Faith might have a religious meaning to some, and to others it might just mean trusting in something or someone. Whatever it means, faith encourages people to get back up when they fall. To better understand how ideas about faith can vary, Ball Bearings asked four different people what it means to them.
Amelia Lynas
Amelia is a freshman advertising major at Ball State.
To me, faith means believing in something even when you can’t see it. For me, faith is my belief in God and my religion, Christianity. I have faith in God to guide me through life and all of the problems that come my way. While life isn’t perfect, and I still struggle a lot, I have faith that God has a plan for me. Even though I don’t know what it is, He knows, and He will take care of me. I haven’t physically seen God’s face, but I have seen Him move in my life, and He has done miracles. In that, I have faith.
Benjamin McIntosh
Benjamin graduated from Ball State in 2018. As a student, he majored in philosophy and religious studies.
I have had a very complicated relationship with the concept of faith. The role faith holds for me has changed quite significantly throughout my life. When I was a younger, faith was paramount in my family. It was described as the assurance and belief in things unseen. (Or so my pastor and family explained to me.) It was a beautiful concept because it represented unyielding devotion to God.
However, I felt that it was also weaponized by church elders. So you have questions? Your faith clearly isn’t strong enough, they would say. So you disagree with our teachings? Check your faith. I felt like the idea of faith was used to shield church leaders from criticism. Over time, this gave me a bitter taste.
Today, faith holds no value for me. Why choose to just believe things when we can attempt to confirm facts? Faith, to me, is hollow. It conveys no meaning—merely the hope that something exists.
If someone is religious or spiritual, I understand why they would value faith. It can certainly be a liberating, comforting, and beautiful concept. But I prefer to speak of trust and confidence. I don’t have faith that my friends will be honest with me, but I have confidence in them because they have proven to be honest in the past. I don’t have faith that professors are experts in their fields, but I have confidence in the system that granted them their degrees. I don’t rely on faith to assure me that things will happen.
Jennifer McGowen
Jennifer is a freshman english and photojournalism double major at Ball State.
I’m Catholic, but I’m not super religious with it or anything. Being Catholic means you believe in the body and blood of Christ, and I’m mainly Catholic because of my mom, so it’s a family religion.
I find that I have faith in my life, in my friends, and in my family. I think faith is included in all the good things that happen in life. It doesn’t need evidence. Faith is found in the little things in life that make me happy, which is why I find it in my friends and family.
Ball Bearings has edited statements for clarity.
