Understanding Faith

In the

World Today
Topic 3 What is the difference between
BELIEVING and KNOWING?
Objective: By the end of this topic, it is our hope
that you:
1. Should differentiate between opinion,
knowledge and belief.
2. Should know why believers believe.
3.
1
 Great Philosopher EMMANUEL KANT
distinguished three things:
1. OPINION – is a view or judgment formed about
something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.
They are rather uncertain.

2. KNOWLEDGE – is facts, information, and skills

acquired by a person through experience or education;
the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.

3. BELIEF – in a religious sense is more than an opinion

and knowledge, it is certain. Trust, faith, or confidence in
someone or something, an acceptance that a statement
is true or that something exists.

OPINION KNOWLEDGE BELIEF

2
• Difference between opinion and
belief is that opinion may have
some reasons and is uncertain
that anyone’s opinion maybe
different from one another while
belief is certain that people who
believed it may build their life on
it.

• What about knowledge and belief.

Knowledge has to be
demonstrable and are based on
evidence and requires proof and
has to be objective, while belief is
not too easy verifiable because it
may have to do with things
outside the power of reason as in
the very case object of religious
belief namely, GOD.
 KEY QUESTIONS
• Where does religious
• Why do believers
belief got its certainty believe?
from?

Some REASONS why people believe in GOD

1. They have seen working of
God in their own life.
2. They are certain that they
have been touched by God.
3. They have experienced God
on personal level.
4. They say that faith provides best
answers to the most important
questions in life.
5. They trust from those whom they
receive their faith that is pass on not
just a mere theory but that is
something tangible and embodied in
their lives.
 Understanding Faith
In the

World Today
Topic 4 What does it mean to “Believe in
GOD”?
Objective: By the end of this topic, it is our hope
that you:
1.
2.
3.
Believing in God can mean different things and depends on how to use
“believe”.

Example 1 – A doctor may say:

I
believe
He believes that the
that this prescription will help solve
pill will the problem. The word
help stands for conviction.
you.

Example 2 – A hiker may say:

I
believe He trust someone who
on the knows and familiar on the
mountain area and the way to get to
guide to
the top.
what he
said. 6
 Example 3 – A soccer player may say:

I
believe He completely rely on his
in my team.
team.

• These examples can also be found in religious way. First a

man of faith believes that God exists. As we have seen with
the doctor, conviction can have different reasons, as we
also seen a person like experienced of God is an insight for
the witness of others.

•Secondly, a hiker’s trust can be found also in a man of faith

who trusts the message of those people who pass the faith
onto him. Is this trust justified? Well looking at the life of
Jesus, the Apostles and the Saints, their messages in
preaching, their commitment & humility, all of these makes
their messages rather trustworthy. 7
• Lastly as the player completely rely on his team, the man of faith
completely rely on God. In this case to believe means to rely on God
and to entrust yourself completely to Him.

All three ways are ways of believing in God but it is only the 3rd
example leads us to the core of what is religious belief actually means,
a living relationship with God. Therefore, when we say that “We believe
in God, we must not only believe in His existence or when we accept
the message of Jesus and His Apostles, but above all that we must
entrust ourselves to God then we must rely on Him and we’ll know that
He is always with us. This is what it means “TO BELIEVE IN GOD”.