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I think it depends on what you mean by faith. Maybe if you defined that first, I could take a crack at your questions.
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Usually, when people refer to the term faith, they are talking about religion or spiritual this or spiritual that. And then, when people are referring to fact, they think of science and experimentation and all that. But could you switch it a little and say that some scientists have faith in fact and some religious people treat faith AS fact? I ask that, because I wonder if maybe there is something in between the two where humans can live with understanding, but also live with vision. There are many people who live with fact, but they can be very stuck in their opinions (just as there are people on the faith side that do the same).
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Usually, when people refer to the term faith, they are talking about religion or spiritual this or spiritual that. And then, when people are referring to fact, they think of science and experimentation and all that. But could you switch it a little and say that some scientists have faith in fact and some religious people treat faith AS fact? I ask that, because I wonder if maybe there is something in between the two where humans can live with understanding, but also live with vision. There are many people who live with fact, but they can be very stuck in their opinions (just as there are people on the faith side that do the same).
But, to answer your question, I would have to agree with those who said that "fact" is opposite faith. :)
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I agree with @PauperJoe . The opposite of faith is fact.
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I agree with @PauperJoe . The opposite of faith is fact.
You don't need to have faith in something if you know it's true.
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Faith, being a belief that is unsupported by fact, would be the opposite of knowledge.
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Faith, being a belief that is unsupported by fact, would be the opposite of knowledge.
Faith, in the sense of trust (I put my faith in him), would be the opposite of skepticism.
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I think you're right that doubt is not the opposite of faith. Faith, to me, is the act of overcoming doubt. So doubt is actually a necessary component of faith.
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I think you're right that doubt is not the opposite of faith. Faith, to me, is the act of overcoming doubt. So doubt is actually a necessary component of faith.
I think the opposite of faith is paralysis, since to perform any action in the world requires some sort of faith.
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Well lexically it would be faithless. But then what is faithless? I have to disagree with the fear one; just because you don't believe in something, it doesn't necessarily mean you are afraid of it. I like the fact idea, but again I have to disagree. There's a lot of things (namely religion) we don't have faith in, but cannot completely disprove. With these factors in mind I would say the opposite of faith is discourage. Simply not to feel comfortable confiding in a certain concept, theory or person.
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To me, the opposite of faith is fact. You don't need faith if you know something is a fact.
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The answer is so simple: It is disbelief! Not doubt. There is a difference. Think of it in terms of a roller coaster ride, which life is sometimes analogized to. You can have faith that the ride will safely take you on a wild and fun experience that is surely not to be missed and will bring you back to where you started OR you can disbelieve the fact that the ride isn't safe and you are better off not participating in it and should miss the experience altogether. Your answer to the opposite of faith is SOLVED! So get back on the roller coaster.
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evil is to good as faith is to _____
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evil is to good as faith is to _____
a. fact
b. reason
c. knowledge
d. banana
choose the best answer.
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Faith is believing something to be objectively true in the teeth of an emotional attack. That is, I could believe that anesthetics work, but still panic when the doctor clasps the mask over my mouth, and, for that moment, to disbelieve, not because of any rational reason, but simply because my animal self is panicking. It's the same thing with religion. Having faith does not mean believing something contrary to evidence that is not in support of it, but believing something to be true even when emotions get in the way. It is hard, as I know, to have faith when your friends disbelieve what you think to be true, and how nice it would be if my beliefs did not condemn the telling of lies or the ridiculing of a particularly dislikable person. The opposite of this would be the contented worldly person who believes what he or she likes whenever his or her life happens to make that the most desirable belief. It is being a rabbit rather than a man.
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If you are referring to faith as in belief in a nonmaterial higher entity then I feel the opposite of faith would be the denial of anything anti-material or anything that is unapproachable by objective science. The whole basis of faith is exactly that, it is "faith" there is no approachable evidence offered by modern objective science that can either confirm or deny it. So to be on the faith opposition is to be a naturalist, or follow naturalism. Naturalism is not an easy system either. Essentially as a naturalist, one denies every theory or thought that is unapproachable by modern objective science.
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If you are referring to faith as in belief in a nonmaterial higher entity then I feel the opposite of faith would be the denial of anything anti-material or anything that is unapproachable by objective science. The whole basis of faith is exactly that, it is "faith" there is no approachable evidence offered by modern objective science that can either confirm or deny it. So to be on the faith opposition is to be a naturalist, or follow naturalism. Naturalism is not an easy system either. Essentially as a naturalist, one denies every theory or thought that is unapproachable by modern objective science.
"Naturalists have a lot more work to do than simply rejecting God; they bear the responsibility of understanding how to live a meaningful life in a universe without built-in purpose." - Sean Carroll
Here is a video link to Sean Carroll making the case for atheism and naturalism
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2012/05/07/the-case-for-naturalism/
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http://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faith
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http://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faith
kinda depends on which definition of "faith" you use. and in what context
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The opposite of faith is knowledge. You can only have faith in things you do not know. This is not to say that faith is somehow congruent with ignorance, but rather that faith can only be exercised in the absence of proof. Once a thing is proven it is no longer an article of faith, but rather a fact. A small child stands on the side of a pool facing its mother who is standing in the pool saying "Jump in . . I will catch you". No matter how many times this scene has been repeated, it is always an act of faith for the child to jump, because it cannot be known that the mother will catch it until it has happened. A contract is a faith based agreement. A good credit score is a recommendation for faith in a borrower. Stepping on the brake pedal in your car is a act of faith. Putting faith in someone or something is such a common occurrence that we almost never think about how many acts of faith we perform in the course of a single day. I would say that your agnostic friend does not have a problem with faith, but rather with where you choose to place yours, which is a entirely different argument.
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To me , it would certainly be reason within this thought , the search for truth has two wings like a bird , one wing is faith and the other is reason . Without the two wings being equally developed, the search for truth will not fly .
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How about Cynicism based on this definition:
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How about Cynicism based on this definition:
a Greek philosophy of the 4th century B.C. advocating the doctrines that virtue is the only good, that the essence of virtue is self-control and individual freedom, and that surrender to any external influence is beneath the dignity of man. — Cynic, n. — Cynical, adj.
I was ready to agree with skepticism but a skeptic wants proof and seeing as how faith in God...because that's the kind of faith you are referring to right?...may be impossible to prove to the standards of a specific skeptic, it may not be directly aligned as opposite.
A cynic however has a specific view that opposes the actual existence of God. Seems more oppositional to me.
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Well, to define the opposite of a concept, you must first define the concept. What does "faith" mean to you? Give us that and we can work on the antonym.
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Not believing the hype...anything that has to do with faith in an unknown entity requires a "call "a heralding ,to believe in something that is un tangible..Having full belief in outcomes and effects..of the faith which is held, to the believer...
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I know the opposite of anything is the lack of the term itself, I'm looking for more of a contrasting abstract concept than just its absence.
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Faith? It depends on the kind of faith. There are kinds of faith that can be based on experience or justification--the common example is that I have faith my mother loves me, even though love is an abstract concept and cannot be conclusively proven.
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Faith? It depends on the kind of faith. There are kinds of faith that can be based on experience or justification--the common example is that I have faith my mother loves me, even though love is an abstract concept and cannot be conclusively proven.
On the other hand, in modern western society, faith is usually used to refer to religious faith. I this case, faith basically means to believe in something without reason (ex. Jesus is 100% man and 100% God. This makes no sense, but you must believe in it by means of faith) or without evidence (Sure, the world may SEEM to be one that is absent of any God, but you have to have faith that he exists).
So, the opposite would be reason and evidence.
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Is there only one? - No, faith can encompass so many things. Faith in god or faith that you will turn your homework in on time. Faith is basically just another word for trust that someone or something will pull through when you need it but there is no guarantee.
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Is there only one? - No, faith can encompass so many things. Faith in god or faith that you will turn your homework in on time. Faith is basically just another word for trust that someone or something will pull through when you need it but there is no guarantee.
Is an opposite necessary? - No, the opposite of having faith is not having faith. You can sort of have faith which I guess puts you back into the realm of agnosticism.
Debating religion, faith and beliefs is sort of like trying to explain the color red to someone who was blind from birth. You aren't going to get anywhere. State you opinions understanding they are your opinions, answer any questions they pose and then make your peace and move on.
As it is in the Baha'i faith, 'it's about the personal investigation of truth,' and it's no one elses job to tell anyone else how to think or see the world. IF they see your side and hop over, cool, if you hope over to their side, cool.
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But isn't doubt a healthy part of faith? Having faith means there is no certainty, so being skeptical and asking questions is a large part of it.
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