The English language, having died last week, needs to be resurrected today so we can talk about the difference between Belief and Faith.
Grammar isn't my favorite topic of discussion, but today is Monday. Might as well.
When you list different forms of 'belief' you get: belief, believing, believer, believable.
For 'faith' you should get: faith, faithing, faither, faithful.
Don't know how it happened, but in English, 'faithing' and 'faither' have dropped out of use. We substitute 'believing' and 'believer' when we want to use the 'faith' word.
For me, the key is the use of 'believable' as opposed to 'faithful.' Beliefs are like theories, they are either believable or not. Faiths are what we place our trust in. The motto is not 'In God We Believe.' The motto is 'In God We Trust.'
Since beliefs are like theories, we should change them when presented with information or knowledge that renders them no longer believable.
Faiths are different. Where we place our trust may remain a constant throughout our whole lives. I want to make clear to my friends with strong religious convictions that I'm not going after any body's faith.
Beliefs, however, are fair game. They are designed to be subjected to scrutiny. Beliefs, as they are constructed opinions, can be deconstructed. This should not be construed as an attack on faith(s). That being said, let's get ready to use Mr. Peabody's WABAC machine.
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