Message #2690

[Martin]

Largely, we have that faith because of what we have experienced in the past, or at least have seen what others have experienced in the past.  As a result, we can be pretty certain about how things will pan out.

I don't think that's true Andy.  It doesn't seem to me that experience of life is what builds faith. For example, if one relied on experience, most people, having never seen a miracle, would never assert that supernatural, miraculous events occur.  Yes there will be some unexplained events in their experience, but experience would also teach them that some events that were previously unexplained, end up having perfectly natural explanations. Often Christians believe what they believe, not because of experience, but despite experience.  They believe what they believe because of what they've been told by other Christians, or because of the accounts in the Bible - but most importantly because it gives them something.


If people really stepped back and took a completely objective view, based only on experience and reason, their beliefs would change dramatically.