Quote Originally Posted by Oneironaut
"Faith" is not a valid way of acquiring real knowledge. Basically, in faith you are accepting whatever ideas feel comfortable to you, or just accepting what others believe without evidence just for the sake of believing it. But, as Carl Sagan so eloquently said, "The truth may be puzzling. It may take some work to grapple with. It may be counterintuitive. It may contradict deeply held prejudices. It may not be consonant with what we desperately want to be true. But our preferences do not determine what's true." Science is the only way of finding out what is actually true, by observing and experimenting with reality. Close-minded faith traps one into a worldview where their preferences do determine what's true, and that's a destructive worldview when dealing with a reality that does not conform to our preferences.
As I said (with slightly different wording, but the same meaning) in another thread:

Faith (trust) is a cornerstone of all knowledge. Not faith that what you think is right, but faith that truth will always remain truth no matter what perceptions you may have of it or what definitions you try to give it.

A belief, on the other hand, is a fervent hope that what you think is true. Even 'facts' are beliefs; they are what we believe to be true. 'Facts' can be proven wrong, and have been on countless occasions throughout history. Truth, to the contrary, can never be proven wrong; it can never be shaken or destroyed like beliefs can.

What it all comes down to is this: You can put your faith in beliefs; or, you can put your faith in truth. It's how faith is applied that determines its value in attaining knowledge.