There is probably no better definition of faith, than is found at Hebrews 11:1 in a modern translation: “Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld.” I other words, when you have faith in something or someone, you are convinced of that thing or person’s faithfulness or the fact that it will come true in the future. An example is that one has faith that one’s mate will remain faithful to the marriage vows.
There is the faith that one’s car will start on a cold morning, that bread will rise, the sun will rise, the electricity will not fail, and that water will flow from the faucet if it is needed, that the plane on which you are flying, will land safely, and that some idiot will not run in front of you and cause an accident.
To make our faith more certain, people go to church, have guns and a safe. They have locks on their doors, and have alarms on their cars, just to be sure. We treat our mates with love and consideration, so as not to give them a temptation to break their vows. At our jobs, we are on time, and perform tasks quickly and thoroughly. When I was 18, I got a job driving a fuel oil truck for Sinclair in Washington D.C.. In spring, everyone gets laid off, because there is no need for fuel oil. I performed so well, that I was held on till the very last, even after the old timers had been laid off, because my gallons per hour, gallons per mile, no accidents, etc. were better that the rest. It pays to do ones’ job well. If you do, you have faith that the boss will reward you.
Many times, faith is misplaced. Faith in the political system and elected officials, is often misplaced, when they run the spending up, hire poor people, and vote the wrong way. This is almost 100% true is seems, even at the local scene. Why do people, when elected, get swell heads and believe that they can do no wrong? Faith in a good brand of tire, when it blows out, can be a manufacturing error, and can be remedied by the guarantee. When one gets sick at a restaurant, it destroys faith in that restaurant.
Faith in a religious belief, is a faith that cannot be proven, and is literally a perfect definition of Hebrews 11:1. We believe, and have faith, but the faith cannot be proven. We trust, and that’s all we can do, but it does give comfort and hope. I have faith that Holland-America’s captain and ship will stay afloat and give us a good time, and not act like that Italian ship who’s fate was destroyed by a foolish captain. We’ve cruised with Holland-America before, so we have faith that it will be enjoyable.
Faith that the roof won’t leak, faith that lightening won’t strike, or a tornado won’t blow our house away, and probably a futile faith that Republicans won’t act like Democrats, as Romney probably would if he is elected.
The most wide spread faith in the world, and one that is wholly misplaced, is faith in one’s paper money, which is 100% backed by nothing, and is created out of thin air all around the world, including Switzerland. I get a chuckle when I realize that the dollar is backed by “The full faith and credit of the United States Government.” Isn’t that comforting? I think it is absurd, but millions of suckers save in dollars, buy treasury notes, and bonds of failing nations everywhere, because the interest may be high. I have no faith in any government, anywhere, at any time, and I have no faith in their money, bonds, notes, or other paper scams.
As a Christian, I cannot see why Muslims have faith in their religion, but I don’t criticize them for it. They, undoubtedly wonder why I have faith in Christianity. However, in all religions everywhere, and all political parties everywhere, the paper money scam is universal. Why, if people have surplus assets, do they have any faith of any kind in unbacked paper money, which is created out of thin air by irresponsible untrustworthy governments around the world? I cannot understand this. Historic money, is simply gold and silver. Gold and silver have been real, self backed money for thousands of years in all nations, even in Biblical times and before.
Why are gold and silver real money? Because there is only so much of them, they require exploration, capital, machinery, and effort to produce. There is a finite amount of them, and they require a lot more than a printing press to produce. A gold mine’s ore has no visible signs of gold in it, unless it is “high grade,” which is very rare. That ore, with no visible gold or silver visible, must be ground into face powder consistency in a mill, and then with centrifuges, floatation, chemicals, bubbling, and a few other processes, turns out gold, in what is known as ’sponge.’ Then it must be smelted to make it viable gold, which can be turned into bars, and coins. The turning it into bars and coins, distributing it, and transporting it is not cheap either. But the result is beautiful, historic money, which is self backed, and needs no backing by a government. Why would anyone place surplus assets into anything else? I do not understand. I have faith in gold and silver, and do not want dollars.
We do no advertising, have an A+ rating at the better business bureau, and generally are cheaper and more reliable than any other purveyor of precious metals. We have no shop, employees, nor rent to pay, and sit at our desks at our individual homes, and provide you with real money when you call us. We NEVER call anyone, so there is no danger of having someone bother you with calls. That’s it, except I am going on a cruise and will be back February 7th. Call my kids David or Melissa, or my daughter-in law Morgen, while I am away. No more columns till I get back.
P.S. How can Iran shut off the Straits of Hormuz? It’s 21 miles wide! Or are the dummies in D.C. and White House trying to get us into another foolish war? Will Obama and Democrats create a ’false flag’ event just before the election in November? I hope not.