I'm going to continue talking about how logic is used in faith. Using your example, if a person sees people suffering horribly in the world, he may think, "There must be a reason." Is it an accurate inference? Maybe not, but it is an inference nonetheless, derived from the suffering he sees. From his last statement, he may think, "What is the reason?" "Well, maybe it's that someone is testing us; testing us to see if we are worthy of a reward in the afterlife. Maybe this suffering I see is something I need to help cure, so that I may ensure my place in a happier afterlife."
It is logic, without necessarily empirical evidence. It's just inference at work.
I don't have the leisure time to be as organized and detailed in my writing as some of the greats like FineLine and Jennifer, but I'm going to try.
Similar to what I quoted, I was wondering how comparable self-esteem, or belief in one's own worth, is comparable to faith in a higher being. I think self-esteem may work in a similar way to the way many in this thread believe faith in God works.
I think it was Nemo that said that he thought comfort was a crackpot reason to believe in God. But what about things like self-esteem and confidence? Comfort seems to be a big reason to have faith in one's capabilities, or to think that one is worthwhile and valuable. Usefulness and efficiency also seem to be reasons people can use either to have faith in themselves or in God, or, in the unique individual, both.
Why do any of us feel worthwhile as human beings? For example, there's an overwhelming amount of evidence that says that we do not really matter, isn't there? Whatever talent we may have, or gift, it will always be lesser in comparison to
someone's.
Furthermore, we're not always tangibly appreciated by others; we can't really depend on others to boost us up, make us feel good about ourselves, or tell us that we're understood, because people aren't reliable sources of self-esteem. They simply aren't.
If we look purely at the empirical evidence, there's often a lot of evidence that says we should feel like shit, isn't there? We make dozens of decisions that could be considered mistakes every day, perhaps even every hour. If we simply looked at our past, there might be little evidence to give us reason to have confidence in ourselves. So what do we set our self-esteem and self-worth on? What reason do we have to be confident in our abilities, or simply confident in ourselves? Especially if we look to our achievements and accomplishments to fuel our self-worth, we may often feel utterly inadequate in the face of our failures and setbacks. So what do we use? Why do any of us have self-confidence?
Well, there are probably a million different reasons, but I'm going to talk about a few that I think can be used both for having faith in religion as well as having faith in oneself.
One reason may be that many of us simply acknowledge, consciously or unconsciously, that confidence is efficient. It is useful. It is needed to work and live with minimal psychological stress and trauma. Belief in ourselves as worthwhile beings is not ONLY a comfort, but perhaps a necessity to functioning. If we feel utterly shitty about ourselves, how will we ever take risks, put ourselves out there in order to gain something, or submit ourselves or our work to scrutiny? Essentially, how will we live, without at least the barest sense of confidence in what we have to offer the world, and without the barest sense of worth as a human being?
Similarly, religious beliefs can be useful, efficient, and absolutely necessary for working and living with minimal psychological stress and trauma. Do you realize how many religious people say they just can't imagine how lonely and lost they'd be if they didn't have their faith, and if they didn't have their religious community and parish for socialization and support? I know what this is like, because I went to eight years of Catholic grade school and used to think along these lines. I ask you to compare that to how lonely and lost many would feel if they didn't believe in themselves or feel worthwhile as persons.
Religion itself gives people confidence and self-worth. The idea that someone will love them in their hardest and most lonely times is more than a comfort; it is a colossal
support, and, sometimes, an essential one. Some people feel overwhelmed with hopelessness and meaninglessness when they have a lapse in faith; knowing that the most supreme being loves you and considers you one of His beautiful children, created in His divine image, is a good source of purpose, self-esteem and self-worth for many (on the flipside, it is also a good source of guilt for many, because God is perceived as being unhappy when one does not follow His guidelines).
Purpose. That someone loves them and will reward them if they are good on earth gives people someone to perform well for, and something to work toward; purpose. There's no denying the astronomical amount of suffering in the world. Many people see this suffering and subsequently see their faith as a blessing on the world, because they know that with God watching, it gives everyone who believes he is watching an extra reason to be good and kind to others. So faith establishes purpose and efficiency at the same time.
Similarly, many people simply acknowledge that they cannot function without something comforting to fall back on. Many turn to self-esteem and self-compassion. Again, there seems to be little good, empirical evidence to give a person reason to like themselves or feel good about themselves if that person simply looks at his or her behaviors and successes. We're each one in about seven billion people. Someone will always outshine us in every area. So are we just completely delusional when we have a sense of self-worth, comparable to the level of delusion people have when they believe in a higher power?
I compare the faith that many people place in God to the faith that I place in myself, and it is quite a logical faith, though it does take some creative license, I suppose. I try not to beat myself up over things, because I know that it is unnecessary and probably unhelpful in regard to my improvement. I consider myself the originator and arbiter of most of my wants and needs, as well as most of my resources and solutions; I am essentially, though not entirely, my own salvation; nearly everything I need and want is provided by me, in the same way that God, to many people, is the provider of all they want and need. "Ask and ye shall receive," and all that. They put God first; I, selfish and egotistical as it sounds, put myself first. I have many very logical reasons to do so, but one could also argue that I have no hard-and-fast proof of how worthy I am, in the grand scheme of things. I cite efficiency, usefulness, comfort, support, and probably a few other, possibly secondary things I can't think of right now, for having "faith" in myself and my value. Am I delusional?
P.S. I really liked Elfinchild's comments on inarticulate and articulate faith. Or was it inarticulate and articulate logic?