Is faith a cop out?

For years now i have been told that to believe in something for which there is no proof, and in some cases convincing counter proofs, takes courage. To have faith without question, to blindly follow, and to belive no matter what, is hard, and that is what the very essence of relegion is all about. There is no doubt that such massive devotion has produced some of the most beautiful artworks and amazing architecture in the world. It has also resulted in ( and continues to result in) some of the bloodiest wars in our history. But I am getting off topic. I just want to know when following along like a sheep, to do what everybody else does, and what you are told and expected to do, became corageous? When did following orders and thinking no independant thought become hard? To me this is an almighty cop out. Sure when christians were feed to the lions, it might have been hard to have faith in that particular religion, it may have even taken courage. But surely throughout history, relegion is a means of inventing explanations for things we don't understand. A cop out. Instead of admitting we don't know, or accepting that bad and good things sometimes happen, we invent an explanation that absolves all need for further investigation or thought. Its so easy to blindly blame god, to believe that you deserve it good or bad. But what about independant thought, about investigation into causal connections. I mean, if you want to believe in Religion or a god, go ahead, but for god's sake (excuse the pun) at least question some things for yourself, have some independant thought, come up with your own ideas, don't blindly follow. That takes real courage. And then if you still decide to have faith in whatever you choose to belive, at least you know there is other explanations and theories out there, and you can have real faith.

The Very Reverend Kerleng D Jacknife
Synod of Brugge, Belgium