isnt faith is just a nice word for believing in something that doesn't exist?

It means a choice to believe in something.

Sometimes it makes no difference "if it really exists".

confidence

definitions are subjective

who cares

it's a nice word for believing in something that may or may not exist

Have faith in you, mortals. LOL

It means hope. Usually used by the religious because they have no evidence, they just hope they are right.

faith is choosing to believe when you don't really know.

You also have no evidence, which has been proven hundreds of time on glp.

I've thought about this a fair bit and believe that true faith can only come after trying some kind of search.......and, the more we search, the stronger our faith becomes all with the knowledge that we will never have 100% scientific evidence that God exists.

Faith is built over a lifetime of asking questions and sometimes going down dead ends. But we've accumulated experiences that somehow bind together later in life to provide some kind of a whole, a glint in the eye where you know something but realize that you cannot reveal your knowledge in a peer-reviewed journal.

Those afternoons spent in a new age bookstore, Sundays spent church hopping, reading and reflecting on posts in this site, etc. are all time well invested in strengthening what we call faith.

Here's an example that illustrates the difference between knowledge, belief and faith.

I pick up a rickety old metal chair and examine it closely (knowledge).

Then I conclude, "I believe this chair will hold my weight."

Faith is my sitting in the chair.

More generally, "Faith is our positive response to something in which we deeply believe."

And sometimes it makes all the difference as silly Ole' Charlie Boy here found out.

HI THERE!... [link to www.chick.com (secure)]

you believe in the wind don't you? Don't be so smug to think
because you can see Him He is not there. I can assure you
He see's all. You use faith everyday. Wake up