XPost: alt.agnosticism, alt.atheism, alt.talk.creationism   
   XPost: sci.skeptic   
   From: malte_runz@forgitit.dk   
      
   "felix_unger"  skrev i meddelelsen news:chvtrhFn36rU1@mid.individual.net...   
      
   (snip)   
      
   > I honestly don't see what your/the problem is!   
      
   It'll be clear very soon.   
      
   >   
   >   
   > faith:   
   >   
   > noun   
   >   
   > 1. confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability.   
   >   
   > 2.belief that is not based on proof:He had faith that the hypothesis would   
   > be substantiated by fact.   
   >   
   > 3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm   
   > faith of the Pilgrims.   
   >   
   > 4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to   
   > be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.   
   >   
   > 5. a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.   
   >   
   > 6. the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement,   
   > etc.: Failure to appear would be breaking faith.   
   >   
   > 7. the observance of this obligation; fidelity to one's promise, oath,   
   > allegiance, etc.: He was the only one who proved his faith during our   
   > recent troubles.   
   >   
      
   Ready? You can use the word faith to describe 7 different 'things' (for lack   
   of a better word). So, your 'faith is faith' is sinking fast.   
      
   >   
   > ANY belief requires a degree of faith that the belief is true. ...   
      
   Some only 0,1% as you pointed out yourself.   
   ("[my lack of belief in pink unicorns] is both faith and reason, but in this   
   case 99.9% reason")   
      
   > ... if there is a lot of evidence to support a belief then there is very   
   > little faith (or as you say confidence) involved. ...   
      
   Like that an airplane can fly. 0.1% faith.   
      
   > ... but without much evidence to support a belief, then a lot of faith is   
   > needed in order to sustain the belief. ...   
      
   Like a belief that the pink unicorns do exist. 99.9% faith   
      
   > ... where is the problem?   
      
   The problem is, that you equate the importance of 0.1%  faith it takes to   
   not believe in gods with the 99.9% faith it takes to believe in one of them,   
   when you compare the rationality behind atheism and theism respectively.   
      
   Only the apologetic for theism will claim that "faith is faith". The rest of   
   us try to be much more specific and careful when we use words with ambiguous   
   meanings.   
      
   --   
   Malte Runz   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)