When discussing the topic of religion, people tend to underscore their point by describing their faith. After listening to their explanation, if you say that doesn't sway you, then a most peculiar thing often occurs. They will look you square in the eyes and say something like, "I KNOW it's true".
Unwittingly, they have created a conundrum. If a person KNOWS something with absolute certainty, then there is no room for faith. Faith can only exist where there is no certainty.
Faith is merely a strong belief. According to Dictionary.com, the verb believe is defined as to "accept AS true; take to be true". This is NOT the same thing as knowing. To know is defined as "to perceive directly; grasp in the mind with clarity or certainty".
Consequently, knowing and believing are mutually exclusive.
I realize that some people may argue that knowing is a form of belief since we humans aren't certain about anything. I don't accept this argument because something/someone somewhere does know about each thing with certainty. Thus, for me, the ability to know and to believe both exist in our world.
Some of you may consider all this an academic discussion of semantics. You may have a point. Still, I do think it's a worthy topic of discussion simply because too many people who accept things solely on faith also contend that they know what they believe to be true. This absolute contradiction guides their lives and, too often, they attempt to use their own internal contradiction as a mechanism to run the lives of others.
This problem can be easily seen in current American life. Christian fundamentalists are working fervently to impose their world view -- a world view based on belief -- on the lives of everyone else. When others try to oppose their initiatives, we are told that they KNOW they are doing "God's" work.
However, as discussed above, they negate their own position. If they KNOW they're right, then they have cast aside their faith. Unfortunately, if they cast aside their faith, they are then repudiating the very essence of their own religious belief system. And, if they've cast the tenets of their religious faith aside, then how can they KNOW the God who says faith is the most important thing of all?
Unwittingly, they have created a conundrum. If a person KNOWS something with absolute certainty, then there is no room for faith. Faith can only exist where there is no certainty.
Faith is merely a strong belief. According to Dictionary.com, the verb believe is defined as to "accept AS true; take to be true". This is NOT the same thing as knowing. To know is defined as "to perceive directly; grasp in the mind with clarity or certainty".
Consequently, knowing and believing are mutually exclusive.
I realize that some people may argue that knowing is a form of belief since we humans aren't certain about anything. I don't accept this argument because something/someone somewhere does know about each thing with certainty. Thus, for me, the ability to know and to believe both exist in our world.
Some of you may consider all this an academic discussion of semantics. You may have a point. Still, I do think it's a worthy topic of discussion simply because too many people who accept things solely on faith also contend that they know what they believe to be true. This absolute contradiction guides their lives and, too often, they attempt to use their own internal contradiction as a mechanism to run the lives of others.
This problem can be easily seen in current American life. Christian fundamentalists are working fervently to impose their world view -- a world view based on belief -- on the lives of everyone else. When others try to oppose their initiatives, we are told that they KNOW they are doing "God's" work.
However, as discussed above, they negate their own position. If they KNOW they're right, then they have cast aside their faith. Unfortunately, if they cast aside their faith, they are then repudiating the very essence of their own religious belief system. And, if they've cast the tenets of their religious faith aside, then how can they KNOW the God who says faith is the most important thing of all?
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