In his book titled “The Selfish Gene” published in 1976, British biologist, evolutionist, leftist and an atheist, Richard Dawkins, argued that faith is a “blind trust” in the absence of evidence even in the teeth of evidence.
Building on Dawkins’ argument, faith is defined as a trust, fidelity and confidence based on some degree of warrant but not on a proof therefore; a religious definition of faith is a trust in religious doctrines or teachings based on spiritual convictions rather than proof.
In one of his orations, Oxford’s Centre for Christian apologetic’s academic tutor, Tom Price hypothesised that the new testament of the Christian Bible used the word faith in its content, of which the word’s origin and development is known to have evolved from a Greek root “Pistis”, which means “to be persuaded” via a Latin word Fidem (trust) until the English coined their version “feith/faith” via an Anglo-French word “Feid”, he also argued that faith is independent of reason.
In dealing with Christianity, as one of the ancient religious teachings that embrace faith as a major element of its teachings in theism which constitute the dogmatic concepts and sacred principles of Christianity, we evaluate the concept of faith in general and Christian faith in particular.
What actuality does faith establish? Faith neither establishes truth nor does it hold good reasons or valid evidence in its claims. It is part of the belief based on the poor knowledge and reason, Dawkins went on to criticise that “faith is a belief without evidence, a process of active non-thinking”, it is more like pretending to know something you do not know about.
Let us take an example of a Christian faith in a god, an omnipresent one, which believes that by faith this God is in existence and the same God can protect over him/her, by extension there is no evidence of existence neither do the people see evidence of protection, it is all fake and fallacious, reason is substituted by faith and there is no plausible evidence produced to validate such a belief. At one occasion, even American theologian, pastor and author Grey Boyd argued to the contrary that faith includes doubt, obedience to god but to the extent that faith is not fideism.
The validity or warrant of faith or a belief depends on the strength of the evidence on which the belief is based, with a Christian God that is believed to be omnipresent (present everywhere), by logic and reason neither the premises nor the conclusion are true or reasonable because there is no material evidence produced so to say God is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient, it is all fallacious, unreasonable and invalid. In the absence of valid evidence, it does not convey any sensible meaning to humankind because there are no reasonable grounds that can warrant such a belief to become a true belief.
Unlike for a Christian faith, a good interpretation of a valid faith is a well-grounded basis of opinions beyond any reasonable doubt. It cannot be correct that faith includes doubt; we cannot by reason and logic take doubt as a component to construct absolute truths. A Christian faith is, therefore, reasonably false and fictional.
In epistemology, the study of knowledge; some scholars argued that faith and reason are hostile to each other and that faith is superior at arriving at truths. While faith and knowledge are required for spiritual growth, the amount of truth generated through faith is quite sceptical given the invalidity of evidence presented for such truths.
Christianity is one misconception of the ancient religious doctrines, seeking religious transactions through devotions milking the hope of the poor under the pretext of faith and miracles. One cannot take faith for its sake but for a good reason and valid evidence. In the absence of reason in its diction, Christianity faces a cerebral liquidation. It is because of its own contradiction and illogicality via faith that Christianity will eventually die an intellectual death.
In the light of spiritual liberation of people and due to supreme logic and reason, we have reached a hypothesis that faith in general and that of a Christian kind in particular are sceptical and uncertain to trust, in disbelief of such suspicious teachings, here remain a theistically disengaged community of left-wing religious principles that embraces a religious leftist style of free-thinking, the community born of reason and logic that is critical of theism – the sacrosanct atheists. The invalids of Christian faith and its illogicality should face a litmus test.
- Shivute Kaapanda is a leftist writer from Eyanda village, Namibia