Thursday, January 18, 2007

How does Faith relate to the world in which we live?


Faith includes a belief in anything that is internal, however, it is largely external factors that formulate our faith, and it is our environment that takes that role. Everyday experiences within certain environment largely shape the faith that one has. For instance, daily routine and interaction with the individuals within certain communities will influence what Faith you would have. As Sawi culture is distinct with our culture today, the faith in which we believe in is also far apart from one another. Faith guides the way how a person would act within certain situation, so without faith one would be in utter fear, and for Sawi, because they solely relied their faith in their traditional way of living, when they were encountered by the new kind of conflict, only three elderly people in the tribe were able to stand out to meet the Dutch boat that their ancestors never mentioned about. Thus, this reflects how Sawi derive most of their faith from the stories that are passed down from their ancestors. In contrast, our faith covers variety of subjects as they are derived from many different and distinct environments like Europe, America, and Asia. These differences allowed people to have more liberal view about the faith. In our world, faith acts as a fuel for our action, for instance, some people believe that working hard in school might lead to eventual success, in which, that faith enable to study them harder. While some, like Don Richardson, believes that spreading the words of God would save many people acts as a fuel for them to work.

3 comments:

Kira said...

IS it really the faith that was driving these Sawi to practice these things? It really comes back to the main point surivival. All of the faiths are just pragmatic believes to give righteousness in their act. Look at the manifest destiny and the slaves of America. They were all done by the name of God. Hitler used faith to justify the hollocaust. Faith is just an excuse for their greed and their innate nature to survive.

L said...

Faith can not be pragmatic. Too many people lay down their lives for faith to be pragmatic. We are punished for going against our faith and we regret when we know it was something done against our faith.

African Globe Trotters. said...

I think faith is more than a fuel or pragmatic beliefs - to truly know faith you have to have one. It is the essence of one's very being. Only if you have a faith will you understand its value. Mrs.Mc.