Have you ever encountered the 'brick wall' within your mind, where faith and reason collide in a tumultuous debate? Tonight, I want to tackle the enthralling subject of faith and belief as they pertain to something beyond our mortal grasp. With the help of the Oxford dictionary, we lay the groundwork for understanding these complex concepts before voyaging through the diverse perspectives of Scientologists and Atheists. The episode wouldn't be complete without delving into the philosophical realms of existentialism and epistemology, contemplating how these views intersect with our core discussion. It's a journey through the unseen and the unproven, questioning our ability to move beyond the limitations of human reason and if faith can truly lead us to believe in what lies beyond the empirical.
As we wrap up another Sunday night rendezvous, I extend a heartfelt thank you for being a part of my ever-expanding podcast family. Your engagement and support breathe life into these conversations, and I'm grateful for every share, every recommendation, and every contribution to the digital tip jar that helps this show thrive. Remember, our conversation begins every Sunday at 7 pm for new explorations into thought-provoking topics. Until we meet again, keep pondering the imponderables, and I wish you all a night as splendid as the mysteries we've unraveled together.
Have you ever encountered the 'brick wall' within your mind, where faith and reason collide in a tumultuous debate? Tonight, I want to tackle the enthralling subject of faith and belief as they pertain to something beyond our mortal grasp. With the help of the Oxford dictionary, we lay the groundwork for understanding these complex concepts before voyaging through the diverse perspectives of Scientologists and Atheists. The episode wouldn't be complete without delving into the philosophical realms of existentialism and epistemology, contemplating how these views intersect with our core discussion. It's a journey through the unseen and the unproven, questioning our ability to move beyond the limitations of human reason and if faith can truly lead us to believe in what lies beyond the empirical.
As we wrap up another Sunday night rendezvous, I extend a heartfelt thank you for being a part of my ever-expanding podcast family. Your engagement and support breathe life into these conversations, and I'm grateful for every share, every recommendation, and every contribution to the digital tip jar that helps this show thrive. Remember, our conversation begins every Sunday at 7 pm for new explorations into thought-provoking topics. Until we meet again, keep pondering the imponderables, and I wish you all a night as splendid as the mysteries we've unraveled together.
Hey, welcome to the bartenders perspective. I'm so happy to have you here. Work is done for the day. Pull up a chair, have a seat, I'll pour you a drink. Let's get started.
Speaker 1:
In tonight's podcast, I want to talk about the deeper meaning of faith and belief and how it applies to our daily lives when it comes to God or whatever your higher power is. I also want to cover something I'm calling the brick wall we hit to faith and belief. I'm going to give some examples of different ways and perspectives that people have to live their lives. I'm going to give some scriptural examples. Give the Scientologists, the atheists and the philosophers their turn. I'm going to talk about an alternative perspective to one particular philosopher Zen proverb and then give my final thoughts.
Speaker 1:
In the end, we hear it every day when a believer says to another just have faith and believe. While it is easy to say that for many, it's a lot harder to do it For one. When you say that to a believer or a non-believer, you're telling them something that might not make sense to them. To tell someone to have faith and believe, they might be struggling with something in nowhere to turn to put their faith and belief in. In telling someone that statement. The reason it's so hard for them? Because they may not understand, because they don't understand what faith or belief is. It's something I've heard all of my life about everything. Have faith and believe in your family, your job, your close friend, your significant other, our government. You can let that last one slide. These two words are used in everyday life, when we hear statements read aloud in the court of law, when someone you're getting to know tells you something about your lives which may or may not be true. You might be having a child and hoping it is a boring girl. You might be waiting on a bank loan for a new business. Whatever the case may be, the examples are endless. So let's take a moment. Let's define what faith and belief. I went to the Oxford dictionary for this. It defines faith as the following One a complete trust or confidence in someone or something. Then, another example strong belief in God or in doctrines of a religion based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. Having said that, the Oxford dictionary went on to say the following about belief an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists. Two trust, faith or confidence in someone or something. Faith and belief. It's used so much in our world today.
Speaker 1:
For the remainder of this podcast, I want to put a little bit more focus as far as faith and belief go towards a higher power, because we could be here all day talking about faith and belief in mankind. But anyways, the Scientologists what do they have to say about faith and belief? What they emphasize the concept of knowing rather than believing or having faith. They believe in the application of Scientology principles through personal experience and understanding, aiming for certainty and direct knowledge. The Church of Scientology, it, often promotes a systematic approach to self discovery and improvement. We have to let the atheists have their turn as well, for their perspective counts just as much. I will always have respect to those who are not believers, for it is their right Heck. I talk to a lot of them at the bar every day.
Speaker 1:
So, pertaining to higher powers, atheists generally do not adhere to religious beliefs or faith based in deities. They often prioritize evidence, reason and empirical observation over faith-based convictions. Atheists may view faith as subjective and prefer reliance on rational inquiry and scientific understanding. And while this is the consensus, I will now. It's also important to note that atheism is diverse and individuals may hold varying perspective on these matters, but that's for another podcast episode.
Speaker 1:
Altogether, I tell you what the complex, endless circle of philosophy. It makes my head hurt to even think about it. But here's some things they had to say about faith and belief. You know, philosophy explores various perspectives on faith and belief. Some argue that faith involves accepting propositions without evidence, while others emphasize reason and evidence. Belief, often seen as accepting a proposition is true, can be influenced by religious, existential or epistemic considerations. Philosophers like Kirik Agar highlight the subject subjective nature of faith and emphasizing personal commitment. Overall, discussions on faith and belief in philosophy involve complex considerations ranging from epistemology to existentialism. So what is epistemology? It's the theory of knowledge, especially with regards to its methods, its validity and its scope. It is the investigation of what distinguishes justified belief from opinion. Existentialism a philosophical theory or approach, emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of will.
Speaker 1:
But there is a brick wall, if you will, to these two words. It lives within all of us. It's overlooked by many because it is something we use every day in our daily lives, and that brick wall is the mind. The human brain is such a complex thing. It processes data, it dictates our decisions, our feelings and our actions. It navigates us through our lives. It organizes and gives us our thoughts and reasonings, compartmentalizes what we know and where to apply it. It helps to generate knowledge, understanding, experience and wisdom. It also gives the sheer determination to go on when we want to give up. But I gotta ask you what happens in all of that stuff that is on the human brain when all that we know, think or understand goes out the window? What is left? The human mind has its limitations, and those limitations are what gives us this topic tonight.
Speaker 1:
Faith and belief go against the very thing that the mind is in favor of. It goes beyond anything that we can apply reason to, because in so many instances we can't reason or comprehend something that can't be seen, heard or experienced. And that's what we're going to do. We're going to do it. We can't reason or comprehend something that can't be seen, heard or experienced. But how do we begin to break through that brick wall, to develop faith and to believe that, which might seem impossible? The mind works to understand the why, the when and the how, but it will always fall short of faith. Faith is about believing in the things that are unseen and even when it doesn't make sense, to believe anyways, using your inner spirit and your heart. And while it is easier said than done, having faith is as easy as making a decision to do so. So what did the Bible have to say about faith? I think we all know, but anyways.
Speaker 1:
Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 1. Now, faith is confidence and what we hope for in assurance about what we do not see. 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 7, for we live by faith and not by sight. Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 6,. And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. John, chapter 11, verse 40,. And then Jesus said Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God? James, chapter 1, verse 3, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 1 Peter, chapter 1, verses 8 and 9,. Though you have not seen him, you love him, and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. And kind of a summation to all these scriptures? Let me reference Romans 10, 17,.
Speaker 1:
It just came to me when I was writing this episode, so this is kind of an answer to that question, or one way you might look at it. So then, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. If you're a believer or somebody's wondering, I'm just curious it all begins with the word. But many people I've heard it a lot lately don't like to subscribe or look to the Bible for answers, as the translations have been numerous these thousands of years and their point is valid and I completely respect someone else's point of view because it does make sense, and we are going to cover more about that in another episode. But therein in scripture, you have to decide for yourself, ultimately, beyond what makes sense, and start there. So let's take a look at the Zen proverb and then, finally, a perspective around a very famously known yet simple expression of a Greek philosopher and an alternative perspective to both regarding faith and belief. So there's this famous proverb about a teacup. I've heard so many variations of this story over the years. Although there are multiple versions, here's my favorite one.
Speaker 1:
So once upon a time there was a wise Zen master. People traveled from far away to seek his help. In return, he would teach them and show them the way to enlightenment. On this particular day, a scholar came to visit the master for advice. I've come to ask you to teach me about Zen, the scholar said.
Speaker 1:
Soon, it became obvious that the scholar was full of his own opinions and knowledge. He interrupted the master repeatedly with his own stories and failed to listen to what the master had to say. The master calmly suggested that they should have tea. So the master poured his guest a cup. The cup was filled, yet he kept pouring until the cup overflowed onto the table, onto the floor and finally onto the scholar's robes. The scholar cried Stop, the cup is full already. Can't you see Exactly? The Zen master replied with a smile you are, like this cup, so full of ideas that nothing more will fit in. Come back to me with an empty cup.
Speaker 1:
So, socrates, I know that I know nothing. It's a saying derived from Plato's account of the Greek philosopher Socrates, for I was conscious that I knew practically nothing. It is also sometimes called the Socratic paradox, although this name is often instead used to refer to other seemingly paradoxical claims. Blah, blah, blah Maybe by Socrates, but that's another time. This saying is also connected or conflated with the answer to a question Socrates is said to have posed to Pithya, the Oracle of Delphi, in which the oracle stated something to the effect of Socrates as the wisest person in Athens. Socrates, believing the oracle but also completely convinced that he knew nothing, was said to have concluded that nobody knew anything and that he was only wiser than others because he was the only person who recognized his own ignorance. So about the proverb and that famous expression?
Speaker 1:
Though they mainly focus on the mind, let's take a moment to explore a perspective and perhaps an alternative to where you can also apply these examples to faith and belief. Maybe, in order to begin to develop faith and belief, you first need to empty your cup. That is everything you know. Secondly, by acknowledging your ignorance to the world, by emptying your mind, it's just one extra step to break through that wall. And it is then, and only then, when that wall finally crumbles on, the dust settles. You're freeing up your soul and your heart to be more receptive to what lies beyond our own understanding. To an extent, it also involves trust. Even when you don't think you can, you have to break through that thought of how and just keep going. But I can tell you this much from my perspective, as I have begun to accept faith and belief over the years and I have to begin to see the benefits of it.
Speaker 1:
When the world is tougher, I feel a certain way or think things are never going to work out, we have to reach out and ask for help In many cases. You know it's different for everybody, but faith and belief will override, if not shut down, the things in your life that you want to stop that, to be frank, are making you miserable. Faith and belief, it's just something that takes practice. You know time and patience. When I study in the word, it's all of a sudden, three and a half hours later, that I've been reflecting on what I study and in that time I forgot about any of my cares and problems in the world.
Speaker 1:
I've mentioned many examples of real-world faith and belief, as well as what many ways of life had to say about. You know from our society my way of having developed faith and belief. You know it works for me, but you know each one of us is different, you know, and wherever you need to go to find your own faith and belief, whether it be in a group, another person or a higher power greater than yourself. Remember to not only keep an open mind, but try shedding the mind altogether and use your heart and soul. Things may not always go the way you want them to, but in the end you will get. You'll get to where you need to go and it will work out for your own good, even if you don't or can't see it. Now, as I said earlier, you have to make the decision to have faith and believe and to let go. When you let go, there's when something else that needed to happen will begin, because it was waiting for you to let go. That's something is belief. There's a whole realm out there beyond our understanding that, as much as we will always try to make sense of it, the truth is we never will.
Speaker 1:
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