Different Types of "Belief"

You wrote:

Or is belief a binary thing, you either 100% believe in something or 0% (don't believe in it)?

I would think there are few things we as humans are 100% certain of. I'm reminded of a Star Trek episode titled, "Specter of the Gun." The episode was set in the "wild west" of the United States at the time of the famed "Gunfight at the OK Corral." (Which took place, incidentally, at a place not far from where I now live.) The crew of the Enterprise must face Wyatt Earp and his henchman in a gunfight. But everything is an illusion, yet so real the humans can't quite believe that it's all fake. Only Spock, mastering his human half, can convince himself it's all an illusion. A 1% doubt makes the bullet real, which will result in injury and death.

Conclusion? All things in life have been represented in a Star Trek episode. :-)

Belief in almost all things is a sliding scale of certainty/uncertainty, wouldn't you say? Belief in some things, such as the continued rotation of the earth and the rising of the sun tomorrow enjoy a near complete certainty. Belief in other things, such as the certainty of your favorite football team winning the match, are less.

So it goes with the Christian faith as well. I have heard too many well-respected pastors and ministers preach on the subject of doubts and fears, and place themselves in the middle of it by confessing their own plague of doubts at time. Doubts are, I suspect, a quite natural aspect of the Christian faith, which is why the Bible urges us to soldier on ... exercising the spiritual disciplines of prayer and fellowship despite doubts.

Note: our Star Trek crew got out of the jam by having Spock do his "Vulcan Mind Meld" on them, convincing them beyond doubt that all at the gunfight was an illusion.

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You wrote:

There I go again, thinking that I live in a Universe that has an omnipotent creator always leads me back to the logical conclusion that there really is only one Absolute Truth: that omnipotent creator Himself.

I'll second that assertion, but I'll ask a follow-up question: if God himself is Absolute Truth, is what God says also Absolutely Truth?

Note: what I reject categorically is the assertion that there is no absolute truth. For one, that denies God his rightful role as sovereign. But also, it doesn't make any sense. "There is no absolutes!" Says a philosopher. "Are you sure?" Asks a student. "Absolutely!" Bellows the philosopher. :-)

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This topic also brings to mind someting else. The thoughts aren't solidified in my head, so rather than make an assertion, I'll pose it as a question.

Is there a range or scale used by humans when learning about and coming to believe something? Is it strictly numerical, or is there a difference in the manner of belief?

What I have in mind is a scale that looks something like this:

• Ignorance -- complete lack of knowledge, or a willful maintenance of non-knowledge (me and all topics relating to security or performance)
  
• Unknowing Acceptance -- an acceptance of an assertion based on the authority of the person making the assertion, but little more (me and quantum physics)
  
• Understanding -- knowledge of that which comprises an assertion and an acknowledgement of the good possibility of it being true (me and the idea that there's another in this world who looks just like me)
  
• Intellectual Assent -- beyond understanding, this is willing the mind to accept as true the assertion (me and the reality of your daughter, me having never met her, but me granting intellectual assent based on your authority and other evidence)
  
• Trust -- beyond mere assent, this is the wagering of that which is valuable to us on the proposition that it is in fact true.

This will ultimately tie into one of the cornerstones on Christ and the issue of faith. From what I can gather -- from all the sermons I've heard preached on the subject -- there is a good many people who believe Jesus existed and even believe he was who he said he was. But that belief is really intellectual assent and not a "trusting faith." Perhaps I fall into this camp, though I pray I do not.

So I'm wondering ... is belief in God the same as faith in God?