A minor detail.

[M.Linoge]

How do you use the word 'belief'?

Recently I was involved in another "agnostics are not atheist" debate. (I know, huge waste of time; I plead boredom as an excuse)

While the main actors preached and moaned this very important issue... contrary concepts of belief was floated and I inquired further. 
To my view, it appeared all those identifying as 'pure agnostic' used belief as another term for assertion. When they say they believe it will rain tomorrow, they are asserting that it WILL in fact rain tomorrow.
Whereas the ones identifying as 'agnostic atheist' use it the same way one would a gut-feeling. It might rain tomorrow. I do not know - and make no claim to know - because I have no solid data, but here's my guess.

Personally, I'm in the later group. 
Whenever I say I believe something it is a deliberate statement of ignorance, to ensure no one mistakes my mere speculative opinions, for fact-based claims.

Some believers i know are on that page as well; speaking of belief as something which can not truly be asserted as fact. Creationists/apologists, in my limited experience, more often express the pure agnostic view in this example - putting claims and beliefs under the same umbrella.

So, anyone willing to share their intentions on this point: When you speak of your beliefs - or lack thereof - do you assert or do you guess?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I don't let other people control my use of language.

[Dānu]

I don't let other people control my use of language.

You take that back!

[Alan V]

When you speak of your beliefs - or lack thereof - do you assert or do you guess?

Since I try to be accurate, I usually say "I believe" for my guesses and "I think" for my assertions which are based on something more. I am not comfortable with the idea of beliefs as assumptions based on evidence, since so many are not.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I don't let other people control my use of language.

You take that back!

Ya hala, sahib.

[Minimalist]

"Belief" is shorthand.

"The sun will come up tomorrow" is not a belief because it always has done so and is thus backed by accumulated evidence.  Nonetheless, I have no problem saying that I believe the sun will come up tomorrow.

Likewise, if I drop a plate I do not have to "believe" that it will fall to the floor because of a lifetime of experience retrieving things from the floor - either intact or in pieces.  But I do not feel compelled to design a controlled experiment everyday to see if gravity still works.  Again accumulated evidence.

However, there is no comparison between those "beliefs" and the idea that some dead jew came back to life and flew up to fucking heaven or some arab carpet merchant fell asleep in a cave and an "angel" pissed in his ear.  Those "beliefs" are simply delusional.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I believe aeronautical engineers are doing a pretty good job designing airplanes. That does not extrapolate to me believing in somebody's imaginary friend.

[Minimalist]

Except the 737.

[brewerb]

I believe I'll check out a different thread.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Except the 737.

I said good, not perfect. But by extension they learn from their failures, unlike the folks who predict the Rapture.

[MarylinC]

One of the many control tactics religion uses is to rely on that element of doubt to try and keep pushing people into believing their rubbish.

They talk as if that element of doubt makes it equally as likely that god does exist as not.

In reality, the possibilty that gods exist is as close to zero as it's possible to get, but then religion was never very good at dealing with reality.

[Minimalist]

Except the 737.

I said good, not perfect. But by extension they learn from their failures, unlike the folks who predict the Rapture.  

True.


Tough on the passengers, though.

[SYZ]

If I'm speaking or writing formally, I invariably say "To the best of my knowledge, I believe that it will rain tomorrow".

Or  "Judging by past statistics, I believe that more people will die on our roads this coming Christmas".

Both beliefs are ultimately able to be falsified.  Whereas "I believe that a man named Jesus Christ rose from the grave
after three days" cannot be falsified.

[Szuchow]

There is language difference but mostly I don't use word "belief". For example - I don't believe in evolution I accept it. There is also no place for believing in my vocabulary when it comes to daily things - like train arriving on time.