Is Proof of God Really Required?

Though it is a challenging undertaking, is it really necessary to have proof of God to believe in some sort of god? Is faith just a blind, useless exercise of pure ignorance?

My answer would be no to both questions. When I was an Atheist, I still had ideals, dreams, and goals--none of which were real at the moment of their conception, and, chances are excellent that some of my ideals, goals and dreams will never be reached and never be real.

But that doesn't matter. The value in these unreal things is their ability to bring out the best in me. They make me try harder, and the result is personal growth.

So maybe God is not a material reality but an ideal reality. Like reaching for the stars, when we reach for God, we better ourselves. You won't find heaven on any map of the world--heaven is what the world could be.

And faith is not blind in the present, but is always looking to the future. It is the catalyst and drive of human progress.