Caroline Oring

Caroline Oring

Section 9

5/12/04

You Gotta Have Faith

 

            When many hear the word faithful the first thought that comes to mind is religion. They imagine someone praying at an alter, atending church every weekend and abiding by the rules set forth by that religion. Faithful, to these people is comitting yourself to a religious way of life and all the principles that that religion upholds. However, I don’t think that faith should be associated with religion. I believe that this word holds a deeper, more compassionate meaning. To be faithful is to be loyal to a person, group or idea.

            Faithful, is defined as something that is consistent with actuality. Also defined as constant, confiding, genuine, loyal and dependable. And defined as the opposite of Even in the dictionary definition it does not mention any association with religion. Some believe that faith insinuates religious beliefs, however, even in the dictionary definition there is no mention of any religious aspect to this word.

            In the public, specifically the media, this word is used in many ways. It is used when describing conflicts with religions, usually those who believe in Christianity and Islam. It is also used greatly with politics. Many politicians talk about even in hard times remaining faithful to our country. These politicians believe that even if you oppose the war in Iraq, you should remain faithful, and loyal to our country in supporting the fact that we have sent troops there. Now, when politicians are campaigning for next years presidency, many are speaking about how they will be faithful to the people of our country, and that’s why they should be elected. In the media faith is used to ensure trust.

            Faith, is something that is often misused. Many believe that if someone is faithful that means that they are religious. However, someone can be faithful towards someone or something else, and not be religious and still have faith. Another common misconception with the word faith is imagining someone kneeling at an alter praying. The word faith is often confused as a ‘religious word’, when it is clearly not.

            The word faithful or faith was originally used to describe something very different then religious loyalty.  One original use was to describe the extent of a duty of fulfilling ones trust. Another use for the word was to declare something an accomplished fact. Even at the beginning of this word’s history it wasn’t related to religion, but somehow over time it evolved into that.

            When I think of something that is faithful I think of someone who is dependable even through hard times. Whether it is a friend willing to listen and help through problems, or a pet that’s there for comfort no matter what at the end of the day. Think about the famous television and movie dog, Lassie. Lassie is the epitome of faithful. Anytime any of that dog’s ‘family members’ were in trouble, Lassie came running to the rescue. To be faithful is to be constantly dependable, not religiously loyal. An even better example of a pet being faithful is a dog named Fido, which is a common name for a dog, meaning faithful in Latin. Fidelity banking, also uses a word to portray its faith to its customers. If someone names their dog Fido are they saying it is a religious dog? Or is Fidelity banking only for religious persons?

            It is possible to be loyal to many things. I am not saying that one cannot be loyal or faithful to a religion, I just maintain that it is a word that should not be constantly associated with religious beliefs.