Belief and Faith

While having a rather heated debate about religion, someone brought these two concepts and definitions to the argument. They said faith is what theists call their guesses. They said the term faith simply assumes that what that person believes to be is actually what it is in reality. They went on to say that belief is a guess that is subjective.

The question I began pondering is this, are faith and belief one in the same? If so, are they both subjective?

Let's begin with belief, as I think this is the easier of the two concepts to explain and understand. Throughout history, language has continuously changed, adopting new meanings, ridding itself of meanings, and altogether ceasing to be used. The term 'belief' is often used to descrobe a personal understanding one has of something, or an opinion. Can such things have a truth value? The answer is yes. However, since no one on this planet can truly be objective in all matters, it is possible, and most often the case, that we do not know the truth values of beliefs. Now, the problem derives from this, when we say a person's beliefs or opinions are wrong, what are we really saying? Are we saying that their believing in something that is untrue or non-existent is wrong, or are we suggesting that they do not truly have the belief or the opinion? In any case, one can feel/believe something just because they do, without any explanation or evidence. Belioef is based on one's emotions and thought patterns.

Faith, on the other hand, as long as it's not blind faith, is based on evidence. There is historical evidence of Jesus' birth and of those who wrote the Bible. We witness miracles on a daily basis, though many people sadly brush thjese off as "coincidence." Faith is more than just how one feels or thinks, but rather it is trusting the evidence placed before you and accepting it as proof for the truth.