I simply love these paradoxes. I see them as true expressions of free will. Any other views?
I saw my doctor today. He is retiring, and he was training his replacement.
I put your question to him.
After talking to his colleague, he said:
“Don’t ask us. We’re just a paradox.”
Joking aside, you raise an excellent point.
Years ago, I had a friend who was a classical pianist. His playing was spectacular. One night, after a private concert, I congratulated him on his performance. He said, “Thanks, but you don’t understand. I am a miserable ivory tickler.”
He meant, “I know enough about piano playing to know that compared to Sviatislav Richter, I am a miserable ivory tickler.”
Strictly speaking, he was right. Compared to Sviatislav Richter, everybody is a miserable ivory tickler.
It is this insight that gives rise to the paradox, “The more we know, the more we know we don’t know.”
I suspect something of the kind was behind the quote you cite. The father was saying, “I have enough faith to know that compared to Your faith, mine is weak. I am a leaf blowing in the wind.”
I used to write epigrams for a newspaper. Let me give you one:
Ah, chess – a mystery to those who don’t know the game, and more of a mystery to those who do.
Forgive me for not spelling right 
I see what the problem is with labeling so many writings as; paradoxes.
People need to start reading as a child would; with no fences or walls around themselves or any negative assumptions.
Try to understand first of all how the scripture applies to your life.
Let’s read it again…
“Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24
I will now tell you a story… (made this up to illistrate what I am trying to say)
There was a man who ran a great country. He had riches beyond belief. He trusted in his servants to do him good, whether or not he saw them actually doing it.
Now the servants themselves had faith in their ruler, they always trusted he would give them payment for their services and that he would do it on time.
In the course of a few years, the servants were told one day that they would not be getting their weekly payment. Most of them were simply aroused of the idea that maybe the next week their king would pay them rightfully.
Week after week passed however, and soon they grew tired of the king’s promises. The king told them that they would have a great surprise if they would just ‘wait’ and ‘beleive’, but most of them thought of his words as insults (having thought he was actually being greedy instead).
It had been over 6 weeks now and most of the servants had already quit working for their king. They had enough money and food to survive well past a year however, let alone the 6 months. Those who remained faithful were few.
Little did the remaining ones know that there king had made them more than simple servants now and for trusting in him even in their ‘unbelief’ he rewarded them with many riches and power!
The lesson to be learned here:
The servants who left had much ‘unbelief’. Sure, they had belief when the money was rolling in, but when they had to be tested; none.
The servants who stayed had much ‘belief’ and thus they were rewarded. They didn’t need a sign at all that they would have been given their money, they faithfully remained, holding true to their belief.
Now I ask you, "Would you want to be able to believe when there are no signs? Do you ask God, "“Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!”
I’ve read this a few times, but I’m afraid I still don’t understand your point, Mr. Lee. I guess I’m too tired to reason…
Where did the believers’ unbelief come from? Is it actually not believing in a better fate? Because faith they had, otherwise they would have left.
I see Mr. Lee’s point. Think of it like a metaphor. God is the king and we are the servants. The period where the servents do not recieve their pay is the test (say like you life here on earth). In the end (our death) the king (God) repays them with great riches and power (eternal life with him).
At least that’s how I took it…
Yeah, that I understand, but what I don’t understand in Mr Lee’s point is where did the believers’ unbelief come from? I mean, those whom remained faithful, why were they complaining about their lack of faith? They were faithful as in the first day, right?
My explanation of this apparent paradox is this: of course only believers could complain about their lack of faith, because unbelievers didn’t even know what faith is. And I see their complaining about their lack of faith as an aknowledgement of their sinful nature.
They don’t begin by being payed, being faithful, as MrLee tries to explain, but by inclination to sin. By lack of faith.
Define “belief” or “unbelief” or “faith”
Some different translations put it like this: Mark 9:24 – “I have faith! Help me out where I need faith!”
Faith in what ? Belief in what ?
It sorta sounds like you’re thinking in regards to faith/belief (or lack thereof) in the whole Christianity teaching ? Whereas I take it that the context is talking about that this father “believed/had faith” in Jesus’ teachings, but still had doubts as to if this demon could be expelled from his son.
Mark 9:18 – Jesus’ disciples were definately faithful men in the Christianity teaching, but lacked faith in the area of expelling demons.
Luke 17:5 – The apostles begged Jesus to “give [them] more faith.” Or to strengthen their faith.
Hope that makes any sense at all.
Yeah, good point of view.
Whatever the context, it show’s you can’t say you have enough faith.
truedat
Ok i can sorta see where the story was going, but i would be one of those people who walked away. i am naturally a skeptic and the king in the story was a fallable human, a king mind you. Now if i was one of the loyal ones and had true faith in him till the end and the outcome had been diffrent(had he not payed) then i would have been SOL.
Interpreting this again to religion if i had faith in god all along then i found out in the end my faith was mis-placed i would again be shat out of luck and now have missed out on experinces in life.
I will check out the context of that staement later but regardless it is still saying that black is white.
God is the great collective phenomological agreement.The concept of God is just the ideas of more/greater turned into a poetic reality for man. Did God create us or did we create him? Yes commonalities exist in the belief in god ,but the overwhelming belief in a greater good/ or unmoved mover doesn’t confirm the existence of a deity( especially the one most commonly accept to exist independent of our mind).Yes, those that believe that love and ethics descend from heaven–will be waiting for a long time for their beliefs to be varified, and yet you will fall back on the sophomoric response --it is faith and the deity is beyond on our knowing–lightweights.Make any excuse to to prove an entity into existence without empirical evidence–go ahead it is your right to remove the pangs of mortality and hardship by creating a god(of love and compassion).but i think i will be humanistic and not wait for prays to be answered–i will be a person of charity without pray.Good day to all you religious misfits.Heres your sign>>>>>Avoid the God(s) of the gap—filling in which science and reason hasn’t explored thoroughly yet.
I agree. If people gave as much thought to this life as they give to the next one there’d be no need for heaven.