Belief vs Truth

[Martinius]

Belief is not the opposite of truth, belief seems to be what shapes your truth...
Does any of this makes sense to you?

You answered your own question, and it does make sense. There are many things that people accept as "truth" that are actually beliefs. I think everyone's psyche and personal world is made up of a combination of empirical facts and beliefs. And people resist any disruption of the "truths" they believe.

I think there is some confusion about the word "truth" being an antonym to the word "belief". One must take into account that many words can have several meanings. In this case, I think the idea that "factual truth" is the opposite of "belief" is accurate, since a belief is thought of as something that is not provable, as a fact would be. A belief is not something that is untrue, but that it is not a verifiable, provable fact that people can agree on. We (or most of us) can agree on a fact, but everyone may have a slightly different belief.

 

[Clare73]

Yes. What I’m talking about here is something else. How you can actually shape your truth by your beliefs.

"Your" truth. . .what is th-a-at? < think Peanut's voice--Jeff Dunham >

Is that like "your" math. . .or "your" weather?

I think I'm goin' with "the" math and "the" weather. . .and "the" truth.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

Hello.

Jesus said, “According to your faith be it done unto you.” Matthew 9:29

Did you know if you look up the word 'belief' in the thesaurus, its antonym is truth? I was shocked to find this out. If truth is the opposite of belief, then wouldn't that imply that beliefs are untrue? But in my experience, what you believe is far more important than what others might convince you as being true.

When I got sick, I was stuck in the middle of two truths. While going through conventional Western medicine, the holistic healing practitioners I had also been seeing believed I was committing suicide. However, when I immersed myself in the holistic approach, my medical doctors believed I was killing myself by giving up on the medical approach. Hearing these two different “truths” had me constantly worrying that I was making the wrong choice. Meanwhile, I became sicker and sicker - mostly from the stress and fear of not knowing which choice to make!

I realized that the actual truth was that it wasn't that either practice was objectionably the correct choice. In the end, the only thing that mattered were my beliefs about what was good for my body. I needed to believe that I was doing the right thing, that my body was strong and that I was on the right path.

Belief is not the opposite of truth, belief seems to be what shapes your truth. It doesn't matter what type of treatment we do or refuse to do, it's about believing in the power of our bodies, believing we have purpose, and having a passion for our lives. In other words, belief and truth are not opposites. Your beliefs are what shapes your truth!

Does any of this makes sense to you?

Truth is something that is a hardcore fact that is observable.
Yet, the Bible says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1).

The evidence of things not seen is the opposite of knowable observable facts (Which is truth). It’s not to say that there is not some realm of truth to the faith.
God’s Word (Which is where we derive our faith from) is based on many evidences.
So it’s a reasonable faith, but we cannot prove the existence of Heaven. That’s unseen. It’s not a known truth to anyone on this planet living right now because they have not experienced it with their own two eyes currently.

But we can have faith in God that Heaven exists because His Word talks about it.
We can trust God and what He said as true. That’s the most important thing here.
For there is a difference between what we believe is true as men, vs. what God’s Word (the Holy Bible) says. His Word is truth, and we trust and believe in it by faith. Faith in the unseen. For we have not seen God and yet we know He exists because He changed our lives and He communicate to us personally through His Word.

In other words, there is a difference between observable truth vs. what we believe to be true by faith. Both are not the same thing. We have to be careful not to take secular dictionaries too far. They are only helpful in that they can serve us to understand God’s Word. By no means are secular dictionaries infallible or correct. Words can change with the passage of time, and we have to be careful who is doing the writing. Men after all are fallen, and imperfect; But God’s Word (the Bible) is perfect and we can trust it 100%; For God cannot lie.

 

[James_Lai]

You answered your own question, and it does make sense. There are many things that people accept as "truth" that are actually beliefs. I think everyone's psyche and personal world is made up of a combination of empirical facts and beliefs. And people resist any disruption of the "truths" they believe.

I think there is some confusion about the word "truth" being an antonym to the word "belief". One must take into account that many words can have several meanings. In this case, I think the idea that "factual truth" is the opposite of "belief" is accurate, since a belief is thought of as something that is not provable, as a fact would be. A belief is not something that is untrue, but that it is not a verifiable, provable fact that people can agree on. We (or most of us) can agree on a fact, but everyone may have a slightly different belief.

The idea is that people around you offer you their truth, but it is what you believe in that matters

 

[James_Lai]

"Your" truth. . .what is th-a-at? < think Peanut's voice--Jeff Dunham >

Is that like "your" math. . .or "your" weather?

I think I'm goin' with "the" math and "the" weather. . .and "the" truth.

Our life is dynamic, not static. I’m talking about your beliefs and how they shape your truth. For example, I just read this article
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova...ie-university-halifax-renous-prison-1.6265319

The society and even Mark’s ex-girlfriend offered him a negative truth, which he followed for years, one of total disaster. At the back of his mind thanks to his dad, he always believed in a positive truth that eventually saved him.

 

[James_Lai]

Truth is something that is a hardcore fact that is observable.
Yet, the Bible says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1).

The evidence of things not seen is the opposite of knowable observable facts (Which is truth). It’s not to say that there is not some realm of truth to the faith.
God’s Word (Which is where we derive our faith from) is based on many evidences.
So it’s a reasonable faith, but we cannot prove the existence of Heaven. That’s unseen. It’s not a known truth to anyone on this planet living right now because they have not experienced it with their own two eyes currently.

But we can have faith in God that Heaven exists because His Word talks about it.
We can trust God and what He said as true. That’s the most important thing here.
For there is a difference between what we believe is true as men, vs. what God’s Word (the Holy Bible) says. His Word is truth, and we trust and believe in it by faith. Faith in the unseen. For we have not seen God and yet we know He exists because He changed our lives and He communicate to us personally through His Word.

In other words, there is a difference between observable truth vs. what we believe to be true by faith. Both are not the same thing. We have to be careful not to take secular dictionaries too far. They are only helpful in that they can serve us to understand God’s Word. By no means are secular dictionaries infallible or correct. Words can change with the passage of time, and we have to be careful who is doing the writing. Men after all are fallen, and imperfect; But God’s Word (the Bible) is perfect and we can trust it 100%; For God cannot lie.

I’m talking about how your faith affects you. As Jesus said, “According to your faith be it done unto you”. Your outcomes seem to be directly programmed by what you believe in about yourself.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

The idea is that people around you offer you their truths, but it is what you believe in that matters

Yes, we must hold tightly on to the words of Christ and take action upon them in this life despite what others may say. People may try to bring us down in serving Christ and we may even bring ourselves down at times, but we must keep holding on tight to Christ’s words, the teachings of His followers, and ask for the Lord’s help to change us and to make us better in His image. For it is not I, but Christ. For to live is Christ and to die is gain. Less me, and more of Him. But we have to believe His Word. Most today do not even believe in a perfect Bible to trust in. But even when they may, they can hold to false unbiblical beliefs. Why? We truly are living in the last days. But we should not lose hope because things are darker, but we should hold out our hands in love towards all in showing the love of Christ and contend for the faith. Even when all turn away. Believe. Love. Hope. Trust in Christ and trust and act upon His words by faith. For we cannot believe in ourselves. We can only ask and trust in Christ to help us. To change us into being more like Him. For me: I want to live and breath God’s Word. Yes, sometimes life does get in the way, but I strive to do all things through Christ which strengthen me.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

I’m talking about how your faith affects you. As Jesus said, “According to your faith be it done unto you”. Your outcomes seem to be directly programmed by what you believe in about yourself.

Galatians 6:3
“For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.”

In other words, there should be no boasting in myself. I would like to think I will do even greater things for the Lord, but I cannot do them without the help of the Lord. I cannot think I am great alone without Christ or that I am something more special than anyone else because it is only Christ in me that can do any good. I am nothing in and of myself without the Lord. It is only in allowing the Lord Jesus to flow through my life whereby I can shine His light unto others to glorify Him. For only God alone is good, and I desire every area of my life to glorify Him. Do I always succeed? No. But with my surrendering to Christ according to His Word, and in asking Him, I can live that faith that is pleasing to the Lord. For my highest goal is to please the Lord Jesus Christ in all I do. For there are challenges that I am face with in life sometimes that may be difficult but it is only the Lord that can get me through it. Without Him, I have no strength, or love, or anything. The Lord Jesus is my everything. So I will love Him with everything I got. For we need to always check ourselves by His Word so as to show that we are living a life that is pleasing to Him and not a life that is solely pleasing to ourselves always.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

How does one entreat it kindly?

Care for its needs and it will reward you generously.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Agreed. It’s important to have your own beliefs, that’s what shapes your truth. What others tell you can be true for them, but not necessarily for you

I think there's a common thread of truth that all hold, namely concepts of good and evil.

Of course the main reason why so many cannot accept another's truth is that there isn't room in their head for it. For example, today we accept flossing our teeth as necessary for good dental health, but when I was a kid anyone who flossed was considered weird.

 

[James_Lai]

I think there's a common thread of truth that all hold, namely concepts of good and evil.

Of course the main reason why so many cannot accept another's truth is that there isn't room in their head for it. For example, today we accept flossing our teeth as necessary for good dental health, but when I was a kid anyone who flossed was considered weird.

If people tell you floss and your teeth get better, but maybe it’s eating too much sugar that’s actually destroying them? Or you clenching your teeth and wearing out the enamel? Maybe you have a malignant cancerous mole on your neck and are going to die in 4 years from aggressive melanoma unless the mole is removed promptly? So you floss daily only to die shortly with healthy teeth. There are many, many truths out there, you have to choose which one is right for you.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

If people tell you floss and your teeth get better, but maybe it’s eating too much sugar that’s actually destroying them? Or you clenching your teeth and wearing out the enamel? Maybe you have a malignant cancerous mole on your neck and are going to die in 4 years from melanoma unless the mole is removed promptly? So you floss daily only to die shortly with healthy teeth. There are many, many truths out there, you have to choose which one is right for you.

The overarching truth (of which 'flossing' is a part) is that if we care for bodies we will be rewarded with health, strength, longevity, and so much more.

 

[eleos1954]

Yes. What I’m talking about here is something else. How you can actually shape your truth by your beliefs.

well ... of course .... it is what one accepts as their "base" ..... a stark contrast is believing in evolution or creative design.

Everyone has degree(s) of information and it is a matter of how they interpet that information and then they formulate a belief (accept as truth).

 

[Andrewn]

 

[James_Lai]

The overarching truth (of which 'flossing' is a part) is that if we care for bodies we will be rewarded with health, strength, longevity, and so much more.

Not always. As Jesus said, “According to your faith be it done unto you”. Life is too complex to fit into any particular truth

 

[James_Lai]

well ... of course .... it is what one accepts as their "base" ..... a stark contrast is believing in evolution or creative design.

Everyone has degree(s) of information and it is a matter of how they interpet that information and then they formulate a belief (accept as truth).

I’m talking more about variable outcomes of life, not static facts. What I believe about black wholes or anti-matter won’t decide if I live 5 or 10 years from now, but which treatment I chose and what I believe about my body will.

 

[Clare73]

Our life is dynamic, not static. I’m talking about your beliefs and how they shape your truth. For example, I just read this article
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova...ie-university-halifax-renous-prison-1.6265319

The society and even Mark’s ex-girlfriend offered him a negative truth, which he followed for years, one of total disaster. At the back of his mind thanks to his dad, he always believed in a positive truth that eventually saved him.

Calling it "your truth" is a misnomer.

It is either true, or it is not.

Many opposing things are true.

The ones you embrace are not "your truth," they are "the truth."

 

[Clare73]

If people tell you floss and your teeth get better, but maybe it’s eating too much sugar that’s actually destroying them? Or you clenching your teeth and wearing out the enamel? Maybe you have a malignant cancerous mole on your neck and are going to die in 4 years from aggressive melanoma unless the mole is removed promptly? So you floss daily only to die shortly with healthy teeth.
There are many, many truths out there, you have to choose which one is right for you.

No, not "right" for you, but "applies" to you.

This sloppy nomenclature will eventually destroy clear language.

Then how will we be able to write precise contracts?

 

[Clare73]

Not always. As Jesus said, “According to your faith be it done unto you”.
Life is too complex to fit into any particular truth.

They don't "fit into," they govern, whether you want them to or not, because they are reality.

Somebody really sold you a bill of goods somewhere along the way.

 

[James_Lai]

Calling it "your truth" is a misnomer.

It is either true, or it is not.

Many opposing things are true.

The ones you embrace are not "your truth," they are "the truth."

What is true to you, might not be true for somebody else. It’s about application of the ideas pertinent to your life. I’m not talking about life on Mars or if the speed of light is a constant or variable. It’s about what treatment to choose or which university program to pursue or weather to start a business or remain an employee etc.

Our beliefs shape our truth. What you believe in is what determines your life.