I used to have discomfort over people invoking “faith”. Regardless of philosophical, religious or biblical definition, it was often made to override contrary evidence or demand others believe something with no proof. It was Fox Mulder’s poster on the wall: “I want to believe.” This is a sort of ‘front end faith’, which forms the basis of belief in absence, or even in opposition to, observation, reason, and other methods available to all people.
My own beliefs in various first principles, empiricism, reason, induction, and the ancient Egyptian religion are based on what I believe to be the most probable. No belief is 100% certain, however. The experiences of life and the progress of human knowledge witness undermining, or at least refining, of ideas once thought to be unquestionable. Yet to act only on total certainty would lead to hesitancy at best or paralysis at worse.
Hence, faith can be used on the ‘back end’: insomuch as courage is carrying on despite fear, faith is carrying on despite uncertainty (ideally only a little, but perhaps more than we would like). One can express confidence in their views, but faith bridges the gap from reasonable probability into the certainty required for action.
Faith is also about accepting reasonable risk, such as in a relationship or belief in a higher cause. Spouses who are committed to each other must have faith they will not be cheated on. A patriot or soldier who believes the principles and people of his nation are worth defending must persist in his efforts, even if the country’s track record is not perfect or the people apathetic. A religious believer must not give up devotion merely due to the unpopularity of his creed. A person must have faith in himself despite his imperfections. These beacons of faith can spread that faith to others, holding the line of what gives them meaning.
Now, there are limits: an unrepentantly abusive or philandering spouse, a nation wholeheartedly abandoning its values, a religion whose fundamentals are disproven, or a person who slides into malice and vice end up requiring more and more ‘front end’ faith rather than ‘back end’ faith. At that point, patriotism turns into contempt, marriage into a prison, religion into fanaticism, and self worth into narcissism.
Jordan Peterson says he “acts as if God exists” (God in this case being the highest ideal to strive for). We can extend this to all things: "act as if its true", even if in a literary or symbolic, if not literal sense.
In ancient Egypt it was believed that Osiris did live on earth and taught people farming and abolished human sacrifice, and the legend carried on from there with Horus, etc. making them literal incarnations. Now one cannot prove Osiris existed literally, or who the first farmer was, but it is not necessary: when I act or believe as if it is true in a deep archetypal sense as regards to my mythos, it helps me relate to the mythos more.
Its a fine line for sure...without guardrails you or I can have faith in the Kryon UFO channeling books with equal vigor. So it may be best to frame these myths as not about history, but legend: a religion that operates in a realm of value and meaning that is the “so what?” to what we discover with reason and observation.