Faith
Faith
In the text Haight tells us that Faith is one of the fundamental sources for theology. He also states at the end that faith always remains constant, and that this is one of the reasons why theology, which is a discussion of God, is possible. But, what does constant mean? The dictionary defines constant as something continuing without pause or let up, something that does not or cannot vary. For example: a table. A table is constant, because it exists without pause and does not vary. Hence, faith is not constant.
According to Haight beliefs are the expression of faith. But beliefs are neither continuing nor invariable. Everyone changes their beliefs, it is human nature to evolve and rethink them. At the same time they are not constant because I am not persistently believing in something. Beliefs are not a table, they are not tangible, and only exist in our minds as thoughts that live and die within us at the moment we start and finish thinking about them. I am not constantly experiencing faith; faith exists only when I give it some thought. Although my belief might not change from one time to the next it will inevitably change through time. And when do we think about our faith? It is also human nature to only think about God when things are not going well. If we are having a streak of luck we do not pause to think about God for a minute and thank him. On the other hand, it is very common to blame or doubt that there is a God when things go wrong. If my faith only exists when I am giving it thought, and the only time a give it thought is to blame God for everything that is going wrong in my life, what does that say about my faith? It says that even though when, in normal circumstances, asked the question “do you believe in God” my answer is yes, when I really put thought into it I am actually doubting his existence. Which inevitably brings us to the conclusion that my faith is changing. Therefore, faith is not a valid source...
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