Why do so many atheists not know what faith is?

There are actually two definitions of faith. Each is used by believers as convenient.

There is the "trust" definition, such as when I say I have faith in my wife. My wife, however, is real. My "faith" in her is dependent on first establishing that she is real. The other definition is believing something without evidence. This definition of "faith" is not dependent on first establishing the existence of something. It is not dependent on anything except the person wanting to believe it true.

When religious people talk about their faith, they alternately use both definitions to avoid actually giving any reason for their belief. Together, it amounts to believing that God exists without any real evidence and then putting trust in that being that they believe exists.

As for evidence of anything related to Jesus, note that all of the writings about Jesus were written decades after he died by people who never knew him, if he existed at all. All of the external references to Jesus have been shown to be derivative or forged. There are no eye witness accounts of Jesus in spite of claims of thousands of people seeing him.

Religion is duplicitous superstition.

As others have noted, you are playing word games with the definition of "faith" in order to suit your religious feelings. Believing in something or having faith in it does not mean that it exists. As Friedrich Nietzsche noted, "A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything."

Many, perhaps most atheists do know what faith is. We simply reject the "someone or something" that you believe in and have faith in - because there's no reliable evidence for God/Yahweh, Jesus, Allah, Zeus, Baal, Odin, Quetzalcoatl, Vishnu, Thor, Shiva, or any of the thousands of other gods that people have worshiped. The psychological reasons that people believe in god(s) are known. See the 1st link for the video, "Andy Thomson: Why We Believe in Gods" or buy his book at the 2nd link. Also, check out Michael Shermer's "The Believing Brain" at the third link, and his "Why People Believe Invisible Agents Control the World" at the 4th link.

If you'd been raised in a society and family that were Hindu or Muslim, you'd likely be extolling the beliefs of that religion.

"Christians believe in a book that has talking animals, wizards, witches, demons, sticks turning into snakes, food falling from the sky, people walking on water, and all sorts of magical, absurd and primitive stories, and they say that atheists are the ones that need help?"

— Dan Barker (slightly redacted)

So you're just going to ignore the secondary definition in the same dictionary, which says:

"firm belief in something for which there is no proof "

And which is the part that's relevant to religious "faith," huh?

That's both dishonest and disingenuous on your part.

Your "faith" is about trusting in stories about "jesus christ" which have no supporting evidence, no proof, and no basis in reality. It is indeed belief without any evidence. And it's *worthless.*

Please don't pretend there's evidence to back up your irrational "faith." There isn't.

You say you "believe" there IS evidence -- that also is "faith," since there isn't any such evidence, and all it does is demonstrate that you don't know what evidence is, you haven't bothered to objectively evaluate the claims involved, and you prefer a comforting fantasy over the reality that evidence actually shows. See, that's the thing with "faith" -- your "faith" that you have evidence is *wrong.* Demonstrably so. Yet you maintain that "faith" anyway -- "faith" is worthless.

Hello Macadamia

Nicely worded. I am a Christian without a sect, aged 60. I had the faith from being brought up in church, lost it in early adulthood, but gained it back through of all things an acupuncture map. The more I looked at it, the more sense it made, the more I came to realize that this sucker was engineered, which implies an engineer. Went back to church and started teaching Sunday school.

That said, I also believe most faiths are variations on the same theme, and all put together are but poor interpretations of what the whole truth actually is. Still, it's functional for me and I feel I get good answers to my life's quandaries. Atheists and I get along pretty good in general. As long as we respect each other and agree to disagree, it's cool.

Dr. D

Whether someone believes they have evidence or not, that doesn't change whether there actually *is* evidence or not. And there isn't.

Faith, in the context of religion, is the belief/trust in something in the absence of evidence.

I can have faith that the education system wants to teach children, because it's something I've experienced firsthand.

However, if I had never gone to a school, and had only ever heard about them, than my having faith in schools wanting to teach children would not be based upon evidence, but rather on stories that I'd be choosing to believe.

It's the same with religion. People are choosing to believe stories, and their faith is in those stories which have no evidence of being true.

well, isn't what you said "complete trust or confidence in someone or something" very similar to "belief without any evidence"?

look, I as atheist do believe Jesus existed! I say, that probably most of the things that are said about him are true! I say his death was clinical death which means it just looked like he died!

You, if you ask me have right to believe! No one can take it from you!

We say it is belief without evidence because only thing we see as evidence is bible, a 2000 year old book talking about things that if you mentioned today would sound crazy! However, we are aware that it is complete trust and confidence!

By what you are saying, you define faith as thinking of Jesus as our only chance of salvation?

Well, it's okay if you look at Christianity that way, but many of Christians go search for atheists and convince them how they're going to burn in hell and how god exists! Our making fun of you is reaction to that! I believe if these people stopped convincing us, we would probably stop too! Many of us see these theists as fangirls and fanboys! If for example atheist came and started convincing you how you are stupid if you believe in god, I'd say you would probably want to attack that person!

That's how I see it anyway!

" pretend that faith just means "belief without any evidence/reasons." " - Except that they aren't pretending, that is EXACTLY what it means.

"Let's look at the primary dictionary definition of faith: "complete trust or confidence in someone or something" or "strong belief or trust in someone or something."" - You can't ignore the definition that doesn't work for you. Neither of these definitions says you have evidence or good reason to have the belief and/or trust.

Yes, I acknowledge that you incorrectly believe you have evidence. We fully understand that, trust me. It is not that your evidence is not good enough...it is that it isn't actually evidence.

One might wonder why you don't mention another standard dictionary definition: "strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof."

Also, I am not familiar with incidents of atheists claiming faith is a belief without reasons. Perhaps you don't think adjectives are important, but if you recheck your sources I suspect the phrases used were more like "without verifiable evidence or GOOD reasons".

listen daze.....i wont acknowledge your "legitimate historical evidence that Jesus died and rose again" because there isnt any of it.

i know what faith is... it IS a blind devotion. it is a devotion to follow the words written in a book 2000 years ago. written when man was largely ignorant of how the world really worked around him. to follow the word of "god" ..regardless of what science has shown to be fact to everyone but the obtuse religious.

faith as defined in the dictionary simply put is ..."belief in an ideal regardless the lack of proof"

I've never insisted your belief wasn't sincere, well, most of you anyway. There are a few mega church pastors I believe ham it up for personal gain.

There's no salvation because there's nothing we need to be saved from. There's no hope but what we hope for ourselves, our children, our planet. There's no restoration but through the wonders of medicine and time. There's no redemption but when we forgive ourselves and come to terms with our mistakes.

These are my beliefs. They are no more based in fact and science than yours. The only difference is that there's no system around my beliefs, no dogma, I can change them as I want and as I need to.

The word faith has many definitions, such as

"Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. See Synonyms at belief, trust."

or

"strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual conviction rather than proof:"

You can try to twist definitions all you want, but we all know which one is the most accurate.