Belief and Faith

Abstract

In previous chapters our attention has been almost exclusively directed to the general mechanism, to the causes by which all the different ideas of divinity are generated. But this is only part of the story. The religious person not only conceives his or her god in a certain manner, namely, entertains a definite idea of his deity, but, what is more important, she or he believes that such a being exists. And, furthermore, upon such a belief he or she founds other beliefs, for instance, belief in immortality and eschatology, moral rules whose truth or falsity and/or validity is taken to be a direct consequence of the existence, character, attributes, and behavior towards us of the god or gods in question. To a much greater extent than natural religion, historical religion, “is not content with instructing us in the nature of superior powers, but carries its views farther, to their disposition towards us, and our duties towards them” (THN, xix).