Belief vs. Faith

By Jaxson

Main Difference

The main difference between Belief and Faith is that the Belief is a psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true and Faith is a confidence or trust in a particular system of religious belief.

  • Belief

    Belief is the state of mind in which a person thinks something to be the case with or without there being empirical evidence to prove that something is the case with factual certainty. Another way of defining belief sees it as a mental representation of an attitude positively oriented towards the likelihood of something being true. In the context of Ancient Greek thought, two related concepts were identified with regards to the concept of belief: pistis and doxa. Simplified, we may say that pistis refers to “trust” and “confidence”, while doxa refers to “opinion” and “acceptance”. The English word “orthodoxy” derives from doxa. Jonathan Leicester suggests that belief has the purpose of guiding action rather than indicating truth.In epistemology, philosophers use the term “belief” to refer to personal attitudes

    associated with true or false ideas and concepts. However, “belief” does not require active introspection and circumspection. For example, we never ponder whether or not the sun will rise. We simply assume the sun will rise. Since “belief” is an important aspect of mundane life, according to Eric Schwitzgebel in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, a related question asks: “how a physical organism can have beliefs?”

  • Faith

    Faith is confidence or trust in a particular system of religious belief, in which faith may equate to confidence based on some perceived degree of warrant. According to Rudolf Bultmann, faith must be a determined vital act of will, not a culling and extolling of “ancient proofs”.

Wikipedia
  • Belief (noun)

    Mental acceptance of a claim as true.

    “It’s my belief that the thief is somebody known to us.”

  • Belief (noun)

    Faith or trust in the reality of something; often based upon one’s own reasoning, trust in a claim, desire of actuality, and/or evidence considered.

    “My belief is that there is a bear in the woods. Bill said he saw one.”

    “Based on this data, it is our belief that X does not occur.”

  • Belief (noun)

    Something believed.

    “The ancient people have a belief in many deities.”

  • Belief (noun)

    The quality or state of believing.

    “My belief that it will rain tomorrow is strong.”

  • Belief (noun)

    Religious faith.

    “She often said it was her belief that carried her through the hard times.”

  • Belief (noun)

    One’s religious or moral convictions.

    “I don’t want to do a no-fault divorce on my husband and steal from him under color of law. It’s against my beliefs.”

  • Faith (noun)

    The process of forming or understanding abstractions, ideas, or beliefs, without empirical evidence, experience or observation.

    “I have faith that my prayers will be answered.”

    “I have faith in the healing power of crystals.”

  • Faith (noun)

    A religious belief system.

    “The Christian faith.”

  • Faith (noun)

    An obligation of loyalty or fidelity and the observance of such an obligation.

    “He acted in good faith to restore broken diplomatic ties after defeating the incumbent.”

  • Faith (noun)

    A trust or confidence in the intentions or abilities of a person, object, or ideal.

    “I have faith in the goodness of my fellow man.”

    “You need to have faith in yourself, that you can overcome your shortcomings and become a good person.”

  • Faith (noun)

    Credibility or truth.

Wiktionary

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