Faith as a Universal Human Phenomenon

Human existence consists in freedom

dynamism of freedom to think
to commit the self with determination, to act in a stable and consistent manner
freedom to think, weighb alternatives, decide, dedicate the self, and act
purposefully
The full reality of freedom consists in action. Human existence resides in
freedom in action. Faith accompanies action.
Action is a quest that seeks to achieve new being. Usually, we strive towards the
infinite -> for the best, as you make choices depending on what you think is the
best.
negative contrast experience- each person must live in the face of
mortality and the fact of worldly extinction
world of pluralism- calls into question truth
to overcome these threats to human existence, one must possess
the human dynamism to overcome them.
The quest for salvaation has been inscribed into the very
structure and dynamics of human freedom in action
plurality - we live in various contexts and are faced with so many
choices. Yet, at the end of the day, we will still have to choose
amidst these circumstances (negative contrast experience and plurality),
people still choose to have a faith commitment. We willingly choose
to move forward.
God established human freedom as a capacity for infinity.
Nature of Faith : Faith as a human response
Both subjective and objective
objective: The proper object of faith is outside the self, God, the object of faith is
not chantaging The Christian Faith
subjective: You doing that response and making that commitment. We choose to
have faith.
Because of this, Faith is defined by Haight as a dynamic commitment of the whole of
human freedom in action
that being said, it is a commitment of the whole of you, of everything, and not
just a part of you
It takes the form of an engagement of all of a human beings energies and
powers. It is a decision to direct ones whole life in a certain way.
Faith is central because it emerges out of the center of ones free being. You
choose to commit to it. In this sense, it is active.
Faith is centering because it unifies, integrates and holds together all aspects of
the personality. it organizes your decisions and limits your freedom. In this
sense, it is passive. You let whatever you have faith in affect you as the values
you will possess will affect you. You will have to adjust
Faith and hope
Hope is defined as a deeper and more fundamental response to reality,

a sheer openness to and basic trust in the being itself- Concretization of faith
On a deep level of faith, faith and hope are indistinguishably one
Faith entails trust in and loyalty to historical existence in the past and present
and into the future simultaneously
The Object of Faith
Human freedom is geared towards tohe infinite, therefore the proper object of ones
faith is ought to be transcendent and beyond the self
This transcendence is arrived at by measuring the nature of faith against hte inner
stimulus or drive that gives rise to it.
Faith involves reaching out for and clinging to this transcendent object, beyond the
finitude of this world.
Faith and Knowing
Because the object of faith is transcendent, it cannot be known in the ordinary sense of
human knowing yet faith has a cognitive dimension
Faith is not empirical knowledge - knowledge in a sense that it has directly available
evidence
Knowing in the finite sense - finite reality, depending on empirical evidence,
verifiable
Faith commitments have a different way of knowing compared to natural
sciences
Because the object of faith cannot be known in the ordinary sense, faith is then
a human response. Thus, there is an importance or having experiences of faith,
as faith commitments are usually called from experiences. Through experiences,
we are able to recognize this transcendent object of faith.
Although faith and ordinary human knowing are different, faith interacts with knowing
and knowledge. They cannot be separated.
Faith interacts with the human power of imagination - one begins to form
images of this transcendent object of faith even though it is transcendent. This is
an interpretation of what the object of faith is, based on their objective personal
experiences.
Faiths interpretation of its object bends back to interpret the world - this
understanding of the transcendent object shapes how one interprets the world.
Your faith in God is reflected in how you see the world.
Faith always coexists with ideologies - systems of understanding this worldly
reality. Ideologies are understandings of the world based on empirical data. They
are inseparable because faith cannot exist without an understanding of the
world, yet human beings also cannot maintain ideologies about the world without
some underlying interpretation by faith. Ideally, these should be consistent yet
most of the time, there is no consensus on whether these ideologies are parallel.
Faith and knowing about this world are qualitatively distinct human responses,
yet they are inseparable and mutually interpenetrate and influence each other
Faith and Beliefs
Faith is not belief. Beliefs are the expressions of faith

Faith is more than believing

Believing is a subjective human response, accepting something true on the
basis of testimony or word of another.
Belief has an objective meaning, an expression of that which is believed. It is an
objective characterization in language and concept of the object of believing and
the object of faith.
beliefs d but their meaning and validity as construals of transcendent reality can
only come from faith itself
Beliefs translate ordinary knowledge of the world into faiths objectification
Beliefs do not necessarily lose their meaning apart from faith, they can be translated
to communicate a certain message in public disclosure
There is a need to be able to translate the message to something intelligible
They can also stimulate or mediate faith in those who did not have it in this
specific object
Affirmations of belief statements as true requires faith
Beliefs of different people may not necessarily stem from the same faith
commitment, so they may not necessarily be true
Beliefs can (and should) change. Faith may also change.
Beliefs - the way we articulate what we understand, more commonly change
The way we articulate faith should also adapt to the signs of the times, need to
know which is which
Object of faith can remain unchanged despite different beliefs about it.
There can be one faith and different beliefs about the object of faith.
There as been a pluralism of successive beliefs
Faith as Praxis
Faith is primarily constituted by action
seen in what you do
More than just words
lifelong commitment to that object of faith and dedicating ones life in pursuit of it
faith guides and directs ones actions
Ones faith lies in a fundamental option, which consists in the radical orientation
of a person at any given time
For this reason, it is difficult to tell what defines ones deepest faith. Asking
ourselves, what do we really live for? Its hard to tell what one is oriented to
because one will have to determine where your decisions are taking you.
From small things, they can develop into bigger things.
If you really want to know what you are committed to, look at your actions