lol. But you know what I mean. At least I see my own abilities, including healing abilities generating from that superior source and running through me. I think everyone feels that. Thank you, I’d like what you wrote here and love your perspective carrier. My mother was an atheist, but connected to that energy.
I am silently amused when devout atheists also claim to believe in ghosts. Funny that, because believing in something from the spiritual world is, in my estimation, also tacit belief in the hereafter. Thoughts? FWIW, I have not only seen the manifestation of persons whom have passed to the next phase, but have felt their presence as if I were standing in the most powerful magnetic field imaginable. It took my breath away! When people say "the hair stood up on the back of my neck", it happens for real, and that is a phenomenon that will change your life forever. The few times this happened to me, I was left shaking, not exactly from fear, but as if I were in the presence of something more powerful and majestic than I could ever put into words. Thank you for the wonderful post.
I really enjoyed this exploration of ‘faith’. It is interesting; when seeking to conceptualise (in our human-ness) what lies beyond our human understanding… something our soul ‘knows’ in its expansiveness, something we haven’t invented language for … yet? Faith. Thank you 🙏
I am going to be doing likewise. Religions are by some called faiths and theirs systems of belief. Others say you don’t have to believe anything just give the practice ago.
We have been exercising faith for thousands of years and still the world is in an extremely precarious state. Faith may work for some, but not the whole. Humanity has been under the yoke of the government masters forever and we the slaves are still wondering when the tide will turn.
Lovely exploration of something that everyone has—faith. Atheists often argue that faith is religion. It is not. When they focus their atheism on that false principle they cannot understand that they themselves have faith—albeit in other things. Religions might be based on faith but they are not faith. They are structured doctrines that hope to teach history and practices and traditions to help people cope with life’s mysteries. Faith is indeed natural and it contains hope. Without both—we are as you so aptly describe it—empty vessels.
This is perfectly put, brother! I have nothing to add except... BRAVO! *wild applause
And thank you, for the gracious words! :-)
Last year I was almost a goner. A team of incredibly smart and intelligent medical professionals, doctors and nurses gave me renewed faith that I could breathe again. I had faith that once on the donor list they would find me a set of lungs. On June 3, 2023 I was given a gift so powerful that it renewed my faith in the advancement of medicine. What a joy waking up days later and being able to breathe with no supplemental oxygen. I owe my life to Dr. Lawrence and the faith he gave me when I needed it the most. Great article Stone, let’s have a cup of coffee.
That's a powerful story, Jeffrey, and I am happy you received the gift you did! Absolutely love this!
Thanks so much for sharing it, brother! *salute
Love your article except that I differ on the idea that it does not matter what we have faith in. For example, clearly we can not just “ trust the science” or have faith in our democracy etc etc etc We did not create ourselves plain and simple and a good start to seeking God
I am not going to disagree with you here, Holly - in retrospect, I probably should have added a segment about discernment. Live and write and learn, eh? ;-)
Happy you enjoyed the rest of the piece, however - thanks for the astute observations!
I always enjoy your writing when I do open my Substack ( I have been trying during the Dormition Fast to stay away from my phone tho not working so well but still trying lol) and I am glad you did not take offense at my comments I seem to be more critical of those whose work I appreciate. At least I notice that if there is something I am concerned about I try to give my thoughts. Maybe I should ask the writer for clarity instead eh? Thank you friend. Have a good day. We are all fine tuning our hearts and myself I am finding it a much more difficult task than I thought. 🙏😊
The loss of faith could be a good thing too if it's something false. Like, uh, humanity. Or my previous religion I left. I think it's healthy to question faith and revisit that.
One and only exception would be God.
The rest of ya, keep on keeping the faith.
Nice work again Stone. I really enjoy reading your articles.
I'm glad you enjoy them, brother - these really are my favorite types of articles, though they are oft the most challenging to write LOL
And you know how I feel about questioning... well, EVERYTHING ;-) To be honest, I think 'questioning' can actually serve to bolster Faith, if done so in the right spirit. Humble opinion, natch.
Appreciate ya, always *salute
We seem to be on a similar wavelength today my friend… the conversation of Faith came up in a discourse recently..
We were in a chase to deconstruct Faith and Expectation..
we surmised that faith can be foisted upon us through upbringing, parental or authority position…. That expectations were variables in trust…
Ultimately landing on the simplistic answer; Faith is belief in something you cannot necessarily explain and Expectation is a manipulation of what you believe is going to happen if…
Thank you for always ‘begging us’ to use our Brains on the daily!! I have The Expectation that you will continue. (Rolling on the floor laughing ) Yet, it’s possible, I simply have Faith in you as a super thought-ful Journalist/Writer…
"Faith is belief in something you cannot necessarily explain and Expectation is a manipulation of what you believe is going to happen if…"
That's brilliant, Jenn - and from what I can tell... spot-on! :-)
And it seems we are oft vibin' the same wave - probably why we get along so well ;-)
Wonderful thoughts, as always - thank you for sharing them... <3
Wonderful, and thought provoking piece Stone. Everyone has a different interpretation of faith specific for himself or herself. For me, faith is a special word reserved for my belief in the Supreme Being, because for me He can’t fail. I can’t have faith in humans, animals, the weather, a machine, a building, a merry-go-round. I can trust deeply for people like my husband. I know he will try his best to never fail me, but he’s invincible, and one day he might have an accident causing his failure. Those things… the Titanic was supposed to be unsinkable. I suppose it were a crap shoot to trust her too, Lol. But you know what I mean. At least I see my own abilities, including healing abilities generating from that superior source and running through me. I think everyone feels that. Thank you, I’d like what you wrote here and love your perspective carrier. My mother was an atheist, but connected to that energy.
What a beautiful comment, Charlotte! I admire your thoughts on this, and completely understand your perspective.
Oh, and the Titanic analogy? Perfect! :-)
Thanks so much, my friend - appreciate this...
2 Original Haiku on faith:
In quiet trust, light
Guides through shadowed paths unseen—
Faith blooms, unyielding.
In doubt’s deep waters,
Faith, a steady anchor holds,
Calm in the tempest.
Oh, I love these Lauren - kudos! <3
As George Michael sang: "You gotta have faith!" The organ at the beginning is lovely. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cs3Pvmmv0E
Good tunage, no doubt. 90's George was an awesome George ;-)
I am silently amused when devout atheists also claim to believe in ghosts. Funny that, because believing in something from the spiritual world is, in my estimation, also tacit belief in the hereafter. Thoughts? FWIW, I have not only seen the manifestation of persons whom have passed to the next phase, but have felt their presence as if I were standing in the most powerful magnetic field imaginable. It took my breath away! When people say "the hair stood up on the back of my neck", it happens for real, and that is a phenomenon that will change your life forever. The few times this happened to me, I was left shaking, not exactly from fear, but as if I were in the presence of something more powerful and majestic than I could ever put into words. Thank you for the wonderful post.
I really enjoyed this exploration of ‘faith’. It is interesting; when seeking to conceptualise (in our human-ness) what lies beyond our human understanding… something our soul ‘knows’ in its expansiveness, something we haven’t invented language for … yet? Faith. Thank you 🙏
Beautifully put, Simone - thank you for sharing it here, and for your kind words :-)
Thank you Stone 😊
I write about Faith a lot. My faith comes from observation, from paying attention.
100%. Exactly. I could not agree more, Elizabeth. *salute
i wrote about that observation recently here https://substack.com/@eleanorcarr/p-147409974
Are faith and belief the same thing?
That's a good question; from my perspective, it depends on the context. I'll have to give this some thought...
Thanks! Appreciate having my brain stretched a little bit, helps keep it healthy and vital :-)
I am going to be doing likewise. Religions are by some called faiths and theirs systems of belief. Others say you don’t have to believe anything just give the practice ago.
We have been exercising faith for thousands of years and still the world is in an extremely precarious state. Faith may work for some, but not the whole. Humanity has been under the yoke of the government masters forever and we the slaves are still wondering when the tide will turn.