Scott uses the phrase “choose to believe” occasionally. A nuanced believing listener asked a clarifying question about the verbiage, sparking a discussion on Faith and Knowledge. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the concepts of faith and knowledge are conflated into a single definition. In this episode, Scott untangles the two definitions and in an attempt to provide a clearer understanding of Faith.
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Just listened to your episode and I am a big fan of yours!!
I just wanted to give my definition of Faith, in contrast to a secular framework.
A secular framework is driven by evidence and supported by authority figures. At the end of the day, if you can show an authority figure the error through the evidence, that authority will be superceded.
In contrast a Faith framework is the opposite. It is driven by authority and supported by the evidence. In the best case scenario the authority figure is God, but in reality it is the collection of thought and spiritual leaders. At the end of the day, if an authority figure disagrees with with the evidence, the evidence will be superceded.
I think the evidence is clear that trusting authority over evidence has led to human detriment. I’m at the place now that if God himself came down and said “Nate, the church is true”, I’d be like, “Oh awesome!…. but walk me through that, cuz some things don’t add up…”
Thank you for your perspective on this. In this episode, I only explored the concept at an introductory level. I’m planning next week’s episode to explore the concept of secular faith in a way to challenge how an atheist or agnostic sees the world and frame it in a way closer to belief in religion. I would like to mention your comment in the next episode as a conversation starter for this idea.