Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel.
Interpretation
Faith is believing in something without needing evidence, often relying on trust in the speaker's knowledge.
This quote by Ambrose Bierce critiques the concept of faith, suggesting that it is an irrational belief that relies on the assertions of those who may lack true understanding. It implies that faith is based on accepting claims about the unknown without the backing of evidence, raising questions about the nature of belief and its validity in personal and societal contexts.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about the role of faith in religion.
PALM, n. A species of tree . . . of which the familiar "itching palm" ("Palma hominis") is most widely distributed . . . . This noble vegetable exudes a kind of invisible gum, which may be detected by applying to the bark a piece of gold or silver.
Human nature is pretty well balanced; for every lacking virtue there is a rough substitute that will serve at a pinch--as cunning is the wisdom of the unwise, and ferocity the courage of the coward.
Indigestion: A disease which the patient and his friends frequently mistake for deep religious conviction and concern for the salvation of mankind. As the simple Red Man of the Western Wild put it, with, it must be confessed, a certain force: 'Plenty well, no pray; big belly ache, heap God.'
Disobey n:To celebrate with an appropriate ceremony the maturity of a command
NOUMENON, n. That which exists, as distinguished from that which merely seems to exist, the latter being a phenomenon. The noumenon is a bit difficult to locate; it can be apprehended only by a process of reasoning - which is a phenomenon.
PARDON, v. To remit a penalty and restore to the life of crime. To add to the lure of crime the temptation of ingratitude.
Free grace will fix those whom free will shook down into a gulf of misery.
The haunting of history is ever present in Barcelona. I see cities as organisms, as living creatures. To me, Madrid is a man and Barcelona is a woman. And it's a woman who's extremely vain.
There is nothing in the world so monstrously vast as our indifference.
We must not seek the child Jesus in the pretty figures of our Christmas cribs. We must seek him among the undernourished children who have gone to bed at night with nothing to eat, among the poor newsboys who will sleep covered with newspapers in doorways.
I know the place. It is true. Everything we do Corrects the space Between death and me And you.
A man full of faith is simply one who has lost the capacity for clear and realistic thought.
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