The Opposite of Faith

When I really want to get into the crowd’s head, when I’m speaking, I ask people to tell me what they think the opposite of faith is? And mostly, they have a tough time of it. Often, they struggle in even coming up with a real answer. It’s just not a question most people are thinking about, and why should they?

Well, perhaps we should look into the answer to this question, if only to find out just what is the opposite of faith? Funny, the answer i get most, when they actually offer a choice up, is “Disbelief”.

The opposite of faith is emphatically NOT dis-belief.

Indulge me, kind reader, if you will allow, the opposite of disbelief, is, wait for it, “belief”.

As the ancients used to say, “well, duh!”

Seems obvious if we sound it out, and think about it logically.

And belief is a darn wonderful thing, in it’s own right. But belief is more along the lines of “whoa, I can really get behind this idea, it sure nuff resonates with me". Sadly, many times in our world beliefs start out sounding so good and wonderful, yet often end up being wrong, without the temperance of wisdom, kindness, compassion, love and humility, many beliefs have been used, by all religions and creeds, at different times, for very malevolent, very secular purposes.

And we know what happens then...

Faith can bring a giddiness, some mistake it for naitevity, faith can even blind us if we let it. I think faith is simply “realer” than reality sometimes. I have seen - in my lifetime - faith bend reality to its needs, I have yet to see reality bend faith.

Faith, taken without kindness compassion and some measure of empathy for one’s own fellow man, can lead to the most horrendous outpourings of mans darkest emotions and actions. This is not man’s heritage, it never was, this is not what we were put here to on this green Earth to do.

But it does show what faith can do, good or ill.

Keep in mind when Jesus said “all that I have done and more so shall you do" ... He did raise Lazurus from the dead.

...what, no nervous applause?

I have faith because many people, many times, showed me the light. Candles, people, many many candles were lit, and eventually, i was not lost in the darkness any more.

It was touch and go at times I think.

Faith is useless without action to bring it to to life.

Well, class, what then is the direct opposite, the parallel antonym, to this not mere word, this idea, this beautiful construct of the human language? FAITH

Just the word itself, faith, by it’s very design, the choice of sounds, they way they are put together, is sublime and incredible beyond, well, words.

....... ?

Saying it properly puts the body into a brief but ever so slightly reverential and solemn pose. The sacred air we breathe, a gift from God, is pushed out a bit to form the first consonant, the chin extends as we bring our lips together slightly, (you can’t make the phonetic “f” sound without doing it, try it! ) a long (a) and the zinger, the (th). A strong clip and it’s done. The sound seems to somehow be imbued with the very thing it is supposed to only reference. Amazing.

F A I T H . . .

But back to our question. What do you think is the opposite of Faith? Have you decided your answer? Are you ready for mine?

Faith is the opposite of the most lizard brained, bar sinister, soul stealing fight or flight response to things we have in our lives. This thing, this response, this literal “shut down and abort” code is known by many names, cowardice, hatred, torment, brutality, and so many other symptoms, but the disease is always, and never any but,

f e a r .

The opposite of faith is “fear”. But only in the way that cold is the opposite of heat. For you see, heat is a thing, cold is only the absence of heat. Less heat seems colder, yes, but cold is not the duality, the equal, it’s not even the measure of heat.

So as complicated as it might seem, fear is like unto the cold, and faith is the heat.

Even better, let’s say that faith is the light, and fear is the darkness. Just a little faith can banish the worst fears, just as a tiny candle chases the shadows back into the corners, the tiny light “dis-spells” the darkness. To break the spell of the darkness.

Faith “dis-spells” fear in that same way. I am a product of the faith of God, not the fear of God. And so are you brothers and sisters. A fearful God? Not a chance... Never would have gotten all this to work. Look around, stuff’s mighty complicated...

The merest grain of faith can sustain a man, a woman, or a family, or a town, or a dream, or an idea, forever if need be, faith is the most marvelous of stuff. You see it on the faces of the one’s God has chosen to walk with, you see it on the faces of babies, it’s almost like they remember what He looks like. Would that we could all remember that wondrous face.

The serene- whether from a blameless life or madness, have faith, they have found the light against the darkness, and it shines from their very being. Looks very similar too, most unusual...

The faith of a mustard seed was sufficient to perform the most impossible feats of earth moving, or so said the Galilean, and I think He might know even more than He is letting on. Faith sustains the hopeless, it revives the weary the weak, and the lost. Sometimes, when we forget who we are, pure blind faith is all that carries us on as a species whether we know it or not.

When faith is lost in institutions, they crumble. When faith is lost in our selves, we crumble. If I take a man’s faith, I have stolen from him not just for today, but tomorrow and every day to follow. Who really knows when a man may find his faith again after losing it? I don’t want that kind of charge leveled against my soul.

“Better that you had a rock tied around your neck and be cast to the bottom of the sea, than to mislead one of my children.”

Sounds pretty specific. So be not misled, and counsel yourself well with God before you preach to me. I am a child of God, and well, you see where this is going. The whole “...one of My children” thing, right?

Live and let live. I am a people people person.

I see the effects of the unseen hand of God, working behind the scenes, everywhere I go. Like a kindly omnipotent gardener, He prunes and plants, waters and harvests, and generally does as much for us as a gardener is wont to do. But He doesn’t do the growing for us. He has faith we will grow, yet gives us the free will to contradict him, (for the short term anyway,) but it’s a fatal disease if we choose that path.

Someone today walked right up to me and told me to “elaborate a bit on your religion”. Sure. OK.

My... what a funny thing to say to man like me. I have never shied away as you dear readers know from any subject sublime or ridiculous, and religion fascinates me as well as worries me from time to time. But I must admit, the writer did have me perplexed. Just for a moment mind you. Some might think I might use this time to taunt, I shall not, or use it to teach, I cannot. Because, honestly, it just doesn’t matter.

i can start a fight in any bar or most churches, if i stand up and preach only my own doctrine, without an implicit and tacit understanding, that that’s a mighty personal thing to most folks, and ought not to be messed with if at all possible.

I was brought up to respect all creeds, all colors and all religions. I was simply lucky enough to have met people of great faith to show me the “light”. Beliefs are fine. We sure all got them. Faith moves mountains. And more, little mustard seed.

Men of no faith think only of themselves, and women of no faith are as dangerous as the men.

I think it was never Jesus that said “by your incredibly clever and astute theological observation, you are healed.” He also did NOT say “let your beliefs be like unto an axe to cleave the people, force centuries of senseless sectarian wars in my name, and please don't forget to slaughter all those that diagree with you”.

That last quote was most certainly not Jesus of Nazareth.

He did say, loud and clear, in a strong aramaic brogue, “rise, by your faith you are healed. Go, and sin no more”

Can you elaborate on religion? Should you elaborate on religion? What could one hope to gain by “elaborating” on your religion?

Surely in our sensitive times, when people seem to be afraid and intolerant, shouldn’t I “gloss” over? Shouldn’t I go along to get along?

By belaboring it too much, don’t we run the risk of offending and alienating? This would never do.

Just like a puppy wants to walk on a leash, even if he just doesn’t know how yet. I want to do the right things. I know I have done many wrong things in the past, and I am trying to be better, even if just a little bit.

Every day in every way. I just think God and I have a most excellent system worked out, its awesome, and so i pretty much listen to Him- instead of preachers, priests, rabbis, new age teachers and TV wizards and rich men in general who promise so much. And did I say I wish good luck to them and their Ministries? I do- I truly do, Never saw a rich man cure anything but his own gold lust, but there is always a first day for everything.

So what does all this have to do with faith > fear? Just every thing. Let me elaborate.

See, I have faith you will get this message. It will help you in some small way, to light the tiniest of candles, to light your way, on a cold and dark night of the soul.

Remember this. The smallest candles, the merest bit of beeswax and twisted cotton wick- has more faith implicit in its very core, than all the darkness in the universe.

We were put here to light those candles. Not to fight, to kill, to torment or destroy. We are here in this life because we as a species, all of us, all around the world, are little works of God lighting candles for others to see by. To chase the darkness away.

We are those candles.

But I can’t . I can’t lie. I won’t sugar coat, I won’t molly coddle. If we live in fear, if we live...IN THE ABSENSE OF FAITH... whether we are Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, Mormon, heathen, Atheist or just merely fools, we will never light our candles.

And then the world goes dark...