Faith Is Useless

Why Faith Is Not A Pathway To Determining Truth

Faith is belief without evidence, and one’s belief in God, and the extraordinary claims of the Bible, are the only beliefs they hold through faith. When the fuel gauge on their car shows it’s almost empty, that is evidence they need gas. When they vote for a political candidate, they are voting based on the evidence they have acquired about that candidate. When they look outside and see dark clouds in the sky, that is evidence it could potentially rain. When they’re thirsty, that is evidence they need to drink.

They may claim to hold other beliefs in faith, but they do not. For example, one may argue they have faith in another person; this is not faith but confidence. This confidence was established through their existing knowledge of the person, which is, in fact, evidence. One could claim they have faith that the sun will rise in the morning. But this is not a belief of faith. Why? Because they have evidence the sun rose every morning prior. One could claim they have faith that their children will become decent human beings, but this is not faith; this is hope.

We could believe anything on faith, and we could be right. We could also be wrong. I could believe, through faith, that Bigfoot was real. I could be right, and I could be wrong. Evidence is the only way we could determine if Bigfoot was real. If we have no evidence, what can we use to assess its likeliness to be true? Faith provides absolutely no utility in the pursuit of truth. 

On September 11, 2011, hijackers intentionally flew two planes into the World Trade Center. This event would be one of the most significant terror attacks ever on American soil. Over 2,700 people died that day in New York City, with 343 of those being firefighters attempting to save innocent people. The terrorists who committed this atrocity believed, through faith, that Allah was the true God.

I was a Christian up until my late 20’s. My culture and the people I associated with influenced what I thought to be true, similar to the 9/11 terrorists. Had those terrorists been born and raised in a culture that practiced another religion, the likelihood that they’d be Islamic is far less. Similarly, if I’d been born in a country like Iraq, my chances of believing in the Christian god would not be very high.

Many claim they are convinced that their god is the only true god, but they are convinced with faith, the same reason others with a different god are convinced. They may think they have good reasons for their beliefs, and others, such as Islamic terrorists, have bad reasons for their beliefs, but they think the same. They are just as convinced that their god is the only real god. Their faith is so strong that they will sacrifice their lives and kill others.

It is ironic how the Christian religion harps so much on faith. Yet, there are many accounts of the Christian god allegedly using power to persuade people, such as the plagues of Egypt, the burning bush, and the blinding light that appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus. These events wouldn’t have required faith if they had happened. One of the reasons Jesus reportedly performed miracles was to prove that he was the son of God. Even Jesus, the alleged author and finisher of our faith, knew that he’d have to provide evidence before anyone would be convinced of his claim. Faith is useless, even to a supposed god.

Often, when people can’t think of a better reason for something they deem unusual or miraculous, they jump ahead with faith and claim God must have done it. The other day, I talked to someone who claimed that God healed a woman from a condition that almost always clears up on its own over time.

I personally know several people who have been having treatments for cancer. One, in particular, is seeing major improvement. Does he credit the years of chemotherapy? No, he credits God. I am often very puzzled by people like this because if they believe their god is healing them, why are they receiving medical treatment?

Some even claim their god lives inside them. They believe, through faith, they can feel his presence, and he guides them through their daily life. How do they know it's their god and not another god? When someone says they “feel god,” they base that on something they cannot possibly know. How did they rule out it wasn’t internal joy, sadness, confirmation, conviction, or something else?

Early Greeks believed that lightning was a weapon of Zeus because they didn’t understand science and electricity. Poseidon, the god of the sea, was also called "Earth-shaker" and was believed to cause earthquakes when angry. In many cultures, even relatively recently, solar eclipses were seen as omens or divine displeasure. Before understanding psychological and neurological disorders, conditions such as schizophrenia, epilepsy, or even depression were attributed to possession by demons or divine punishment.

When one jumps ahead and assumes they know the answer to their unknowns without sufficient evidence, they are operating on faith. We have already established that faith is not a pathway to truth.

Many never even consider there could be other known or unknown reasons for their unexplained experiences. There could even be scientific explanations that haven’t been discovered. Yet, people still credit their god for healing, blessings, curses, and many other happenings. Our universe may have gods, but we don’t get a rational pass to add god to the list of possibilities until we have evidence. Until then, we’re acting on faith, like the Islamic terrorists. They believe what they believe for the same reasons - faith.