Faith can circumvent truth. You can believe in that which is not. Belief in a falsehood does not make it true. Deep belief can be seeped deep in lies.
Delusion begins when devotion sets in. We lose grip on reality when we are drawn too tightly to a person or cause. Love blinds. A parent loves his child and can see his child do no harm. A person loves a political figure and also become blinded by that love.
Sometimes, we dismiss the search for truth. Sometimes, we want to believe so much that we turn our eyes away from the facts. Sometimes, we have so much faith in a person, or cause, or religion, that we simply say, "It is not so," to that which is as plain as day.
Faith can be a phantom. It can become the haven of lies. It can make fools of the wise. It can trip those who otherwise are sure of foot. The traveler of faith sometimes goes down roads that are lost. Faith sometimes swings open more doors to falseness than to truth. Do we conclude, then, that faith is but the door by which delusion comes in?
It can be, but it can also be better. What, then, is the role of faith? Does it have place? Should it be relied on? Can it be used to direct us, rather than delude us? Or, is it but the crutch of those who are fools?
When used correctly, faith is the anchor to the truth. It is the strength to withstand falsehood. It is the power to know when there is no way to know. We should only put faith in that which wins it with virtue. Those people and causes and religions that deserve our faith, should first show us by their works and virtues that we can trust them. Trust is for that which is virtuous. That which is pure will never seek to lead you astray.
So, in conclusion, there comes with faith a warning. It can lead you astray as quickly as it can guide you aright. If faith is to be an anchor to truth, it must be anchored to virtue.
No comments:
Post a Comment