Is a leap of faith really a good thing?

Question

In many religions it is asked of you to take a "leap of faith" to believe in the teachings. Yet, is this really a good thing? Doesn't taking a leap of faith cause you to simply belief something not on fact, but more on blind loyalty? It seems like when you do this you narrow your view so greatly that you ignore all the facts that might contradict your belief merely because you are going off of faith that it is true. Yet, when should your faith run out so you can see if your leap was in the right direction?

Answer 1

Of course it's not. A leap of faith will lead you to believe in whatever you're leaping at whether or not it's true. The whole idea of a leap of faith is that you invest too so much in the subject of your faith being true that you can't afford for it not to be.



You'll *make* it true after that leap. A real god wouldn't require you to do something that would make you believe in a false one.

Answer 2

Taking a "leap of faith" happens all the time in your daily life. Like believing a "friend" is really a true friend.



However, spiritually speaking people take their "leap of faith" so that they can feel good about something. Organized religion isn't like a cult or a sect. It's about giving people something to believe in. Faith for some people is what allows them to live another day.



Some people may blindly follow a faith based system though they might not believe in every aspect of everything they are taught.



As an agnostic individual I believe there's something out there but more in a karmic way as opposed to God or even Goddesses.



It's good for those it works for... It's bad for those who are over zealous... It's bad if the teachings encourage oppression of others... It's good when you take what you take from it and leave behind what you don't believe to be true.



So... Find your own path and if following a religion bothers you and it's organized then don't bother. If you're a spiritual person in search of something... Make sure you read about different religions that could help you find your own way spiritually without feeling you are following along blindly. I mean there's Buddhism, Catholicism, baptists, Lutheranism, I mean it's all out there. Take your "leap of faith" maybe by educating yourself on the options that are out there. :) Good luck.

Answer 3

No where in scripture does it tell us to "take a leap" of faith, it is always described as a "step" of faith. By following this directive, you avoid the blind following and becoming narrow minded. When you step you don't ignore facts, but ponder them. Stepping allows you time to make sure you are going in the right direction.



Forget the leaping!

Answer 4

And yet—marrying and raising children can yield the most valuable religious experiences of their lives. Covenant marriage requires a total leap of faith: they must keep their covenants without knowing what risks that may require of them. They must surrender unconditionally, obeying God and sacrificing for each other. Then they will discover what Alma called “incomprehensible joy.



Religion, standing on the known experience of the race, makes one bold and glorious affirmation. She asserts that this power that makes for truth, for beauty, and for goodness is not less personal than we. This leap of faith is justified because God cannot be less than the greatest of his works, the Cause must be adequate to the effect. When, therefore, we call God personal, we have interpreted him by the loftiest symbol we have. He may be infinitely more. He cannot be less. When we call God a Spirit, we use the clearest lens we have to look at the Everlasting. As Herbert Spencer has well said: 'The choice is not between a personal God and something lower, but between a personal God and something higher.

Answer 5

This all depends on the kind of faith in question. If one basses their faith (necessarily dogmatically) on the best evidence available, they are being rational. For instance, I have faith that my next step will be onyto solid ground, based on having walked over that ground before, etc., but I cannot know for sure until I take that step.



If, however, said faith is based simply on some religious texts , usually *in spite of* the best evidence available, the faith is not rational, and the perspective in question should be dismissed without further consideration.

Answer 6

Sometimes, religion makes little difference to whether a person makes a "leap of faith".



There are many choices which one cannot make a wholly objective, rational choice. Perhaps the issue is a subjective, even irrational one; perhaps sufficient information is not available.



Sometimes, one has to make the best choice we can, on the basis of the knowledge and wisdom we have to that point. To choose to ignore what we already have learned, to me, is simply perverse and self-destructive.

Answer 7

No such thing as a leap of faith. Nobody makes any leap. Faith to believe that Jesus Christ is the one and only true living God is given to you by God - and it never disappears.

Answer 8

I can't speak for others. I know my path has lead me in a few different directions and it's taken me years to get to where I am now. Of course I could change in the future, too, but I feel contentment and comfort with what I understand and practice at this point. Maybe all that will happen is that I will succeed in developing more contentment- and as a result, more compassion.

Answer 9

A leap of faith is a good thing if you don't mind landing on something horrible.

Answer 10

A blind leap of faith is.

Answer 11

Only over the Pit of Despair

Answer 12

That would depend upon Whom you are putting your faith in.

Answer 13

No. Once you have a little evidence, you don't need faith.

Answer 14

My Answer: Not without stretching first. You could hurt yourself.

Answer 15

Not if you're above the third floor.