Rough draft of Faith Is Not Just Religion!

Faith Is Not Just Religion!

Faith has many ways to show it’s an important part of our lives. Through different meanings, reasoning, and organization one can see that faith is not just our religion but something we truly believe in.

Thesis Statement: Examining the basic meaning, the reasoning behind, and the organization of faith, faith is also about what people believe in rather than just religion.

            Faith can be defined in so many different ways. The dictionary definition of faith is “the theological virtue defined as secure belief in GOD and a trusting acceptance of GOD’s will”. www.allaboutreligion.org/definition-of-faith-faq.htm Faith can also be defined as “confidence or trust in a person or thing, belief that’s not based on proof, belief in GOD, or in the doctrines or teachings of religion.” You may also describe it as having “belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc. a system of religious beliefs, the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc.” www.dictionary.references.com/browse/faith

            The word faith is so much more than just religion it can be based on inductive and deductive reasoning.” Our faith comes from our ability to reason about evidence. We can only develop faith in something when we have enough evidence to support it. The more evidence we have to support a belief, the more faith we have in it. We learn to have faith in something by repeated experience with cause and effect. For example, if I throw a red ball in the air, and it falls back down. I throw it up again, and it falls back down again. Through inductive reasoning, I eventually develop faith that the next time I throw the red ball up, it will fall back down because that’s what I have observed before. Our conclusion from inductive reasoning may develop generalization. I may develop a generalization that all balls fall back down when thrown in the air, so every time I throw any ball, not just the red ball, up in the air, I will have faith that it will fall back down.” www.kristensguide.com/Happiness/Religion/Faith.asp Faith can also be learned through deductive reasoning. “For example if I develop a generalization that everything my mother tells me is true, and my mother tells me that every time I throw a ball up in the air, it will fall back down, then I develop faith that if I throw a ball up, it will come back down, even if I have never thrown a ball or seen a ball thrown up in the air before.” www.kristensguide.com/Happiness/Religion/Faith.asp so you can see through inductive and deductive reasoning that your faith is not only from religion, it can be based on simply seeing or just believing in something.

            According to adherents the United States follows 22 major religions. Here is a breakdown of some of those religions and a approximate amount of people that follow that religion. Christianity is the largest religion followed with 2.1 billion followers. Islam has 1.5 billion followers here in the United States. We also have non-religious or Atheist with 1.1 billion choosing not to give their religion a title. 900 million Americans chose to follow Buddhism as their religion. There is also primal-indigenous and 300 million are a part of that group. There is also African traditional and diasporic with 100 million of the United States following this religion. There is also Sikhism with 23 million followers here in America. www.adherents.com/Religion_By_Adherents.html That is just a few of the 22 major religions being studied in the United State, but , all these numbers are approximate to how many people are studying these religions today because the study is from 2005. The United States Census reports that in their worldwide survey study taken in 2008, 34,169 United State citizens have no religion. They are considered to be atheist, agnostic, humanist, secular, or simple have no religion. The 2008 census survey also reports that 236,951 reported to claim some type of religion such as, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Seventh-day Adventist, etc. They even include religions like Wiccan, Buddhist, Scientology, Spiritualist, New age, etc.    www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/population/religion.html  So as you can see some of the United States population has choosing a set religion, while there are other who choose not to put a name or a title on their choose of religion. While they do believe in something it may not necessarily be a GOD.

            Through meaning, reasoning, and organization faith is not just based on your religion at all. It can be based on simply believing in someone or something. Thesis Statement: Examining the basic meaning, the reasoning behind, and the organization of faith, faith is also about what people believe in rather than just religion.