Questions tagged [belief]
An epistemological understanding in which the adherent gives tacit assent to the thing
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If the kingdom of God is invisible, in heaven, how can seeing Jesus be key to seeing it as he is also invisible, in heaven?
This question is based on four texts dealing with this matter.
John 3:3 where Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of ...
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How can I know that I believe the resurrection of Jesus? [closed]
How can I know that I believe the resurrection of Jesus?
Many Christians say that the belief in the resurrection of Jesus is the necessary condition of being a Christian. However, I don’t know whether ...
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Why do Christians care so much about what you believe?
Being irreligious I find some arguments in Christianity utterly ridiculous. Like the question of Jesus's nature (miaphysite vs monophysite vs etc.). Why do believers care so much about such ...
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Does Christianity "Match" Reality? [closed]
I don't know if this is a "good" question for Christianity Stack Exchange, but it's weighing heavily on my mind, and this seems as good a place as any. So here goes.
I grew up as a Christian ...
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Are there Christian groups or denominations that believe that direct doxastic voluntarism is true (i.e. that atheists can choose to believe in God)?
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doxastic_voluntarism:
Doxastic voluntarism is a philosophical view that people elect their own beliefs.[1] That is, that subjects have a certain amount of control ...
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How do Christians define knowledge and faith?
There have been many attempts at defining knowledge in philosophy. One of the most commonly used definitions is justified true belief (JTB), which demands that a claim must be (1) true, (2) believed ...
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If all demons are believers, then why are some humans atheists?
According to the Bible, all demons are believers:
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! (James 2:19 ESV)
Yet, this is not the case for (all) humans. Some ...
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Will unbelievers continue to be unbelievers at the end of the age?
In a recent SE post on epistemic certainty about the truth claims of Christianity a helpful response was given:
Is there any way for a rational person to reach the conclusion that
Christianity is ...
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Believing that Christianity is "probably" true vs. being fully convinced that Christianity is definitely true?
Most apologetic arguments for theism/Christianity are probabilistic (i.e. they are abductive in nature, rely on premises that are not necessarily true, etc.), meaning that a rational person who is ...
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According to Latter-day Saint epistemology, do Latter-day Saints perceive the witness of the Holy Ghost as an intrinsic defeater-defeater?
From https://iep.utm.edu/defeaters-in-epistemology/:
According to Plantinga (1986), some beliefs can, by virtue of their own degree of warrant, defeat defeaters that come their way. When a belief has ...
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Do Unitarian Universalist churches acknowledge the possibility that the Quran may be the inspired Word of God?
Do Unitarian Universalist churches acknowledge the possibility that the Quran may be the inspired Word of God?
Wikipedia states the following, but I desire to know if Unitarians nowadays hold the Qur’...
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Why is there a day of judgement? [closed]
John 5:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. ...
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Was the term “The Way'” officially used as a synonym for Christianity during the ages?
We get a glimpse of Jesus'intention to establish a new religion in Mtt 16:18 (NRSVCVE):
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail ...
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Why do some Christians have trouble with the concept of non-existence? [closed]
Atheists have no trouble understanding that:
When someone dies, their consciousness, personality, and self simply cease to exist.
One day it might be possible to take a copy of someone's mind, store ...
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How do believers in modern-day miracles interpret John 20:29 & 2 Corinthians 5:7 (faith without sight)?
John 20:29 (ESV)
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
2 Corinthians 5:6-7 (ESV)
6 So we are always of ...
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According to Evangelical Christians, what does a person need to believe about Jesus in order to be saved?
The Bible teaches about Jesus of Nazareth many things. It teaches that Jesus was born to a virgin. It teaches that he was without sin yet suffered, died, and rose again for us. It also teaches that ...
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Are there any Trinitarian denominations that do not view belief in the Trinity as a "salvation issue"?
Trinitarians that subscribe to the Athanasian Creed believe, by definition, that rejection of the doctrine of the Trinity disqualifies one from salvation. Are there any Trinitarian denominations that ...
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By Reformed Theology, Which Beliefs Accompany Saving Faith?
Which articles do Reformed Theologians say are always part of our salvation?
(For instance, I have heard recognized figures teach that saving faith will always carry with it a recognition of the Deity ...
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Is there anything close to a consensus on how to assess the credibility of eyewitness accounts as supportive evidence for supernatural beliefs?
It's my understanding that most Christians have never had an overtly spectacular, extraordinary, supernatural experience themselves, yet they find no problem in holding very specific supernatural ...
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Do Christians believe in witchcraft and the occult?
Do Christians believe that people can tap into supernatural powers through the practice of witchcraft and the occult? I'm aware that there are passages in the Bible that prohibit messing around with ...
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Do LDS believers not accept any others who self-identify as 'Christian'?
I have a question, following on from the previous question in which is quoted :
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living Church upon the face of the whole earth.
...
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Why do Cessationists consider recent testimonial evidence for the gifts of the Spirit less reliable than 2000-year-old evidence for the resurrection?
Arguments for the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus strongly rely on testimonial evidence. Defenders of Jesus' resurrection as a historical fact typically argue that the writings of the New ...
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Is belief or faith the same as idolatry? [closed]
So clearly there are a ton of biblical texts, the most famous being the second commandment against Idols. So given what we know about the nature of our brains today, I have a serious question:
Is ...
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Did the apostles believe that God is unique, eternal, infinite, omnipotent, immutable, "simple", spirit, and personal?
I am pretty sure the Jewish Bible (OT) gives these characteristics to God.
Examples.
1) God is unique: Is 45:18
2) God is infinite and omnipotent: Ps 135:5-6
3) God is eternal: Is 40:28
4) God ...
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Are there different views on the nature or/and understanding of the Trinity among Trinitarians?
I think I've heard people describe the doctrine differently, maybe because they do not fully grasp the so-called "mystery". I've heard someone make an argument for the Trinity while maintaining the ...
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In protestantism are all mankind equal under God?
Are there people of higher worth and lower worth? Is everyone deserving of equal respect?
There was some confusion in the comments since my question is short, I think the answers given are of good ...
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Do Mormons view the LDS Church as a pure restoration of first century Christianity?
Based on the accepted answer to this question, it looks like Mormons believe that
A wide-scale falling away from first century Christianity (the
"Great Apostasy") had happened before Joseph Smith's ...
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What is the earliest reference to the notion that we killed Jesus?
In this blog post, Catholic professor Edward Feser discusses the Crucifixion:
No silly talk here of “Flying Spaghetti Monsters” and the like; Nietzsche, unlike so many of his successors, still had ...
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Why is Mary's perpetual virginity a Catholic dogma?
I know Catholic dogmas must be accepted to become Catholic. They are non-negotiables as distinguished from doctrines or theological opinions. I know most Catholic dogmas relate to some essential truth ...
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What is the difference in doctrine between the Pentecostal church and the Assemblies of God church?
I attend an AG church and am told the AG churches are Pentecostal, but a distinction is drawn between AG and Pentecostal. What's the doctrinal difference?
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How does "believe that you have received it" practice in the Christian life?
in Mark 11:24
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever
you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will
be yours.
What is the catholic interpretation of the verse? The reason I'm ...
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According to Evangelical Presbyterians, do ghosts exist?
They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.
Luke 24:37 (NIV)
This incident shows that the disciples were afraid of an apparition.They thought that they saw a ghost.
A ghost is ...
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What are the main beliefs/themes of the Prosperity Gospel and which are the current prominent groups and their pastors?
What are the main beliefs/themes of the Prosperity Gospel?
And which are the current prominent groups and their pastors?
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Was Thomas a believer before seeing the resurrected Jesus?
A friend of mine and I had a debate this evening about whether or not the apostles were actually believers in Jesus. She claimed that since the Bible does not explicitly say that each man declared ...
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What is "Christ Consciousness"?
I have heard this term used and would like more info about this idea. It really sounds like a hippie thing...
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Can the belief of Jesus' listeners be considered belief unto salvation?
During my daily study of the book of John, I've come across several statements like this one from chapter 8:30, which says:
"As he was saying these things, many believed in him."
Is there any ...
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What does Paul mean by "Love believes all things?" [closed]
In 1 Corinthians Paul says
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:7, ESV)
This has long puzzled me from a couple of angles.
First, ...
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What is the minimum amount of action required to get in to heaven? [closed]
I've had this discussion with a number of my Christian friends, and have never managed to get a definitive answer. There may not be just one, but I'd like some scriptural backings for each opinion, ...
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Is Jesus alive? Or did he die 2000 years ago? [closed]
People believe Jesus is alive and will never die. Has this belief any value or is it a mere opinion, desire, without any evidence supporting it? Isn't this belief a desire of it being true out of fear ...
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Why do we have to go to organized institutions to practice our beliefs?
I believe in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. People insist on going to church to express these feelings, beliefs, etc. Why are religious institutions necessary?
My personal experiences with Church ...
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Fake Jesus reincarnations [closed]
Is the Church (Body of Christ) active in any way, to expose fake Jesus reincarnations?
For clarification: are there any missions that include reaching the victims of false Jesus reincarnations that ...
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Can you renounce part of the bible, and still be a Christian? [closed]
A really simple question, the title says it all really. Just to provide some background as to what I'm on about:
I was raised Roman Catholic. As, I suspect, many of you know, the Catholics and ...
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Is there a need for Christians to believe in Christianity at all, if they don't believe in Resurrection and Salvation through Christ alone?
My question is directed to professing Christians who don't believe in any of the key doctrines held by evangelical churches, such as the Virgin Birth, the Resurrection, and Jesus Christ as the only ...
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Huxley? Agnoticism and Christianity. Both at the same time? [closed]
Are they call agnostic theist? I believe it's wrong to say I'm certain of things. But I want to believe in God? Knowledge and belief is two different things right?
Or did I not understand Huxley's ...
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Why are many Christians antagonistic towards the idea that God has a form?
Many Christian theologies from the past and present are against the idea that God has a form. The common argument I found is something like this; "God is Spirit and spirit has no form, hence God has ...
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What does the Catholic Church say about the experience of Joy felt by the martyrs?
Is it worth even being skinned alive like St. Bartholomew? In Earthly terms, you wouldn't allow THAT to happen to you even for the adoration of the planet's most lovely woman or the richest bounty of ...
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What are some good resources that explain the rational reasons behind the faith for a questioning Atheist? [closed]
I have been contemplating the existence of a god for years now, and have settled upon the idea as a remedy to the absurd. I would like to believe in God, but my mind is so apt to lean on reason that ...
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Why fasting prayer? [duplicate]
I want to know what is fasting prayer and why we want to do the fasting prayer. What does the Bible say about this?
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What is the difference between belief and faith, from a Protestant perspective?
I want to know what is the difference between belief and faith from a Protestant perspective. Can anyone explain this to me?
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Did CS Lewis see 'pleasure' as being the purpose of our existence?
In 'The Great Divorce' a character asks, destraught, why she was born and a spirit replies, "for infinite joy!"
Is that what CS Lewis thought the meaning of life was? Ultimate joy? Is there any other ...
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