What is more important, virtuous behavior or faith in God?

This question can be asked when one comes across religious individuals who act in an un-virtuous manner. The question is answered by realizing that true faith in God is incompatible with un-virtuous behavior. Virtuous behavior is certainly possible for those who lack faith in God, but where there is true faith un-virtuous behavior is not. This conclusion follows from a particular definition of “true faith.” By true faith we mean belief concerning God that accords with God’s true nature. Virtuous behavior is behavior that is in line with what God’s will deems to be the best course of action. If one believes in God but has false beliefs about Him, then any un-virtuous behavior can be explained by this false belief. This often manifests itself in a misunderstanding of a virtue. For example, even if one believes in God and believes justice to be a virtue which God approves of, one can easily misjudge what the just action is in a given situation. Even if a particular action is unjust one can justify that unjust action with religious belief. Although in the agent’s mind he is acting justly, he thinks this only because his belief is flawed, i.e., he believes things about God that are untrue. Hence un-virtuous actions can be coincident with false belief, but not with true belief, or truth faith. For many, faith in God means merely to believe that God exists, but this is not enough. This definition is too broad and includes an indefinite number of false beliefs about the nature of God. This should mollify any arguments against religion based upon anecdotal examples of the behavior of religious individuals. One final point is that having belief about God that is absolutely correct is nearly impossible for mortals. By our nature we are prone to ignorance and mistaken belief. Achieving this perfect belief would be almost a merging with God, a complete understanding of His will.

faith__virtue