Before I go into the platforms of faith I will need to explain that there are two factors that dictate faith and how the hierarchy works These factors consist of belief and trust. We can believe is something without trusting in it. In the old story of the man hanging off a cliff requests if God is out there to save him. When God asks him to let go and he will save him the man shouts is there any one else out there that can help.
This demonstrates the difference between belief and trust. In the hierarchy, the base level is ourselves. Many believe they have all the resources to achieve anything without the help from others. They not only believe in themselves but trust themselves as well.
When things don’t go according to plan they go the the next level which includes friends and relatives. Here the trust is much higher as they are unlikely to let us down. The only problem is that our family and friends might not have the skill or desire to help us in the first place.
We now turn to personal experts and professionals who’s trust is routed in the fact that we are paying for their response and therefore they have a vested interest not to let us down. If we cannot find solace here we go for people who we don’t know but exist in the public domain like celebrities and leaders of industries from which we can draw generic advice
Finally the highest level of faith is belief and trust in a higher being who we feel has all our interests at heart. This could be anything from God to the Universe depending on our vision of a higher power. At this level faith trust and belief merge so we trust despite evidence. It is said that those who believe no amount of empirical evidence is necessary and to those who don’t believe no amount of empirical evidence is enough.
Peter Bull.