David Dyer-Bennet writes: Mia McDavid <mia_mcdavid at attbi.com> writes: > There's a famous quote that says "Faith is the substance of things > hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." DDB has his own > faith--similar to Asimov or Roddenberry, he seems to believe in the > future of humankind, ever evolving toward something wiser and more > rational. I find his faith quite as repellent as he finds mine. As > to whose hopes will be rewarded, we just don't know yet, do we? I have no such faith, sorry. I have *hope*, a very different thing. Faith, for me, is one of the dirtiest of dirty words. I think faith is more like a strong combination of hope and trust. And there's nothing dirty about it, if you deploy it sensibly. I like to say that getting to know my wife and marrying her reawakened my dormant faith. The fact that i can trust her, and depend on her, without actually /expecting/ things out of her, is very reassuring. And the fact that she can have the same faith in me is very comforting. It doesn't matter that we're human and fallible; that's just part of it. If we were infallible, why would we need faith? We'd just know. Hmm, maybe that's how it works for people who believe in God, too. rone -- New from the makers of Li'l Swimmers: Li'l Eaters. Edible underwear that looks just like Mommy's and Daddy's! - Kibo