FAITH vs. KNOWLEDGE

What’s the difference between Faith and Knowledge?  Isn’t faith a belief? Some define faith as the substance of things not seen. But is faith hoping for something to be true? When you don’t know?

Maybe you’re unsure.

With knowledge there’s no hoping or guessing it’s just plain and simple. Faith versus Knowledge has a lot of history whereby certain Religions would not endorse fact. In these interim times of change of perspective maybe there wasn’t enough proof to step away from the idea, concepts or common belief.  But in the end, knowledge is something we all yearn for because there’s a comfort in actually knowing the truth.

Faith versus Knowledge is not some contest or battle.  It’s not a competition.  They can be different points of view until knowledge gives us a complete understanding. But is faith a means to getting to knowledge?

If you seek knowledge, true knowledge then it is provided. It isn’t gained through regurgitation. It isn’t earned. It isn’t rewarded. It’s given. It’s given freely to anyone wanting it. Come expand your understanding about Faith versus Knowledge.

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Thank you for joining us for this podcast episode 014 of True Connections with Weston Jolly

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Transcription:

How did you end up here? At this exact moment, at this exact time? What is it that draws you to know something that’s real that you can’t see? What is it?

Is it faith? It could be. And yet, not everyone has faith. Not everyone believes. Maybe, it’s because they’re unsure.

The nonbeliever may require a little personal experience, for even faith …to be seen. They want proof. They want something that they can call real. Ultimately, nobody wants to be duped.

Rightfully so, because there are many who ask you to have faith. And they say without faith you’re lost. Then there’s the idea, the common notion, that it’s easier to follow someone who believes or has faith… because you don’t have it, or you don’t have enough faith. Because of this, it can be easier to follow someone who does. To be fair this also done with knowledge.

Academically, we tend to follow those who are more intelligent. Those who are wise teach us so we might know. So that wisdom would be learned and applied. If someone knows something that we don’t, should we, with supposed inferior mind, body or spirit, succumb to his or her viewpoint or perspective of knowledge?

Is it faith that will take you there? For some it is. A preposition is presented, it is something that you believe, and in faith you follow the belief. If you think that I’m talking exclusively about religion or even spirituality I am not…

But maybe what you seek is knowledge. True knowledge is the kind that isn’t gained through regurgitation. It isn’t earned. It isn’t rewarded. It’s given. It’s given freely to anyone wanting it.

Maybe the kind of knowledge you seek isn’t found via the scientific method in which a thesis is proposed, presented and proven. What if knowledge wasn’t gained by trying to prove today’s latest theorems wrong? This rationale supports the idea that truth evolves. What if truth is….. ?

Today, I want to talk about faith and knowledge. My purpose is to open the door to true knowledge. It would be an impossible task to talk about knowledge in its complete depth in this short amount of time. That would be quite the download, right? But it is feasible to show you the door. And that’s exactly my desire, to show you the door to knowledge.

As humans we are constantly given the opportunity to grow and develop. And faith, in one form or another, seems to be a part of this process. Even in math, I’m asked to believe in certain concepts and theorems until I get to a point that I can discern the foundations of the teaching myself. Most of us don’t. We just accept the basis of what the teacher is instructing. Until someone proves the current teaching wrong we usually accept what is presented before us.

Some knowing my story have commented that I must have had a lot of faith to make the transition. I once believed. I practiced faithfully. I searched and wanted something more and then suddenly it was given to me.

I’ve pretended that I didn’t ask for it but I did. I always did… I asked for wisdom as far back as I can remember because I knew if I had it, it would be something that was truly precious. This is just my thought. Continuing…

I will show you the door to knowledge. And I’m knowingly taking a risk because why should you believe me? Why should you have faith in me? To take into account these two very important questions, let me address them head on.

I am not asking you to believe in me. I’m certainly not asking you to have faith in me. (Laughter) And frankly, this has nothing to do with me, beyond my sharing very important information that you might internally recognize within yourself. My gift to you is to show you the door… the door to knowledge.

To do so, we need to talk about faith a little. Faith is commonly defined as the substance of things not seen. But there’s great confusion about the word faith. Many think that faith is the most one can achieve in creating a connection. A Divine connection.

Let me be clear, you don’t need faith to have a true connection. And you may ask a connection to what? Keeping it simple, I’m speaking of a connection to true knowledge. If it helps, true knowledge is eternal. This means no matter how many theories are proposed the truth remains constant.

From a faith-based perspective, it’s most common to look outside your own self for answers. This is taught. Unfortunately, a lot of times it’s taught with dependency. Some times there is an intent to keep you from asking questions or from gaining knowledge. This kind of faith-based thinking is designed to keep you small.

I remember hearing a story where a parishioner asked his minister what he should do since the tires on his car were balding and he wanted to take a trip. This man was seeking spiritual help to determine if he should have faith to take the long road trip on the worn tires. The minister answered the man, instructing him to purchase new ones before putting himself, his family, or even others in danger before going forward.

The point of this example, is when we, and everyone has done it, disempower ourselves to think in terms of hope. Not a constructive hope but a win the lottery kind of hope. Le me illustrate this for you. How many times have you wondered if it’s okay, to quit a job, release yourself from a deteriorating relationship, to marry, to ask for a raise, to get a new house, or to purchase something for yourself? Or maybe it is asking to pass a test that you haven’t properly studied for?

In the faith based system, if you can’t see the outcome, you may need help from someone who does see the conclusion. In a healthy mentorship this is great, because any great teacher will not encourage dependency but will teach you the new skill set beyond it being faith based. In essence, you don’t need to take my word for it.

It is common in math to be asked to prove a theorem. In doing so, we are stepping into a state of accountability. If you prove the proposition, then you’re not being asked to believe or take it on faith. This is accurate for knowledge too.

The challenge with true genius and true knowledge is trying to prove it to someone who doesn’t understand. This can because they don’t want to understand, or because of contradiction of their own belief or because they don’t yet possess the ability to comprehend the truth. All of these are real issues.

This becomes even more difficult if you are the one who holds the contradictory beliefs, and your mind, doesn’t yet, have the capacity for the greatness that is before you. These are true issues. Yet, knowledge is still knowledge whether you comprehend it or not. The whole thing becomes quite complicated if you are the one who rejects the knowledge because of a preexisting belief or that you don’t understand.

True to my word, I promised you the door to knowledge. (Laughter) and that’s what we’re approaching. But even as we get close we do have to address your beliefs because they are so directly connected with any faith that you might have. I candidly stated in True Connections with Weston Jolly; What Do You Believe? Ep. 3 -that all your beliefs are an illusion.

Does this mean that any faith that you might have is an illusion too? Not necessarily, it just means that knowledge, true knowledge is sometimes not seen, approved of or even recognized with contrasting beliefs. Let me offer you perhaps a long overdue example. Let me introduce you to a mathematician known best by his surname Ramanujan.

Ramanujan, was an Indian born mathematician. He was almost entirely self-taught. His knowledge came from somewhere but for the greater part it wasn’t through teachers and other common means. In fact, Ramanujan, a devout Hindu, credited his substantial mathematical knowledge was given to him by his family’s God.

Let me summarize this, Ramanujan, didn’t have any beliefs that prevented him from getting knowledge directly from the Divine. That wasn’t true for the Englishman G.H. Hardy. Hardy didn’t believe in God and thus it was hard for him to accept that Ramanujan received his knowledge from his very strong intuition and insights. Ramanujan’s contribution in mathematics came from someplace but logically it didn’t come from formal education.

This story is true. I welcome you to verify the facts. And if you like movies, then you can watch an entertaining version of Ramanujan’s life in the film, The Man Who Knew Inifinity. There are two important things to remember; one, a belief can work in harmony with Divine knowledge and/or two, it also can be a barrier to it.

Let me offer you something to think about. What if Ramanujan had the process right? Would you like to hear a very short list of others, who were “self-taught” or autodidacts as they’re called; you might recognize a few of the names; Charles Darwin, Ernest Hemingway, Leonardo Da Vinci, The Wright Brothers, Abraham Lincoln, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix. What if the term autodidact is misleading?

What if these people were learning from another Source? How would this process of accessing Divine knowledge apply to Buddha? It is said that he did in fact have some religious teaching via a Monk but these answers were incomplete. Buddha tried self-denial, an interesting concept, one that I’ve also talked about in a previous podcast called Self-Denial, but the one who would later be recognized, as the Buddha wasn’t fulfilled by this method either.

It is said that Buddha learned by meditating next to a Bodhi tree. Well, that’s an interesting means of getting knowledge, don’t you think? How could you possibly gain knowledge by meditating? It’s an interesting question but it appears this is how Ramanujan received his knowledge of mathematics. What if meditation could actually lead to self-knowledge?

As I promised from the beginning of this podcast my only purpose is to share with you a door of true knowledge. To a large extent, you’ve arrived. You may not like it. But here you are at a significant door to true knowledge. Meditation is such a door.

Thank you to those who have reached out and asked if I could expound on the topic of meditation, and I will address this more in the future, but now you’re at a door. A door that is a significant as it can be, one that warrants your full attention even if you’re not experienced in nuances of the process. The only way meditation becomes a problem for you is if you have a combative belief that opposes the process. To be honest, it’s primarily a process where you don’t do the talking. Further, you don’t want to engage in any thinking either.

For the Western mind meditation is easy-to-understand but it becomes a little harder to adapt because it isn’t as common as it is in the East. This doesn’t change the fact that meditation is a door to True Knowledge. I’m not saying this because of any affiliation to any type of spirituality or religion; I’m sharing it because meditation is a gateway. Simply, meditation is a door to true knowledge.

While I only promised to take you to one door of True Knowledge I’m in fact going to give you two. This one is a little more challenging because it involves you doing something. Generally, in meditation, the goal is to become quiet enough that you can hear, see or know truth. Automatic Handwriting requires you being present and to write but it can be a little more interactive.

Is Automatic Handwriting really a door to knowledge? The answer is simply yes. There are more doors than these two, but for today, I want to stay focused here. Automatic Handwriting can be a developed skill. While it can come easily, just as in meditation, it also may require a developed the practice.

Pardon me… I should not have assumed that everyone knows what Automatic Handwriting is. Automatic Handwriting is when you are receiving information beyond your self. I’ll even clarify that, …beyond your physical self. This definitely includes your teaching and beliefs.

Automatic Handwriting can literally take you out of this world. Automatic Handwriting when done properly, and like meditation, can provide you with absolute truth. The only thing tricky about these two doors of knowledge is that you have to put aside your beliefs, your prejudices, your upbringing, the ways you were taught and of course the information that you were taught. That isn’t too much is it?

Well, it can be. I will not advocate that it has to be hard because it isn’t. But I will honor that there may be times, and even more than a couple, when you have to navigate not using what you think you know. It’s an old statement, it’s pretty hard to teach someone something new when they know it all.

Automatic Handwriting is a little different than meditation but there are some striking similarities. When you are writing, the words also act as a tangible mirror. In meditation this happens without this tangible characteristic, which can be both an advantage and disadvantage. When you write down what is being shared, you get to review the knowledge.

The activity of writing can be very useful in feeling the information as it is received. When you listen to music, predominately you’re doing something else beyond the listening – with the exceptions of going to a concert of lying in bed and listening actively. Yoga is a way of moving the body, keeping it busy, while focused breathing can also transmit information.

Oh man, I’ve done it again. Now I’ve given you three doors to knowledge. Yoga is old practice of moving the body to certain positions to help it to receive information. If it helps you get it, think of moving an antenna for old TV set with rabbit ears! You move the long metal rods in certain ways to improve the reception for your TV.

Maybe you could think of yoga this way. You move your body in certain ways to release and increase certain things, I could be more tangible but I won’t for reasons of simplicity, to receive more. As you move your body certain things can happen. Let me tell you that they can.

Quickly, I was giving a three-day retreat in Florida and I’d asked one of the participants to lead the group with some yoga. We all walked down to the sand and I was following the Kundalini yoga instructor like everyone else and something happened. I was in a specific yoga pose of which I now don’t remember the name and I could feel energy and information coming forward. In that moment, I wasn’t leading, and I’m truthfully glad for that, but there was a transference of knowledge, truth and the love that took place.

Most of my experiences seem to be whereby I’ve stumbled upon door after door of knowledge.

In summary, we’ve talked faith versus knowledge. How faith can be interrupted as hope. And how in some circumstances people are taught to be dependent upon someone with faith. Let me clear having hope and having faith are beautiful attributes of our spiritual and physical development. That said, knowledge is truly a different category.

Today, we’ve talked about three doors to opening yourself to true knowledge. First, was meditation. Formal meditation where you quiet the mind with intention to access the wisdom of Source. Second, I mentioned Automatic Handwriting being another door to knowledge. Automatic Handwriting is an interactive process of you listening and capturing direct messages from your Higher Self. Thirdly, yoga like meditation is a beautiful door that, like meditation, has been around for thousands of years.

Certainly, it’s my hope that you’ll formally play and knock on all three of these doors to knowledge. You may be surprised at the beauty, compassion, peace and knowledge that you’ll find. There is an adage that is appropriate to end on; Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. The wisdom and the knowledge that you seek is right here before you.

Something More

5 Ways To Start Automatic Handwriting

What Is Your Reality?

True Connections with Weston Jolly: What Do You Believe? – EP 3

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