Relationship between Faith and Belief

Faith and conviction are two interconnected concepts contested and considered for millennia. Belief mainly describes ideas and emotions that a person considers accurate. They often differ from individual to individual. Conversely, faith is more comprehensive and involves strong trust and confidence in someone or something (Howard-Snyder, 2016).

James Fowler's phases of faith are a structure that describes the developmental process of religion (Buchak, 2014). The phases commence with an original stage of intuitive-projective faith, followed by a mythic-literal faith, a synthetic-conventional faith, an individuative-reflective faith, a conjunctive faith, and, ultimately, a universalizing faith. Each level builds on the preceding one, leading to a more complicated and developed comprehension of religion.

I associate it with the individuative-reflective period of religion. This stage involves a deep investigation of previous beliefs. This is searching for a person's understanding of religion and the will to challenge tradition or authority (Pojman, 1986). I understand that my religion concurs with me alone and may differ from others. I have understood that I must be responsible for my beliefs and actions, and I also have a strong sense of personal principles and a desire to remain faithful to myself.

While I can see elements of myself in the other phases of religion, I believe that the individuative-reflective stage corresponds most powerfully with my present beliefs and experiences. I value the significance of internal introspection and acquiring knowledge and understanding, and I believe this period corresponds with my continuing spiritual journey.

References

Howard-Snyder, D. (2016). Does faith entail belief? Faith and Philosophy.

Pojman, L. (1986). Faith without belief? Faith and Philosophy, 3(2), 157-176.

Buchak, L. (2014). Rational faith and justified belief.

By Shem Kipkoech 1 year ago . Marked as helpful (212). Marked as unhelpful (112)