I never said it doesn't fit .. it does fit for you and at the same time it might not fit so well for me. That's what I mean by semantics. Discussing about definitions and the use of words is pointless, it's often very subjective ... but I'll give it a go here anyway.

For me starting a car isn't based on faith. I know for certain there will be two possible outcomes, of which one occurs in 99% of the cases. Either it starts or it doesn't start because something is wrong. No need to know intricately how an engine functions. Besides by your definition I could say even a mechanic that does know about engines has faith he fixed that engine .. cause I'll bet you he doesn't have a flying clue about the chemistry that goes on inside, all he knows is somehow the fuel goes boom and the engine works.

Energy work isn't based on faith for me either. I know perfectly well what to expect when I work with energy. I might not understand the specifics of it, just like I don't know anything about engines .. but I still know what will happen when I 'ignite' my energy. 99% of the time I will feel it, 1% of the time I won't because there is something wrong with me.

If that is faith, then everything is faith. I'd just say we'd be taking Hume a bit too literally: "Past experiences don't affect the future. If you throw a stone, a hundred times it can fall down, yet once it may fly up." Very matrixy and good to oogle your mind but it's a bit extreme for my tastes.

I once sat in a courtroom and listened to two lawyers present their evidence to try and convince the judge to either free or convict their client. Although completely different, I gotta say this is starting to sound just like it. ^_^And my debate class in 2004

How is original different from making an imagination out of scratch? I mean aren't both ways to personalize an idea or to take nothing you can relate to and make it into something you can? Such as Gods. Many religions can't comprehend other ones, and based on experience, they brought forth their own. One that didn't exist before their minds imagined it, so wouldn't that be like from scratch or just plain and simply an original concept?

I don't think I entirely agree that denial can be part of acceptance. Cause acceptance is in the affirmative. I think that understanding can be part of the stages of acceptance. Cause if you deny, then you're merely not believing at all and therefore if you don't believe you don't accept it. And also all acceptance doesn't spring from denial so can't really be a stage added in, unless it's a constant. IMO Anyway

I think energy work can be a part of faith. Or at least believing in it. Faith is usually something that you believe in, even if you can't see, or hear it, blah, blah, or if science can't explain it away. Such as UFO's. There's not sufficient evidence in science to convince many alien lovers, aliens don't exist. They have faith it does exist for whatever reason. They haven't actually seen one, or had it confirmed and not really a way for scientists to conclude that for real there is no intelligent life on any other planets. At least not beyond the shadow of a doubt anyway. Heh

Umm, yeah, lost my train of thought, so carry on while I go find it.
*Goes chasing after thought*

I'm insulted for being compared to a lawyer

I'm also refusing to argue more about the meaning of words in this topic so I'll just say, yes you are right in everything you say.

You can create things from scratch, just a different gradation of scratch than I had in mind .. and yes, people can have faith in energy work because faith is a very subjective thing.

I try to have faith in many things I hear about astral projection because I lack the experience to know they're possible. My scientific attitude makes it hard to keep that faith though. In that same manner someone can have faith in energy work. It's just not necessary for me to have faith in it because I do have the experience in that field.

*Grins* Well maybe ya shouldn't sound so much like one.

*Snickers* Not about being right for me, I was genuinely curious if originality and scratch are the same or if different. you know me, uninformed somewhat

Faith is a state of mind for me. For you, you're used to working with energy and see that it indeed does have a phsyical and mental affect. I myself have to my knowledge never successfully used energy, so I can only have faith that it works. I can't see it, or smell it, and wouldn't be able to say whether I felt it, if it smacked me dead in the face. I guess at it, and in that, I have faith it does work, cause even though I'd rather have something tried and find it concrete, hasn't particularly happened. So in that, we have my favorite saying. Agreed to disagree.

Hehe, actually we're saying the exact same thing so there is no disagreement.

Darn, now I have to find another area to use my favorite saying