The Nature of Faith

Faith is independent of religion, yet supports them all. What causes many problems is the abstract use of the word "faith." Faith is used these days as a code word for "religion." Faith, however, has a true definition outside of religion. Napoleon Hill objectively defined faith in the book Think and Grow Rich: "FAITH is a state of mind which may be induced, or created, by affirmation or repeated instructions to the subconscious mind, through the principle of auto-suggestion. Repetition of affirmation of orders to your subconscious mind is the only known method of voluntary development of the emotion of faith. Perhaps the meaning may be made clearer through the following explanation as to the way men sometimes become criminals. Stated in the words of a famous criminologist, "When men first come into contact with crime, they abhor it. If they remain in contact with crime for a time, they become accustomed to it, and endure it. If they remain in contact with it long enough, they finally embrace it, and become influenced by it." This is the equivalent of saying that any impulse of thought which is repeatedly passed on to the subconscious mind is, finally, accepted and acted upon by the subconscious mind, which proceeds to translate that impulse into its physical equivalent, by the most practical procedure available... All down the ages, the religionists have admonished struggling humanity to "have faith" in this, that, and the other dogma or creed, but they have failed to tell people HOW to have faith. They have not stated that 'faith is a state of mind, and that it may be induced by self-suggestion.' The basis of Christianity is FAITH, no matter how many people may have perverted, or misinterpreted the meaning of this great force, and no matter how many dogmas and creeds have been created in its name, which do not reflect its tenets. The sum and substance of the teachings and the achievements of Christ, which may have been interpreted as "miracles," were nothing more nor less than FAITH. If there are any such phenomena as "miracles" they are produced only through the state of mind known as FAITH! Some teachers of religion, and many who call themselves Christians, neither understand nor practice FAITH..." Although he uses Christianity as an example, Hill describes the method and action of faith based on what it actually is. It is something that is a step above simple belief. It is also very specific. One cannot have faith in a "blanket" way, because faith is a very unique state of mind that can only come about through effort, singularity of purpose, and the absence of fear. Faith itself is the reason for all success or great acheivement. Faith itself is a great and mysterious power that should be revered, but instead it is co-opted by organized religion and obscured by hiding it in plain sight. They tell you to pray, and tell you what you should be saying. This short-circuits faith from the get-go. Faith does not respond to demands, it only enters the mind that has been prepared to receive it. Prayer is merely a means of auto-suggestion, but when done properly, holds the key to the power back of religion. Why does mankind worship in the first place? Because humans are aware of greater forces than they can comprehend. Some humans figured out long ago that by co-opting these forces through claiming knowledge or communication with the forces, they gained the reverence of other humans, and through reverence, power and control in the name of a greater power. They harnessed the power of faith for their own ends. So it remains today. The truth is that "faith" does not belong to anyone, but is available to everyone. It supports all religions, but is a part of none. It's not something you can have a little of, nor is it a general state of mind. By using symbols and deities, the nature of faith is distorted. It is much more specific and takes much more effort to attain than "belief." As Hill said, Christ was really teaching about pure faith. He was not endorsing a new brand of God, and the real miracle of Christ is that enough of his true message has remained through all the distortions to allow anyone to understand what he was saying at all. He discovered the nature and method of faith, that it takes effort and elimination of negative emotions to work for positive ends. He did not believe in his own greatness, saying men will be able to do greater things than He did - because he had just come upon this discovery of faith, and its specific nature. Gandhi serves as a recent historical example applying the principles that Christ taught. He used faith for a specific purpose at a specific moment, and induced the minds of 200 Million Indians to move together as a single mind, and by so doing, gained India's independence. Anyone who tries to get even 2 people to work together for any period finds it a distinct challenge. He brought together 200 Million Indians, both Hindu and Moslem, without the things that other leaders have. He didn't have a military-industrial complex, or billions of dollars, he didn't even own a suit of clothes. But he demonstrated real power through the application of pure faith. It has nothing to do with believing in a symbol or a deity. It is, however, the same force that gives these things their power. It is our direct-dial connection to the power we endow our gods with. And it is available to all of us. It is little wonder then, that the true nature and method of faith is vigorously obscured by those who love power over other humans, and that it remains a subject about which so little is truly understood.