Do Progressives Have Faith?

I have often observed that the more fundamentalist you are, the less faith you seem to have because you go through the evidence process to turn your faith into belief.

Belief is certainly easier than faith.  Faith’s primary ingredient is ambiguity or unknownness.  Belief, on the other hand tries to do away with ambiguity and solidify knowledge – the accuracy of the knowledge isn’t particularly important all the time.

Jonathan Haidt’s appearance recently on Moyers & Company and his 2008 TED Talk have me a bit scrambled on the issue of sanctification.  Liberals apparently don’t sanctify truth. 

I don’t know about that.  I think I sanctify faith.  In fact, I think I’m sure of it.  Belief is boring (even my own).  It’s unchallenging.  Don’t tell me what you believe and why.  Tell me what you have faith in and what it means to the way you do your life.

I’m thinking maybe that Haidt’s research is affected adversely by the questions he asks.  Maybe progressives are hearing a different question.  But then again, if someone told me that I can’t sanctify faith anymore and I have to believe something concretely, I’d probably tell them to get lost.  Nicely.

However, that said, this research is very informative from a self-awareness and a dealing with people with difference standpoint.  Progressives would do well to make themselves more aware of it.