Is there a difference between religious "knowing" and literal knowing?

Question

I've seen so many people, particularly religionists in my case, saying that they "know" things, like for example that the Antichrist is here, or that the earth is flat.
Is religious knowledge different from the literal meaning of the word knowledge or is it a matter of interpretation?

Michelle R · Accepted Answer

well, in the Bible, "knowing" is another way to say "had sex with"... so hmmm... 

The truth is, if you believe in an all-powerful G-d, and you believe that that god wrote the bible, then it is the same as saying that you know the theory of relativity to be true, because Einstein said it.  Your belief in the absolute veracity of the source makes it impossible to question that it might be incorrect.  After all, if it wasn't true, then G-d either made a mistake (= he's imperfect), or G-d lied (= he is evil).  Neither of those conclusions are acceptable to a religious person.

Non-fundamentalist people accept that you can have a perfect G-d and an imperfect bible, or no god at all and an imperfect bible, but that scientific facts on the ground can be verified by testing and independent study.  Impeccable authorship is just one of many proofs that are required.  

The problem is that the events of the Bible happened so far in the past, and the "End Times" predictions have never happened and may not until so far in the future, that independent verification is impossible.  So all you're left with is the trustworthiness of the source.

? · Answer

Um, yes. And evolution IS a theory according to the definition of a theory. I am not a YE creationist, BTW. Wiki: Evolution is often said to be both theory and fact. This statement, or something similar, is frequently seen in biological literature. The point of this statement is to differentiate the concept of the "fact of evolution", namely the observed changes in populations of organisms over time, with the "theory of evolution", namely the current scientific explanation of how those changes came about.

Anonymous · Answer

Some people have changed arond the definition of words in the dictionary to suit themselves.  

"Knowing" = Either the Biblical "know" or "I prefer to think this is true because it supports my beliefs even if it doesn't have evidence."  

"Truth" = "Agreeing with what I say."  

"Love" = "Being nice to people who agree with me.  Screw those other guys."

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Is there a difference between religious "knowing" and literal knowing?

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