Ranking the certainty of beliefs

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  1. 2+2 = 4 is 100% certain. 2+2 is a symbol that represents a different arrangement of whatever we mean by the symbol 4. The only way that 2+2 would not be equal to 4 is if you change what you mean by the symbols 2, +, = or 4.
  2. Mars will not collide with the earth tomorrow - 100% certainty. In order for that to happen there would have to be some way of transporting the planet Mars fairly instantaneously to a location near the Earth. It is possible that a large gravitational force could force either Mars or the Earth into an orbit in which they would collide but the collision would take months if not years to happen.
  3. The Catholic Church is the one true Church started by God. 100% certainty. Now I am not certain as to what the Church is nor what God is. It is very possible that other Churches are in fact part of the Catholic Church although we just don’t recognize it. The Church is the Body of Christ but specifically what that actually means is not that clear.
  4. ABC is wrong - 100%. I think NBC (natural birth control) is wrong too. But what does wrong mean?
  5. 95% certain because translation 6 makes no sense.
  6. 100% certain that the translation is wrong. If lewd conduct is all you need for divorce then anyone who wants a divorce should just do something lewd. That just doesn’t make any sense. What is the point of being joined by God if by our actions we can undo the joining? But then again we run into the problem of just what is meant by lewd conduct. If by lewd conduct you mean marrying your close relative then perhaps it is a good translation.
 
Marc_Anthony said:
  1. 95% (people will almost always mean this when they add 2 and 2 but for high quantities of 2 it could be 5. Somebody on this site has that as their signature.)
  2. 99% (I’m 100% on nothing)
    **3. 99%
  3. 99%**
  4. 45% (I think the best translation is probably fornication but that could lead to some confusion about the indissolubility of marriage, so that translation isn’t terrible.)
  5. 70% (I still think fornication, but that’s not a bad translation. Closer, anyway.)
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Why are 3 and 4 so low? 😦
 
slywakka250 said:
  1. 40%
If it is in fact “true” that 2 + 2 = 4, A great deal is established, and much of scepticism is put to rest it would seem. Mathematiclaly, it *seems *true, but only if I trust my ability to reason, i.e, Like Descaretes discusses, I am not deceived by a demon. I am hesitant to give this a strong belief, though I wish I could.
  1. 5%
I don’t see anything stoppingn this from happening, so how could I know with any real certainty that Mars won’t collide with earth? yea it hasn’t happened yet probably, but I could certainly imagine it happening.

3. 50%

There seems to be a lot of evidence for this provided God exists, which I will assume for my percentage as given.

4. 50%

5,6 I don’t get what these are all about.
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You’re 50% sure that The Catholic Church is The One True Church?

That scares me! !:eek:!:eek:!:eek:!:eek:!:eek:!:eek:!:eek:!:eek:!
 
5 and 6 are both false because the verse restates Deut 24:1-4 (google is a wondrous thing) and isn’t what is said by the One And Only True Translation, the NIV.
 
shelby2014 said:
Bibleguy - how can you be 100% certain on #3 but 0% certain on #4?
I am not accusing your beliefs, I am just curious logically. It seems to be an oxy moron…
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I believe the Church was started by God. However, since it is a human institution, I don’t believe it to be correct on everything and I’m not going to blindly follow teachings. I will follow my own conscience that God gave to me and that I believe is well formed.
 
NoAvailableName said:
  1. 2 + 2 = 4
  2. Mars will not collide with the earth tomorrow
  3. The Catholic church is the one true Church started by God
  4. Use of ABC (artificial birth control) is wrong.
  5. The best possible English translation for Matthew 5:32 is “But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
  6. The best possible English translation for Matthew 5:32 is “But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (except for lewd conduct) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
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  1. 80% (I’m an English major for a reason!)
  2. 4%
  3. 100%
  4. 90% (most Bibles I have use illicit or unlawful)
  5. 25% (lewd?!)
 
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