There are two types of faith, these are: having trust in someone and acknowledging something to be true. Faith is the ability to trust someone or something without having sufficient reasons as to why you trust that someone or something. Further faith is acknowledging that something is true without having reasons as to why that thing is true. Lack of reasons does not infer the inability of thinking. Faith does not grow or rest upon reasons.
As stated above, there are two types of faith. These are: trust in someone and acknowledging truth without valid reasons.
- The first type of faith (trust) is expressed in the continuity of the nation which one is born in and he is a member. It is believed that God has covenanted with the nation. The community which he is born in practices a certain faith and he automatically becomes part of the members practicing this type of faith. An illustration of this is the early period of Israel. The faith which the community of Israelis practiced resulted into the faith of the nation. This means that being born in the early Israeli nation or community automatically makes a person of that faith.
- The second type of faith (acknowledging something to be true) is expressed by conversion of faith.A human being has to acknowledge certain beliefs to be true. An example of this type of faith is the period of early Christianity. The ancient Israelis who believed in the death and resurrection of the great son (Jesus) got salvation. As a result they were converted. Conversion only occurred if they believed that the great son died and was resurrected.
There are various philosophical issues that arise from Buber’s writings. These are: trust in someone (as a type of faith) can be looked at in another way as affective faith: acknowledgement of truth can be looked at as cognitive faith.
Affective faith is emotional and personal. This type of faith gives assurance of peace and tranquility, that there is a provider for everything. This form of trust can be expressed by action. That is, willing fully being ready to do anything for the person you have trust in. As seen in our society today’s society, extremists of a certain faith usually go out of their way to express this form of faith. For instance Jihad war by the Muslim faith.
Trust in someone (type of faith) connotes dependency on some Supreme Being. This type of faith is that of a relationship with the person you believe in.
Cognitive faith is the affirmation of truth, that certain propositions about God are true. Reasons for the affirmation are irrelevant. One can perhaps say intellectual acceptance of truth. For example belief in justice is an affirmation that justice actually exists. As asserted by one author,” some forms of “belief-in” can be reduced to “belief-that.” Belief in fairies, for instance, is just another way of affirming that fairies exist; no relationship of trust is implied in such.” (Price, p1-27) In this form of faith there is no assurance of any form of tranquility or peace. It is basically a belief that certain type of information are true.
Finally another philosophical issue that arises is that of reasons. Having trust in someone or acknowledging the truth of certain information does not require reasons. Lack of reasons does not imply inability to think. This is because faith does not emanate from reasons.
Works Cited
Price. Habberley “Belief-In and Belief-That.” Religious Studies, Vol. I, No. 1 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1965. Print.