Faithing :: Essays Papers

FaithingFaith is an odd sort of virtue. In these geezerhood of televangelism, tracts, and the Christian right, maven would be tempted to identify confidence with a educate of beliefs, a conglomerate of successive religious propositions that one has accepted a branch of ones mental furniture, so to speak. However, to limit ones definition of doctrine to this narrow band is to do faith itself a disservice. In the history of literature and philosophy alike, there ar those who have conceived of faith rather differently. Among these are Myles Connolly and S ren Kierkegaard in their respective(prenominal) works Mr. toothsome and Judge for Yourself What these men seek to effect is non so very much a redefinition of faith as a acculturation and expansion it. Principles, yes, they set up but furthermore, actions flowing out of those principles. This flake of faith is thus characterized not only by beliefs, but also the inhering actions that come from those beliefs. In this way, f aith becomes something that envelopes a persons square being it is transmuted into a complete orientation for ones life.This type of faith, extolled by Kierkegaard, is embodied in the character of J. Blue in Myles Connollys book Mr. Blue. Blue was a rather singular person to say the least. At the very beginning of the book, the narrator says the following of BlueI have not the slightest doubt he would have been immensely intelligent in a poorhouse. He had no money. When by accident he happened upon some he gave it away. He worked here and there for his meals and a regularise to sleep. He roamed eastern United States and really did get abroad. The while he lived gloriously, and, withal, religiously. He impressed one as a sort of gay, young, and knightly monk without an Order. Or perhaps his Order was life, and the world his monastery. (15)Such a person was Blue. He had little interest in possessions, he was much more entranced by a bright splash of color, a marching band, or a s unset viewed off the top of a skyscraper. But above all, his profession, if he could be said to have one, was people. Blue was in love with people, his eyes sparkled for them, his mind was on fire for them, his embrace bled for them. Blues idea of the ultimate life project was to cave in what he called the Spies of God, an unorganized group of people that simply went around loving other people, people in need, poor people.