When does belief become truth?

Question

In all seriousness. You can believe that heaven and hell exist, but what makes you able to say that this is an absolute truth?

You can say Allah exists, but what makes you say that this is an absolute truth?

I can say there is no god, but I do not claim that it's the truth. I just believe it to be true.

Truth: a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like.

go to dictionary.com then. pick one of the 11 that are like it.

Here, I'll post them all for you:

1.the true or actual state of a matter: He tried to find out the truth.
2.conformity with fact or reality; verity: the truth of a statement.
3.a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like: mathematical truths.
4.the state or character of being true.
5.actuality or actual existence.
6.an obvious or accepted fact; truism; platitude.
7.honesty; integrity; truthfulness.
8.(often initial capital letter) ideal or fundamental reality apart from and transcending perceived experience: the basic truths of life.
9.agreement with a standard or original.
10.accuracy, as of position or adjustment.

Suzany, I believe that there is a flying purple monster the size of Pluto in the sky. If I believe this for the rest of my life, this will not happen.

Indeed it is Marc. I never said otherwise.

well done Paul S.

Answer 1

I don't accept your definition of truth.

A belief is true if it accurately describes the state of the world (there are some serious philosophical objections to this "correspondence theory", but it's a good practical definition).

That means that a belief could be true even if never verified, and even if it is seriously disputed. For example, suppose I believed that there were exactly 34,931 craters on the moon, and suppose that was how many there actually are. Then my belief would be true. We don't need to also ask if it has been verified, or if others believe it - it's true because it accurately describes reality.

Belief definitely does NOT become true simply because it's fervently believed, or because it is believed by enough people. The believer's certainty is not remotely a guide to whether or not the belief is true.

Answer 2

Common dictionary definitions of truth mention some form of accord with fact or reality. There is, however, no single definition of truth about which scholars agree, and numerous theories of truth continue to be widely debated. Differing opinions exist on such questions as what constitutes truth, how to define and identify truth, what roles do revealed and acquired knowledge play, and whether truth is subjective, relative, objective, or absolute.

Answer 3

Well put, Southpaw. We seem to live in a world that has difficulty with the concept that belief and truth are not always the same thing.

If I believe that I can jump off a building and fly, then actually do it to show my belief....I've just learned that I believed something false because gravity would prove the truth. It is, it does exist, & without lift & propulsion....I've just gone splat.

Answer 4

First, there's suspicion.
Then there comes posibility.
Later on it becomes credible.
A step further is to make it veritable
And it becomes a belief
Which will turn into truth after a brief sojourn in the territory of emerging ideology. Thus, truth is an imposed ideology that necessitates a heavy defense mechanism to guarantee its purity.
The driving force? Power. Truth is therefore the belief that is held as the true one by the powerful.

Answer 5

You have just defined truth... so when does belief become truth? When belief becomes faith. What is faith? Faith is the evidence of things not seen. Faith is a conscious decision made based on a study of all of the factual evidence. Not only scientific evidence because too often that evidence is proven to be false. Rather evidence of pure conviction through reasoning what the eye sees and what the heart feels... we are more than animals...

While driving to work today in Houston Texas I saw our cities magnificent skyline surrounded by the garden like drive along one of our bayous. The sky was birds nest blue and the clouds floated in the air... a wonderous site when viewed through the correct paradigm. Gods natural beauty surrounding the accomplishments of man... man and God are somewhat alike!

Answer 6

Sounds like you want a logical debate. I wish that I had time for it right now. Beliefs don't work their way into truths. What makes sense to you, what do YOU believe?

Answer 7

I think anyone can make a belief into a truth in their life. Like the woman who thinks the abusive guy she is with is wonderful til he almost kills her. Or the drug addict who thinks that drugs help them be a better creative person til they OD. Or the religious fanatic who believes in miracles til they get an incurable disease. We all take into our life things and claim them as truths. I think truth in reality is subjective to who we are and how we live.

Answer 8

Belief and truth are two different things. Truth is something you can demonstrate or reproduce. A belief is something you think is true, but you can't demonstrate it or reproduce it. Prove to me that Allah exists. Prove to me that the sun rises in the east. There is a difference, there

Answer 9

A belief is an assumed truth. Even this statement is a belief.

Answer 10

Religiously-speaking? Never.

Scientifically? Sometimes.