"Belief" it or not!

If you have ever talked to a religious person, you probably have heard them say something similar to "I am a person of faith" in a proud and distinguished manner. Today we tackle the issue of faith. According to the Merriam-Webster's dictionary belief is

- a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing.

and one definition for faith is

- firm belief in something for which there is no proof.


So in our "civilized" society and "progressive" culture, it is a virtue to have firm belief in something, in which there is no proof. In some instances, it is not just a virtue but perhaps a necessity. If someone wants to run for public office anywhere in America, they have to claim at some point during their campaign that they are a person of faith. Last year at a debate for the Republican nomination, politicians jumped at the idea that evolution does not exist. It was as ridiculous as people vying to get the title: the most ignorant person.

Every statistical study and survey I have read that was done to scientists shows that scientists are usually atheists. 93% among all members of the National Academy of Sciences are in fact atheists. I am going to go ahead and make the assumption that scientists are pretty much the smartest category we can tap, it is also the same category where evolution, the big bang and stem-cell research are not controversial but necessary.

If you keep investigating faith and belief, you will find the above argument repeating itself: more educated and smart people have none and more not have lots of it. Now to quell an argument, I do not think that every smart and educated person is an atheist or every religious person is stupid. My argument was if you look at the vast majority of people, this would be the conclusion you arrive at.

It is not a virtue to claim that you are a person of faith, because all it takes is being suppressed in a religious family and brain-washed to believe. Most religious people I know, know less about their religion than I do and still claim that they have faith because God loves them. There is absolutely no difference between Christians, Muslims and Jews in the point that all believe in something for which there is no proof. All three religions claim God and his prophets performed great miracles 5000, 2000 and 1400 years ago but not now. How can I believe in a miracle that happened 5000 years ago when I can not find the truth about much simpler and recent issues. If my wife and I cannot agree on who was the last person to water the plants or take out the garbage, how are we expected to agree on what God told Abraham in the middle of the desert alone, 5 millennia ago? Apparently God does not love me.