Quote:
Originally Posted by Aelswyth
To me, all faith starts out with an intellectual conviction of some kind. One cannot just "have faith" based on nothing at all; that is why we have been given scriptures, prophets, even scholarly research, to help us begin to exercise faith - to give us something on which to base it
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"Intellectual" implies prior knowledge acquired thru rational/inquiry means, which may or may not be the case for most people so we can not expect that to be true even most of the time. Most people have a "social awareness" (traditions, conversations, historical account) of religion and God. Such can not be construed as intellectual, in my opinion since they have never question the surrounding body of knowledge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aelswyth
But I think most people need some kind of basis and confirmation for the things they believe to be true. I certainly do. I believe in this Church because of a spiritual confirmation from the Holy Ghost, but also because of my own purely mental conviction that, from a rational and logical standpoint, it doesn't make any sense for these things to have been falsified or invented in some way. I find there is too much corroborative evidence from multiple sources to dismiss the claims of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and the teachings of the Church. So I have faith in that which is unknown, because I am convinced by that which IS known
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I am not a big believer in the need for "evidence or intellectual experience" to perfect or strengthen the faith. For 150 years faithful LDS lived and worked for the building of the Kingdom of God on the earth without a thread of "evidence". as we refer to it today. Faith is built and strengthened by the Spirit as we live in obedience to the commandments, as we engage in His work and study His word. The blessings mount, your insight is multiplied, your strength increases and the reach of the priesthood to act, influence and modify the very world around us is augmented. I can truly and sincerely testify to that effect.
The whole historical background of faith point to a progression that goes from the physical manifestations of God (burning bushes, voices from heaven, angels, etc) to a a testimony of Him based on faith rather than evidence. Meaning that, you must believe and the manifestation re-affirming your belief is shown forth after the fact. You must read the scriptures, but the intention must be that of faithful inquiry not an intellectual exercise. Most biblical archaeologists as not religious people at all. They have no interest in the spiritual claims of the text.
Your argument is eloquent, but it draws from a rational root that is simple not supported by the biblical record. The experiment ALWAYS begins with faith, which is the hope for things not yet known but true. It starts with the heart-felt desire inspired by the Spirit to get to know more about God and to get closer to Him. Anything else is indeed an intellectual exercise, which in my sometimes less than humble opinion, could be the first step in a very slippery slope if your faith is not solidly rooted.
What do you think?