Definition Paper On Faith

Life isn't always what it seems because with the dawning of each new day you never know what to expect. Therefore, when things in your life go awry, you must have faith. Faith you ask, what's that? The answer may vary slightly depending on a person's cultural, social, and religious beliefs but overall the meaning of faith doesn't change. The dictionary definition of faith is "belief in something for which there is no proof and complete trust." Martin Luther, a German theologian, defined faith as "God's work in us that changes us and gives new birth from God." Although, everyone's definition may be worded differently than the dictionary or Martin Luther's definition the basic premise will remain the same.

To explore this concept that faith has the same meaning I asked family and friends of different ages, life experience, and religious background what faith means to them. I began by asking my little sister, who is in the fifth grade, she told me that faith means to believe, trust and have hope. My sister has not experienced a lot in life yet so she has not really had to rely on her faith as much as her elders. Next, I asked a classmate who is Catholic and has grown up in a different racial culture than myself. She said faith means believing in something that is unseen. Despite the fact that she has never seen something, she still has faith in it. Without knowing her life story, I can tell from her definition that she has had to rely on her faith several times. Then I went on to ask my mother, a youth minister and devout Christian, what the word faith means to her. She responded by saying faith is a lifestyle that you must walk every day; you must believe and have a hope of things to come even when there is no evidence of it coming. My mother is a woman who has had to endure many trials and tribulations, so her faith has become a lifestyle for her. She has always had to believe that God will fix it, without actually seeing his face. To get a male's perspective on the definition of faith I asked my uncle, whose life has had lots of ups and downs. He defined faith as a strong belief, a spiritual connection and confidence. He associates faith with his connection to God, which gives him confidence about himself. Finally I asked my mother's assistant at work, who is much older and a Jehovah's Witness. She defined faith as a belief based on knowledge. After asking several people about what faith means to them, I sat down and I thought