Faith

"My problem with my church and a carpenter's problem with his."

 

According to my understanding of the teachings, Faith is an equation.

Faith = Belief + Profession (to testify) + Appropriate Action

Britannica defines Belief as "A mental attitude of acceptance or assent toward a proposition without the full intellectual knowledge required to guarantee its truth."

As such one can never know of another's Belief. He/she can only know how Belief manifests itself through profession and action. Or if your will, words and actions.

Overtime. the equation, apparently being used, had be abbreviated to :

Faith = Belief + Profession (to testify)

For many presently, it appears to be further abbreviated to become:

Faith = Belief

The problem for me, the carpenter, and countless others is that the original equation is still the one on the books. And quite simply:

{Faith = Belief + Profession (to testify) + Appropriate Action} DOES NOT EQUAL {Faith = Belief + Profession (to testify)}.

Changing the equation has, in effect, changed the rules of the game. And more than that, appropriate action is such an important element of the game, that excluding it, has changed the game itself.

The carpenter protested pointing out the sacred texts and asserting that the ultimate proof of faith is appropriate action. A good person is not a person who believes he/she is good; a good person is not a person who says he he/she is good; a good person is a person who does good.

If you wish a shorter equation, here it is:

Faith = Appropriate Action

In the world of people interacting:

{Faith = Appropriate action} = {Faith = Belief + Profession (to testify) + Appropriate Action}

because there can be no greater profession of Belief than appropriate action.

It makes perfect sense to me. In the words of my Australian friends, of which I have none, " This carpenter and I, we be mates."

But there be dangers, for whereas the message to the people may have been one of peace and brotherhood, the message to the power structure that had changed the rules and corrupted the game was quite the opposite. To them, he came not to bring peace but a sword. And he went so far as to say so.

There is a price that must be exacted if one chooses to point out the flaws of the power structure to the power structure. Charges of lying are not well received by liars. Charges or hypocrisy are not well received by hypocrites. Charges of corruption are not well received by those who are corrupt. It is sure-fire way to get crucified. And the carpenter was.

And for the true believer, that's the way it had always been, that's the way it is, and that's the way it may always be. For to the true believer, when push comes to shove, Faith will always be equated with Appropriate Action.

A much easier road to travel is to equate Faith with Belief and limit oneself to saying the proper and accepted things.

The easiest road of all is to equate Faith solely with Belief and your demonstration of Faith becomes no different than that demonstrated by an amoeba.

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But Faith is not limited to religious concerns alone.

And if I change "My problem with my church and a carpenter's problem with his." to "My problem with my country and a singer's problem with his." this equally speaks of, say, Victor Jara.

"My problem with my country and a writer's problem with his." it speaks of, say, Federico García Lorca.

"My problem with my country and a activist's problem with his." it speaks of, say, Steve Biko.

Limited to America and thoughts of American Freedom, and it speaks to the varied likes of Curt Flood, Lenny Bruce and Paul Robeson.

The true believer, to whom Faith = Appropriate Action, is all but by definition a martyr. The only question is the exact nature of the penalty to be imposed.