| 1 | No investigation of the existence, nature and mind of the Divine would be complete, without considering the term “Belief” and its companion “Faith”. |
| 2 | So important are the terms Belief and Faith to major religions that their absence would render it impossible to describe much of traditional Western-Roman Theology. |
| 3 | So common is the use of the word “Belief” in day to day conversation, that it can be often overlooked as critically important. |
| 4 | For most of us, the general meaning of the term Belief is to have confidence in or reliance on the validity of some quality or attribute of a Form. |
| 5 | Belief is also frequently claimed to be equivalent to the word Faith and even many Theologians of various religions encourage the idea that the words are interchangeable. |
| 6 | In the next section, we will investigate the concept of Faith more deeply and show that the two words are not exactly the same, but “inter-related” and to some extent “inter-dependent”. |
| 7 | However, the word that Belief is equivalent to in context is the word “trust”. |
| 8 | Yet Belief is more than just a generic or simple equivalent to trust, but a peculiar form of trust through custom, ritual, ceremony, testimonial, duty or obligation without Proof. |
| 9 | We have Belief when we pronounce or swear upon certain scriptures as true, without clear and forensic proof of its authenticity; and |
| 10 | We have Belief when we participate in rituals and ceremonies of an institution, trusting in its intention, without knowing the precise etymology of the words, or symbols or proceedings; and |
| 11 | We have Belief when we trust the testimonial of others as to certain behavior or actions, without irrefutable evidence as to the truth of the events they refer or the expertise of the advise they provide; and |
| 12 | We have Belief that certain Doctrines and Dogmas of a particular Religion are true and even that the claims and teachings of other groups are false; and |
| 13 | We have the Belief that the promise or word of another can be trusted and that they shall do or refrain from doing what they promised. |
| 14 | There is nothing intrinsically wrong or bad or negative about Belief as Belief is a natural and essential part of learning and functioning in society. |
| 15 | The mind of a man or woman, as with all higher order life forms, is adapted to learn, to associate and when confronted with gaps, to guess and trust our instinct. |
| 16 | Such natural and instinctual behavior enabled our ancestors to survive. Without such abilities we would not exist today. |
| 17 | We must as a matter of survival and living – make assumptions and guesses and trust others in order to live. |
| 18 | For example, there is no irrefutable proof that the car you are driving, or the aircraft or train in which you are a passenger will arrive to its destination safely. |
| 19 | Nor is there overwhelming evidence that the fruit in your supermarket of the meat from the local butcher is not dangerously unfit for consumption. |
| 20 | Thankfully, the world usually provides us with clues and signs in order to make more educated guesses and deductions without simply accepting future actions purely on blind trust. |
| 21 | Fruit or meat that has a rotting smell, or is covered in insects, or off in color often gives clues to be wary of such produce. |
| 22 | Cars and vehicles that clearly appear poorly maintained or operated by people with records of unsafe transport are also clues of greater risk. |
| 23 | That is why a man or woman who has no apparent mental disability should be able to use their abilities of reason, of common sense and logic to improve the outcomes of events and actions they believe to be true. |
| 24 | This is a key difference between Educated Belief verging on Knowledge compared to Blind Belief verging on Foolish Belief. |
| 25 | Knowledge is when we have applied some thinking to the likely events, or past events or actions or claims - That we have used our skills of reason, of common sense and logic. |
| 26 | This brings into focus another key feature of Belief compared to Knowledge in that Ideas and Concepts that are Beliefs are overwhelmingly adopted – For we did not think of them or originate them – someone else did. |
| 27 | You didn’t invent the concept of Virgin Birth, yet you may trust such a Doctrine to be true. |
| 28 | Or the concept of Hell as the Doctrine and Dogma of a place of eternal supernatural torment and torture remains a central Dogma for many religions, but you did not invent it. Yet you may trust such an idea to be true. |
| 29 | As you can see, the concept of Belief is essential for many religions that are unable, or unwilling to provide people with clear reason, evidence and proof. |
| 30 | Belief enables those who may have the very best of intentions to substitute form with style and substance with ritual, so that those who witness elaborate style and ritual are convinced of its truth. |
| 31 | It is why the ancient maxim whereby those institutions and religions possessing the most elaborate of rituals and ceremony, often possess the thinnest of substance. |
| 32 | As for Belief, all possess the right to be heard, whether or not we agree with the ideas expressed; and |
| 33 | By virtue of our absolute immutable right of free will, each of us may choose our own actions and what to believe or not to believe. |
| 34 | So long as those Beliefs we hold true do not cause us to think ourselves less, or enslaved, or damned, or cursed, or worthless compared to others; and |
| 35 | So long as those Beliefs we hold true do not view the world with hatred and contempt and seek to inflict violence and hurt and malevolence toward others. |
| 36 | But when we adopt Beliefs invented by others that trick us into believing we are less, or we are born with original sin, or we are less because of our skin, or ethnicity or gender, then such destructive beliefs are like any form of illness and may be damaging to our well being. |
| 37 | In contrast, Summa Elementis Theologica requires no Belief in ideas that require any man or woman to consider themselves less, nor any Belief of negativity or curse or destruction toward the world. |
| 38 | Summa Elementis Theologica does not depend upon Belief. No system of knowledge or truth should require trust without first demonstrating some reasonable level of proof, or of those who read to deduce and conclude for themselves. |
| 39 | Any series of writings, no matter how voluminous, based on the necessity of Belief and Faith, can never truly be considered a valid Theology. |
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1 Exordium - Beginning