January 20th, 2008
Input out
I was described this week as having ‘no faith’… and that’s something that humanists and atheists often get.
The truth is I do have faith, misplaced or not, but not in a higher being or a benevolent deity – I believe in you.
I have faith in humans… well, most humans… some humans…
My view is that faith is the opposite of skepticism, and as a good skeptic I should have no faith. So there.
Hey, I’m even skeptical of my own skepticism…
When people ask me what I believe in I burst into song.
“I believe in a thing called love, just listen to the rhythm of the heart!…” etc.
Yay for bands like The Darkness.
Indeed, alas they’re not going any more… still, in contrast with the theme of this comic, I hear their new band is to be called the Stone gods.
there’s a chance we could make it now, we’ll be rocking til the sun goes down!
Guitar!
faith is a four letter word.
this made me guffawed.
now i have tea in my dress.
Mmm, tea?
*nips off to go and make a brew*
I’ll try not to wear this beverage.
I read somewhere that singing and speaking operate in different parts of the brain, so people who have forgotten how to speak due to severe psychological trauma can sometimes still remember how to sing. I have absolutely no idea if this is true, or even if there are any real documented cases where people have forgotten how to speak, but I like the idea.
Kind of random, but the comic made me think of it, and I thought I’d share it anyways. =)
You’re not wrong… there was someting about this in the New Scientist a few weeks back… probably not a coincidence that I used the imagery in the comic for it.
Conversely, I can talk but I can’t sing.
You don’t need to have faith. Just keep having ideas.
That’s a kind of faith in itself… I have no idea where ideas come from and I’ve realised that if I try to force them they disappear. You have to have faith that your own brain knows what’s good for itself.
That said, I like the idea of a souless ideas machine.
Do you listen to RUSH? “Faithless” from their latest album Snakes and Arrows:
“I don’t have faith in faith
I don’t believe in belief
You can call me faithless
I still cling to hope
And I believe in love
And that’s faith enough for me”
I was introduced to Rush last weekend… not literally, we didn’t shake hands or such, but I did get a good listen.
Nice quote and entirely apt.
And I like your screen-name too… any reference to JOA? I saw that recently too, wowzer.
I made this name up about a thousand years ago when I first came online. What is JOA?
Joan of Arcadia…You know, the one where the girl repeatedly talks to ‘god’.
oh yeah, i totally remember that show! i was always skeptical of it though.
Neil Peart is a genius. His lyrics, and his other writings, always hit me *jabs chest* right here. Sometimes I really think he and I are on exactly the same level.
Here is a Neal Peart quote from one of my favorite of his books, “The Masked Rider”:
“Sure, I still wonder. As infuriating and senseless as organized religion seems, and with all the abuses of the evangelists and fanatics, I am still intrigued by the romance, the ritual, and the security of a Higher Power. Like most everyone, I’d like to believe in something larger than life, especially for those times when life seems small and mean. But, after I’ve admired the poetry of the King James Bible, appreciated the peaceful wisdom of Buddhism, recoiled from a vengeful Allah or God, wondered about the secret societies of the Freemasons and Illuminati, in the end I return to reality, and believe in Life. And that seems good to me.
“I can worship Nature, and that fulfills my need for miracles and beauty. Art gives a spiritual depth to existence – I can find worlds bigger and deeper than my own in music, paintings, and books. And from my friends and family I receive my highest benediction, emotional contact, and personal affirmation. I can bow before the works of Man, from buildings to babies, and that fulfills my need for wonder. I can believe in the sanctity of Life, and that becomes the Revealed Word, to live my life as I believe I should, not as I’m told by self-appointed guides.
“There are holy virtues too in this Life-worship: artistry, integrity, love, ideas, and discovery. Yes, even laughter. And no other system permits the one instinctive first cause: your own existence. You’ll never be asked to die for Life. At least not for a while.
I really adore Neil. I really recommend this book!
Belief is a strange thing. Whenever I read a really good book I find myself almost believing it. The good thing about this is once I started noticing it, it made me more skeptical about my beliefs, once I noticed I was doing it. Good to be able to see how things like that influence you, even though I’m bound to miss something.
Just been reading some of your writing on your blog… and the first line I saw seemed to be an accurate metaphor:
“Do not venture into those woods idly, my son.”
Top stuff.
Hey, thanks. You inspired me to start that, especially with the one panel strips. I was thinking that I can’t draw really, but I can write short stories a few times a week. Seems to be going well so far. Glad you liked that one.
More on topic, I seem to remember somebody saying, “I like Jesus, it’s his fan club I can’t stand.” Or something like that. Was that George Carlin? Sounds like him, I think.
This is so simple, and so great. I think I have a new comic to hang up at work.
Hang away, please do.
And thanks
This makes me laugh out loud.
Oh god oh God oH gOd oh god
I love your comic today.
I’m not sure believers are empty
minded, but it bothers me when
they make me feel guilty for not
following along whatever path they
happen to be on at the moment…
I passionately hate guilt.
I wouldn’t want anyone to think that I was mocking their faith, far from it. Whilst I don’t belive, I’m happy for others to.
I just don’t like it when those people decide that my faiths aren’t worth the paper they’re not written on.
I’m glad you like this one, I thought you might
i dont really put much stock in faith, except faith in other people. which is the same as trust, the way i see it. so aside from the people i trust i dont have faith in anything much, including myself.
i totally agree with seraphine. even if i dont understand what makes you tick i am probably respectful of it, but dont try to force anything on me.
Because of religion, faith has traditionally been seen as a virtue. These days, the concept of faith has become secularized and marketable- just look at books like “The Secret”. It’s an attractive idea. The thought that I can affect the world through believing something hard enough, without actually needing to get off my arse and do anything, sounds great.
It’s a bit ‘Field of Dreams’ isn’t it? – Build it and they will come.
belief in anything is the start, but surely to make something happen you really have to work at it.
Similarly, my grudge with a lot of religion is that they believe in good will, universal love and peace and yet seem so reluctant to actually work towards it… in fact some tend to do the opposite.
That said, if anyone does invent away to stop either me or Joseph having to get off our behinds, please send us the schematics.
its an attractive idea, but there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
Adam, this is the best Flowfield EVER.
Apparently, I will be the one Christian who responds…
The most honest way I can state this is: “God exists”. Not “I am a Christian” or “I believe in God”, but “God exists”; the first two phrasing sort of imply that my point of view affects God, which it does not.
That being said, I can’t necessarily convince you (by which I mean whoever reads this) that He exists, so I’d rather be civil about this and avoid simply contradicting everything you say, despite how many things there are that I disagree with. Arg, this is difficult.
Let me say…
My faith in God is the best thing that ever happened to me. The things I have experienced, all of which were in an explicitly religious setting, were enough that if I now were to question God, I would have to question my sanity. Did I really see Jesus? Did I really speak in tongues? Did my friend really see and speak to angels? Yes.
My faith in God is the best thing that ever happened to me. What kind of terrible person would I be if I didn’t try to share such wonderful feelings with everyone I met?
“Apparently, I will be the one Christian who responds…”
Others responded but we fed them to the lions before they got a chance to say anything substantial.
“The most honest way I can state this is: “God exists”.”
Please submit the proof for this statement to the usual address… Sorry, that’s a bit flippant, and I’m not really here to attack what you believe. But it is a strong statement to make on the premise of faith. Even some of the most devout Christians will admit that it is a question of belief rather than an absolute… And don’t worry, you have the right to disagree with anything you read here.
I’m not knocking your faith, I’m having a go at religious types that belive my lack of god makes me faithless… which, as I described, is untrue.
Just as your faith in god is the best thing that has happened to you, so is my faith in people… and to some extent myself.
“if I now were to question God, I would have to question my sanity.”
No, no, you should ALWAYS question your sanity. If I didn’t question my sanity periodically then I’d have no way of knowing if I had had a psychotic break with reality. It happens more often than you might think!
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Simply:
The Best Comic
EVER