Loyalty and Faith

So I hate faith but I cherish loyalty

Does that make a lick of sense? (That is a great expression.. I know)

Let's wikipedia it:

"Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1, New International Version).
Faith can mean
1. To trust
2. To believe without reason

Faith is based upon the interpretation of the intangible (feelings, emotions, etc.) instead of the physically tangible


Loyalty

Loyalty is faithfulness or a devotion to a person or cause.

Plato said that only a man who is just can be loyal.

The philosopher Josiah Royce said it was the supreme moral good, and that one's devotion to an object mattered more than the merits of the object itself.



So the two seem somewhat interrelated. Is there a difference? I think it is the religious context of faith that has soured the word to me.

The notion that one should ignore all rationality and blindly follow a religion seriously disturbs me. There is no challenging faith - relgions thrive because of it. Faith for me insults our intellect - we fail to think. It is formula for hurt. I think I have problems with letting someone else decide my morality.

Let's consider loyalty. There are some intangibles to that. I would say trust is one of those. I guess the whole idea of trust is pretty irrational. You are allowing someone else to take control.

Now I said loyalty is really important to me. Recently, I went through a hard time and did not speak to someone I love very much. I ignored their calls. When I finally contacted the person, the first thing she said was that I was behaving as if I did not have a __________ (insert friend, sister, mother, daughter).

That really struck me. I have no idea what life is about but I have yet to meet the person who did not see some kind of value to friends ands family. Our life is really made up of relationships, and it is for this reasons loyalty is so important to me. Even if I make this mistake of getting betrayed or hurt, I think it is more important to be open to good things in people.

So I try to be faithful to my friends. Maybe even condone behavior that I see as negative. I couldn't testify against my family. I would willingly sacrifice for my friends and family. It is just that important to me. Loyalty is not rational.

Now that does not mean that one should be completely blinded to reality. See the story of the snake. We still choose our relationships, and everything has a limit.

I guess if I can be somewhat stupidly loyal to people, I shouldn't judge people who are somewhat stupidly loyal to religion. It is all comes down to what you believe in.

Wetness all around me, true, but I'm no island.. Peninsula maybe