Why is Faith so Important to God?

I find myself in the surprising condition, considering I've been a Christian for 25 years, of never having thought about this question. So, as I think about it and read what others have said, I have more questions.First, does God really require the kind of faith you're asking about? I think of Jesus saying, "If you don't believe me, at least believe the works I do" (Jn. 10:38). He seems pretty willing in that whole passage to allow for an evidence-based faith.God does ask for a "blind faith" based on what he's said, but I think only after there's already faith in him that's not blind. Abraham, I think, would be an example. God appeared to him first, and it was only after much had happened between Abraham and God that he asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.That's what I think of when I think of faith. Do you have something suggesting there needs to be a faith in God that's not somehow evidence-based?

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We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.

shammah.rcv.googlepages.com

Rose Creek Village

To be great, one does not have to be mad, but definitely it helps. ~Percy Cerutty, Australian track coach, 1952 Olympics

I certainly agree this is true, I just don't think it's a "believe without any evidence and be saved" message. If you need a time machine, then don't worry about it. Must not be true.The evidence Jesus himself offered for belief was unity among his disciples caused by the "glory" and "word" he had given them. He said it would make the world believe. If his disciples don't have something powerful enough to cause you to believe now, then there is no evidence--according to Christ himself.My experience is that the Life that moves us where I live is most certainly powerful enough to make the people around us believe. I wish I lived in a purely atheistic society, so I could see how much effect it would have in that environment. No way to tell, though, because we live in the deep south, where most people claim to be believers.I'm going on a trip tomorrow, so if you respond to this I won't see it for two weeks. I will look then, though.

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We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.

shammah.rcv.googlepages.com

Rose Creek Village

To be great, one does not have to be mad, but definitely it helps. ~Percy Cerutty, Australian track coach, 1952 Olympics

Sorry for waiting so long to respond to this, but as I said, I've been in Myanmar for a couple weeks. I think the demonstration of Christianity in the United States is pretty strong evidence against it being a religion propagated by God, so it's hard for me to offer a defense for something I think is basically awful.It wasn't always so. I hope you get to see something different. I've seen a number of "something different" demonstrations of Christianity, enough to find it impossible to deny, despite the falseness and awfulness of most that goes by that name.