While taking an online course from a Sufi group, the issue of faith came up. Faith has come up several times in the past few years and I have a very strong resentment to the word. I suppose I have history with zealots who used control on me, all in the name of faith. But does faith have an upside? After a careful analysis and some spiritual guidance I still hold that faith in the wrong target will always end badly, yet I have come to understand that faith is necessary to counter doubt.

Faith in Wrong Targets

Faith is a challenging word for me. I grew up in a very strict, fundamentalist Christian home. My father a minister, my parents forbid any form of modern music. They forbid dancing because it was carnal, so no school dances. Other relatives forced me to burn my fantasy books or face exorcism. This last one deserves a bit more context. When I was a teenager, while my father was traveling on business, two relatives of mine stopped by for a visit. While one took me out for ice cream, the other went through my bedroom looking for “evil.” This was during the 80’s, during the “satanic panic.” When I returned home, several of my books were in the living room. Later that day they made a fire in the fireplace and required I burn these books. The quoted passages out of context from these books by J.R.R. Tolkien and told me “this is real magic,” and these were books of demons. I refused to burn them and they said if I refused they would perform an exorcism on me. I knew of one exorcism in town, it ended badly with the child ending up dead at the end of it. I was terrified and my mother was checked out, allowing these zealot relatives to run their little show. In the end I burned my own books, out of fear of being harmed in an exorcism. I was the victim of another’s faith.

Think of the countless massacres and wars, where the soldiers did their actions under the faith of the church. Even today, how many cults woo someone to commit a crime, or submit to acts of depravity, under the guideline of belief and faith in the master? I was watching a Documentary on Paramount+ regarding Synanon. The Synanon group transitioned into a religion at one point and required all men to undergo vasectomies. The group Heaven’s Gate required men to be castrated and of course, all members committed suicide in the end. Less extreme examples are seen in the everyday churches, where members are instructed to vote for a political party out of some personal bias. I recently heard a televangelist shouting against churches that preach civil right issues. He felt all you need is Jesus, and one shouldn’t bring up politics when people are abused due to their race. Ironically this same pastor preaches the politics of voting for a particular party, and praises the patriots that resisted British taxation in order to form America. Followers of such ideology are following in faith to a church leader.

Those who are anti-science believe in faith to such a degree they can harm a society (such as not believing in COVID). Consider the old idea that the Earth – people believed in faith because the Bible referred to the “four corners of the world.” Such people quote passages like, “God uses the wisdom of man to confound him.” But let’s not forget that if it wasn’t for science, we would be pre-agriculture nomads. We would still believe the earth was the center of creation and the moon to be a floating orb in our atmosphere. Like it or not, science is a helping – not a harmful – hand. Spirituality may have views on things that science can’t comprehend but science is very good at analyzing physical properties, and that’s how it should be… allow each to navigate their wheelhouse.

Right Faith: The True Requirement

I sat with my feelings on the matter but when I engaged spiritual guidance, something profound occurred. I realized that my feelings on faith were unfair. Faith is a requirement for the spiritual path because it clears doubt. Doubt will cause one to fall off a path, and have several restarts or false starts. Obviously faith in a bad target (controlling groups, leaders, dogmas, or harmful paths) will lead to spiritual disruption. The question becomes, “how can I put Faith in the correct target?”

Faith in any matter should be one focused on, “Love, Harmony and Beauty.” At any time control or harm is introduced, then it is no longer based on Love, Harmony and Beauty and should be re-evaluated.

“We can say that faith has a danger, when put on the wrong target. But Faith is required to stay the path towards God (the Right target). Any action requested by someone, which causes harm to one’s self or harm to others is the wrong path. Faith needs to be towards the One that is the fullfillment of Love, Harmony and Beauty.”

Spiritual Guidance