How theological materialism defines faith

Inspired by the models or pattern-making of Hegel, I define "faith" as projecting the realities of the natural world and the world of science into the utmost future. As I said yesterday, in theological materialism I see evolution moving inevitably in a pattern, even though it has its random elements, and the pattern has a discernible direction, in spite of instances of stagnation and retreat, toward higher and higher more effective living forms, ending in supermaterial Godhood. "Faith" derives from projecting the realities of the natural world and the world of science into that future.

That faith can add to the noble way of overcoming selfishness and being-for-itself as well as overcoming anthropomorphism in predicting the future. But perhaps even more importantly we can avoid having faith in an absolute spiritualism which removes itself from the realities of the natural world and the world of science---alas, even Hegel couldn't avoid that kind of faith.

That is also the rational, and instinctive, way to identify the individual with the future of the group or the collective---I hesitate to identify with the "Absolute" mainly because I don't think evolution ever ends, there are always Gods evolving and arriving at the zenith of success in survival and reproduction.