Do religious people understand the difference between "Belief" and "Knowledge"?

Question

So many people have referred me to the bible stating it is "truth."

Normally, hear say isn't the best evidence in court but when it comes to religion, it's 100% accurate.

When I discuss "why" on certain religious topics that often fail logic, I'm told to "believe" or that "I just need to believe," say, in Jesus.

Do the religious, or atheist, for that matter, as they often lack evidence themselves, understand the difference between "Belief" and actual "knowledge?" Why is it so many substitute belief for fact? Why do they not test these "beliefs" more objectively? Why is it ok to just settle on "belief" and act like it's truth?

a lot of saying "Belief" and "knowledge" are the same thing but if you look them up, one has evidence, the other does not. I've read the "knowledge" consists of BOTH truth AND belief. If one doesn't believe but it's true, it's not knowledge. If one believes but it's not (yet) true, it's not knowledge.

What one describes as "God speaking to you" is mere "grasping" at the belief he is talking to you.

I've found the "belief" in God creates a paradox aligned with "no belief" in God. As a Buddhist, I enjoy hearing the 2 sides bicker and the more I hear, the more I understand the middle path. As a Buddhist, I cannot help but observe my own observations and as stated:
The term "I believe" is considered to be the illusory mind of the ordinary person.

Further thoughts to that?

I can see it from your point of view, this is why I am asking why you've closed the door to your own mind by no longer asking "why." Only fools follow without evidence. If you are testing these (which you are not through logic as many religious beliefs fail logic which is a universal test of truth) then super. Not killing people is a positive value, belief in Jesus dying for our sins is not, its merely a symbol if anything. You can BELIEVE it all you want and have a bible to support it but I have teachings the are older that support what I "believe." This false sense of confidence in your belief of "knowing" something that is supposedly beyond our comprehension is what makes me question how many people really know what belief is versus knowledge. If God is beyond our comprehension, knowing him and what he truly wants is, as well, its mere logical reasoning.

Answer 1

I am a Christian, and must say you do make a good point. Though yours points out that the lack of evidence keeps you from believing, as you have no knowledge (evidence) for Christ/God.

Might I also point out that to beleive is not enough. Satan and the Demons Believe, they do not however, worship God. Therefore, though Satan was made full of wisdom, he did lose his wisdom, which is knowledge, when he fell.

When a Christian tells you to believe, what they mean is to have faith, which is to believe without seeing. If you do this, and it is real, you will receive the knowledge (evidence) of truth from God. Yes, God does talk to those who have formed a realationship with Christ Jesus. And no, you can not experience it unless you first take that leap of faith. So, you can't really understand it.

Also, in the Bible, we are told to test the spirits and not to believe what man says. That would involve knowing the Bible, knowing God and his word and being able to tell what is truth according to the Bible, and what is not. MANY bypass this and thus, fall into false practices and beliefs.

I would gather that what I have said still does not validate to you why you should believe on Jesus (not believe in). If I had more time, I would elbarate on this more.

Answer 2

From religion point of view: Catholic church never close its doors for gay. She doesn't even ask gay people to change their sexual orientation. But, when it comes to marriage, the rule speaks and I don't think that the rule will change in the near future. Now, it's the turn to ask their tolerance to the the church's rule. Hold on the argument that being gay is not wrong in the first place, so there's nothing to tolerate. No matter whether it's right or wrong, in the beginning the church see it as "wrong". Changing the mindset from being wrong to neutral, shows that the Church has learned how to tolerate. From my point of view: Personally, I have nothing to do against gay marriage. When we talk about marriage I think love is the most important. As long as both parties agree, it shouldn't be a problem.

Answer 3

Christianity requires faith...a belief in the unseen (and non-verifiable). That's the whole foundation for our trust in God. But for many, our belief is so strong that it is the same as knowledge to us. So when the Bible speaks, it is known to Christians to be true, not just believed to be true. Yes, for the most part, Christians will concede that the existence of the God of Abraham is not 100% verifiable but it is so obvious to us, like I said, it's the same as knowledge.

Answer 4

Yes. I believe the Bible offers much truth by what of what Jesus said (so does the Bhagavad Gita from Krishna, the Quran from Mohammed, etc.)

I know God exists...from my own direct, personal experience.

Everything that is not from direct, personal experience is technically a belief. Book learning or whatever is contained in books is second hand knowledge - which you can believe or not believe...but you can not say you know and you do not know it is the truth.

~ Eric Putkonen
http://people.tribe.net/awaken2life/blog

Answer 5

To me, belief means that you accept an idea as valuable, even though you can't prove it in any kind of scientific way.

Knowledge means that you have put a considerable amount of study and thought into an issue, and you can defend it with facts if need be.

A religion that is afraid of its' followers seeking knowledge on their own is not for me.

Answer 6

You need to comprehend the differences among intellectual belief, living faith, knowlege, wisdom and truth -- on the levels of science, philosophy, religion and personal God-consciousness.

Here are a few of several thousand paragraphs on this to reflect upon in Spirit and in Truth ... mere human knowledge and belief will not be adequate. These quotes of supernal revelation are all in the public domain and may be widely shared. If you want thousands of similar gems of truth on many topics, ask me here using my YA Profile E-mail link.

Page-1115 Faith does not shackle the creative imagination, neither does it maintain an unreasoning prejudice toward the discoveries of scientific investigation. Faith vitalizes religion and constrains the religionist heroically to live the golden rule. The zeal of faith is according to knowledge, and its strivings are the preludes to sublime peace.

Page-1119 The reason of science is based on the observable facts of time; the faith of religion argues from the spirit program of eternity. What knowledge and reason cannot do for us, true wisdom admonishes us to allow faith to accomplish through religious insight and spiritual transformation.

Page-1124 Convictions about God may be arrived at through wise reasoning, but the individual becomes God-knowing only by faith, through personal experience. In much that pertains to life, probability must be reckoned with, but when contacting with cosmic reality, certainty may be experienced when such meanings and values are approached by living faith. The God-knowing soul dares to say, "I know," even when this knowledge of God is questioned by the unbeliever who denies such certitude because it is not wholly supported by intellectual logic. To every such doubter the believer only replies, "How do you know that I do not know?"

Page-1142 When reason once recognizes right and wrong, it exhibits wisdom; when wisdom chooses between right and wrong, truth and error, it demonstrates spirit leading. And thus are the functions of mind, soul, and spirit ever closely united and functionally interassociated. Reason deals with factual knowledge; wisdom, with philosophy and revelation; faith, with living spiritual experience. Through truth man attains beauty and by spiritual love ascends to goodness.

Peace and progress,
Brother Dave, a Jesusonian Christian Truthist
http://www.PureChristians.org/ Gospel enlarging website,
proclaiming worldwide the True Religion
OF JESUS and ABOUT JESUS and IN JESUS
Come and share !

Answer 7

I personally do not believe that it is ok just to "settle" for belief without testing it and looking at it objectively. However, we have to understand that we are limited in testing certain beliefs because they are beliefs about a spiritual or supernatural realm and can not be tested by natural or physical means.

Belief can lead to knowledge and knowledge can lead to belief. Don't forget that!

Answer 8

Belief can also be based on knowledge of my experience of the truth. Not just on written word. I have found Gods word to be infallible and therefore found it truth. Man may or may not have changed things, I rely on God to show me what is true and He does. If I question He answers me. No I don't hear voices but God has spoken audibly to me on occassion, that alone was proof enough for me.

Answer 9

There is no difference between belief and knowledge.

TRUTH, n.
An ingenious compound of desirability and appearance. Discovery of truth is the sole purpose of philosophy, which is the most ancient occupation of the human mind and has a fair prospect of existing with increasing activity to the end of time.

- Ambrose Bierce

Funny. I make what I consider to be a profound statement, not to be shrugged off and I get three thumbs down in about ten seconds. Wow!

Do you see what I mean now? Look at TRUE GRIT's answer. Even though we are in diametrically opposed, philosophically, she has very capably demonstrated my point.

Answer 10

The problem lies in the fact that they have to believe that their belief IS knowledge, in order to maintain belief.

So they cannot allow themselves to differentiate between the two.

Some are honest and state it is my belief, but very few will concede that it could be myth, or 'just a belief'

They aren't allowed to because that would mean they were loosing faith.