Faith: act of not thinking ------ Hope: the act of not doing?

And don't forget charity....the act of giving your money.

This is a very good...and a very sad statement.

I can't have faith in any person...they always disappoint. I don't have hope in any earthly thing...in the end I really don't believe it will satisfy all of my desires.

Since there isn't any person, or any thing, in this world that can be trusted to give me real security or peace where can I go?

I now have a rational, thoughtful position to look for something that might just satisfy these needs...for me the Bible held the key. It doesn't ask me to blindly follow a path of faith or to have, as the object of my hope, something/someone who is going to fail, erode or breakdown.

The Bible tells me to pray and test the spirits. It provides me with a context to know when it's from God or from somewhere else. It gives me a rational foundation for understanding what God's plans were, are and will be. This foundation let's me understand, to the limit of my ability, who He really is and what He wants me to know.

From there, if He wants me to "do" something it's His responsibility to provide...it becomes His job to make it happen. It isn't my private agenda, my strength, my resources...but His, and the more frequently I depend on Him the more my faith grows and the greater my trust becomes.

Since, according to the Bible, I am a priest, like all other believers, I no longer depend on any other person(s) beliefs or understanding. I can go to the Lord for myself and not have to funnel my prayers through anyone elses private junk or personal agenda.

Faith and Hope in the correct object is liberating...not controlling

I put my faith in the Bible which says at Prov. 3:21,22

"Safeguard practical wisdom and thinking ability, and they will prove to be life to your soul." So I'm a bit lost on the "act of not thinking" when it encourages me to use my ability to do so. James 2:17 says that "Faith without works is dead". Faith requires action on our part.

By definition Hope can be "trust, reliance; desire accompanied with expectation of what is desired or belief that it is attainable; one on whom hopes are centered; a source of hopeful expectation, or promise; something that is hoped for, or an object of hope. The Hebrew root verb qa‧wah′, from which come terms rendered “hope,” basically means “wait for” with eager expectation. In the Christian Greek Scriptures, the sense of the Greek term el‧pis′ (hope) is “expectation of good.”

If a person has no Hope for anything then what is there for athe future? Regardless of what your hope is either heaven, earthly paradise, more money, a future mate, a future life, a better job, a better economy, a better world, an end to war, no more starvation, a new car and the list goes on, everyone has a hope. It is all a matter of what you place it in many ppl put their hope in a president (a human) and we see where that can get us.

The Bible gives us something to hope for but in order to attain what it offers we have to have faith in it, and that requires us to act.

I can only say you're not listening very closely to those who are teaching 'faith' and 'hope'.

Think for yourself. Never fear that learning from others means abandoning your right to choose what you will believe and what you will act on. So... think for yourself...

Is control REALLY the dirty word you are holding it to be?

Yes, when it's the worst kind-- people manipulating others for their own selfish gain. If that's what you think, you're right.

Is control ALWAYS the dirty thing you have it in your mind that it is?

No, not when it means keeping control of the car. Not when it means gaining control over a horse so that the horse will take a rider and not hurt the person who wants to ride it. Not when it means taking away another person's ability to harm themself or someone else when they want to do that- and you control that ...by imprisoning him.

Self-control is how a man can become wealthy- controlling that impulse to buy now instead of save and invest.

Control in life is vital. You are intelligent enough to know what kind is good and what kind isn't.

IS control what you are really worried about? Are YOU honestly concerned that if you get taught about faith and hope that you will no longer have control over your mind and life?

God's Kingdom doesn't work that way. People who sit under manipulative control are those who prefer it that way. That's sad... but that's not you, is it? That has nothing to do with you.

If someone TRIES that on you- it won't work, will it?

SO you have nothing to lose by learning about hope and faith, because...

You already KNOW you aren't about to let someone think for you.

You already KNOW you aren't going to surrender the control of your life over to some human who may not care more for you than he does for himself.

And God's Kingdom doesn't GIVE people a sound, thinking mind and a free will --only to seize it back from him.

Don't fear learning from people... you're smart enough to spot any manipulation. When you realize you don't need to fear being controlled-- you will learn in fact that faith in life- is a power that moves a man past what his natural ability would allow him to do.

You will learn that hope is what will cause a man to stay in place, fighting for his dream, when all other people say it's hopeless... until he proves them wrong! -long after others have quit!

Faith isn't something spooky or mysterious. It's a simple trust in something that cannot fail.

Hope is something that keeps you on-line with that trust until you see the desire of your heart delivered into your hands.

You're not weak-minded, and thus you've no need tot fear that others will be able to hypnotize you. You won't lose control if you listen.

I feel sad for anyone who does not have faith. Faith has helped me get through many a hard time. Everyone needs faith. As do they need hope. How can you live without hope? Hope that a sick child will be made well. The faith that God will help that child get well. Hope that the money you need to fix you car will be there. Faith that God will provide. It would be a sad and lonely life wihtout either of these things.

Regardless of faith or no faith, to close your mind to anything is to be ignorant. There are too many things in the world that are believed because of faith in what we know today. that holds true even for the many of today's scientific theories - yes, theories. Archeology uncovers new findings everyday. Faith doesn't just relate to organized religion. It relates to almost everything in the world. We only know what we've learned so far and many times we prove ourselves wrong. With that said, challenge yourself to stay educated in ALL things - science and religion - and have faith that you'll come to your own conclusions.

We all have faith in something. The rationalist has faith in science. The city dweller has faith in the subway driver. The bank customer has faith in the bank.

If an infant doesn't learn to trust (have faith in) his parents he becomes neurotic or psycotic.

Hope is also necesary to psychological health. If you don't have any hope, you die.

So why are you advocating a lack of emotional health and calling it rational?

It isn't faith but what you have faith in that can be a problem. Faith in communism led to the greatest bloodbath in history. faith in people can lead to being mislead by people which is why we need to have faith in God.

My act of Faith is knowing and trusting in God no matter what situation I find myself in.

Hope I use for others to find their faith and learn to trust in God.

I am not controlled by any fellow man and God gives me free will in all situations.

That is the problem with christianity Too much faith (not thinking)

What's the question?