on loyalty - Let's see what the Bhagavad-gita says...

[Guest guest]

ADDENDUM: Some basic meanings from Webster's 3rd (Unabridged):

 

>LOYAL - "faithful to the lawful government or sovereign to whom one

>is subject." (ie, a social psychology.)

 

>FAITH = the act or state of wholeheartedly and steadfastly believing in

>the existence, power and benevolence of a supreme being, of having

>confidence in his providential care, and of being loyal to his will

>as being revealed and believed in: belief and trust in and loyalty

>to God.

>

> 2) firm or unquestioning belief in something for which there is no

>proof

 

Even in Webster, there is this problem of circularity -- defining *faith* in

terms of being *loyal* and vice versa. (I don't have OED handy at the moment

to contrast.)

 

>From the definitions above, though, we could concede that LOYALTY is "a type

of faith," (in the relative sense) or "an exercise of faith (in the genuine

sense), but the terms are not synonymous. In order for an exercise of faith to

be genuine, it has to be reposed in something that is genuinely "sublime". An

exercise of faith in something defective and faulty is misplaced -- foolish,

blind or bad faith -- may be "LOYAL" according to some relative conception,

but it is not an exercise of true spiritual faith (*sraddha*). Thus, it must

inevitably have mixed or even detrimental effects.

 

sraddhamayo'yam puruso

yo yacchraddhah eva sah

 

"The living being is said to be of a particular faith according to the modes

of nature he has acquired." (Bg 17.3)

 

Purpt:

"Thus accordig to one's faith, one associates with certain persons...

"The resultant artificial faith are only material...

"Therefore according to the condition of the heart in contact with a

particular mode of nature, one's faith is established...

"Thus we find different types of faith in this world, and there are different

typs of religions due to different types of faith."

 

- Srila dasa