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2 BELIEF AND BELIEVING

There are different kinds of believing. Some belief is personal. Some is not. Not everything we believe is true, nor is it knowledge. So we must have grounds for assessing our beliefs. Belief is often based on testimony. So the question concerning the trustworthiness of testimony arises. It is an aspect of the more general question, ‘On what grounds are we justified in believing a claim, even perhaps one that is false?’ Other questions arise. Are we always conscious of the beliefs we hold? What is involved in doubting and abandoning a belief? How can we move from belief to knowledge, since we do not know everything we believe?

Scriptural writings contain testimony to historical events, persons, and communities. Many passages make allusions to what happened to individuals with names, to battles at specific times and to communities in their geographical locations. They also make reference to miracles, referring to them as on a par with natural events. Believers claim that Scripture also provides testimony to the revelation of God. Shall we apply to the claims of Scripture the same criteria of judgment we normally use in assessing historical claims?