“Reach out and touch faith” implies that procuring faith is a matter of will and also that it’s spiritually tangible. I take issue with this! I was not raised with faith, and have only in recent years experienced it sincerely, nevermind all my adolescent religion-hopping, and so I view dishonest advice about faith rather harmful. This phrase is especially troubling because it sounds beautiful and, depending on where you hear it, can be thoroughly inspirational. But it’s not only a catchy phrase; it’s also a pretty mainstream belief the world over. Don’t you want to not go to hell and exist in torment for an indefinite amount of time? Accept Jesus as you personal Lord and savior! Oh, OK. It’s just not as simple as that, which seems obvious, but I guess it isn’t.

But aside from spiritual facets, everyone needs faith. Faith that life will get better, faith that you probably won’t get killed or mugged today, faith in your loved ones, faith in yourself. Without faith, getting out of bed is wholly pointless. The phrase “reach out and touch faith” gives people who have it a sense of unwarranted and destructive pride, at best confuses those who have very little, and at worst misrepresents and discredits the whole concept.