DWQA QuestionsCategory: Divine GuidanceIs belief a virtue of higher ranking than faith? Does it deserve to be added as an 11th Virtue instead of Faith? If so, can you explain the importance of Belief compared to Faith and Hope?
Nicola Staff asked 5 years ago
We would not single this out as a separate virtue because it can vary in the same way that faith can vary in terms of intensity and completeness. The two are essentially similar unless further defined. You can modify either one by saying, "absolute faith" or "total belief," but in the absence of a modifier, you are on a slippery slope somewhere that is quite uncertain because it is impossible for human to know truly how they are doing. One has opinions, of course, and this will vary depending on the individual’s perceptiveness. So what matters here is that these issues are dealt with carefully to add illumination and not confusion or contradiction—that is always important in any communication of divine truth. You will never be perfect and you cannot afford to be comprehensive about every little detail, but in a discussion of divine principles, it is worth taking time to flesh things out more carefully and be sure of what you are saying. So we can tell you that you now have a good core set of virtues to discuss and you can include faith along with hope to make the differentiation, particularly because they have such mention in the Scriptures that their absence would be seen as a slight or error. Including them will allow showcasing how yet again the Bible is helpful but not yet complete and that is the virtue of the work you are doing with us to fill in the gaps, and extend the awareness, and increase the enlightenment of humanity at this critical time.