Unlike my fundy brethren, my understanding of faith has been largely formed by the writings of 20th century existentialist theologian Paul Tillich, who conceptualized faith as the state of being ultimately concerned. Meaning, in essence, that faith is that end or purpose towards which we direct our lives, and which provides a framework from which individual actions can be given valuation. Clearly, non-theists can have faith and normative structures, but their morality is contingent. It is by necessity grounded in either individual or collective interests...and as such, can only claim to be one competing paradigm among many.
Morality, from a religious standpoint, is about positing from faith a moral framework that transcends the contingent and the culturally mediated...hence Kierkegaard's conceptualization of faith as the teleological suspension of the ethical. It is less about simplistic images of heaven and hell, and more about an ultimate metric from which valuation of actions is be asserted.
I'm a theist...and I'm not offended.
Unlike my fundy brethren, my understanding of faith has been largely formed by the writings of 20th century existentialist theologian Paul Tillich, who conceptualized faith as the state of being ultimately concerned. Meaning, in essence, that faith is that end or purpose towards which we direct our lives, and which provides a framework from which individual actions can be given valuation. Clearly, non-theists can have faith and normative structures, but their morality is contingent. It is by necessity grounded in either individual or collective interests...and as such, can only claim to be one competing paradigm among many.
Morality, from a religious standpoint, is about positing from faith a moral framework that transcends the contingent and the culturally mediated...hence Kierkegaard's conceptualization of faith as the teleological suspension of the ethical. It is less about simplistic images of heaven and hell, and more about an ultimate metric from which valuation of actions is be asserted.