Truman G. Madsen says, in one of his lectures on Joseph Smith the prophet, that God seems to put a premium on unsupported faith rather than actual faith in something you’ve seen with physical eyes—alluding to the fact that both having faith while seeing with your physical eyes plus seeing with spiritual eyes is better than simply seeing with your physical eyes.
I have a few ideas why the unsupported faith might be better than actual faith... Notice that I didn't say "unsupportable faith", just, an initial undupported faith.
Faith is the first principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We learn that from the fourth article of faith, found in the Wentworth Letter, penned by Joseph Smith, jr. and since then published as the Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We learn what "faith" is, from many documents and letters, but maybe the first place that we see it is in the creation story: God the Father has faith that He and His Son can organize an Earth, whereon "these may dwell" (Abraham 3:24), speaking of the spirit children that He's tutored and educated that He now will give the opportunity to progress to having physical bodies and living on an Earth, that They may see if they will do all things that are commanded them (Abraham 3:25).
Paul, the New Testament Apostle, writes that, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Actually, I know that some may doubt that Paul actually wrote the epistle to the Hebrews, but I believe he did and the King James translation of the New Testament states that, "The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews".
I think that he is describing unsupported faith... It is hoped for and not seen--unsupported!
So, I think we can agree that unsupported faith is true faith! Bare-bones faith! Nothing but the bare minimum that can call upon the power of God and have nothing mixed-in or deluting it in any way, faith!
JPS
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