Faith and belief
March 1st 2017
Seeking to excuse their tactlessness, mistakes, and failures, people will say, ‘But I believed this or that...’ Ah yes, they believed, they believed... but their believing has only served to lead them astray. And what is worse, these ‘believers’ will continue to believe and to be led astray. Until when? Until they learn to replace their beliefs by faith, true faith, the faith that is founded on knowledge.
It is clear that we instinctively understand the difference between belief and faith, because we often say, ‘I believe’, when in fact we are expressing a doubt. If we say, ‘I believe he is coming tomorrow,’ it means that we are not actually sure. And questions such as, ‘Do you believe...?’ (for example ‘Do you believe that the situation will improve?’) show that you are exploring unknown territory. Working in the known, in a domain in which we have extensive experience through sustained effort, this is what it means to have true faith.