Believing Somebody vs. Believing in Somebody

G.E.M. Anscombe wrote two papers, one called What it is to Believe Someone and the other  Faith. They can both be found in the book Faith in a Hard Ground, which I purchased from iTunes.

Here is what she said about the Biblical phrase, "Abraham believed God."

Even in this rather well-known context where the words appear plainly, they are not attended to...Abraham believed God...Rather, we are deluged with rubbish about "believing in" as opposed to "believing that."

Like the chorus of animals in Orwell, there is a claque chanting "believing in goo-ood, believing that ba-ad."

- What it is to Believe Someone - p. 30 of Faith in a Hard Ground


I am not sure all that she was trying to say, since her arguments are very sophisticated and I can't follow it all. However, the gist of it is that when we say we believe in someone, we are really not saying much of anything.


We are just repeating what we have been told to repeat, like irrational animals. It is fashionable to say that we believe in someone, but that is not good enough. Even though it is assumed that the phrase "believing in" is good, what does it mean? It is as if "believing that" were a bad phrase that should not even be used.

However, Abraham is the gold standard of faith. He is the father of all who believe God. It is said of him, "Abraham believed God'. So, it cannot be a bad thing for a person to simply say that they believe God.


Anscombe's idea, I think, is brilliant. Why not just say I believe you, or I believe that what you say is true instead of the overly vague, sentimental "I believe in you." In her articles, Anscombe develops the idea of what it means to believe someone, and then applies it to a Christian's belief in God. Brilliant stuff. 

I have started to use the phrases "I believe" and "I believe that" in my own communications. Here is another quote from the article where Anscombe talks about the clarity of using phrases that begin with "believe that" when talking about our faith. 




Still, the phrase "I believe in you" is kind of sweet, but what does it mean? I suppose it does imply that there is a relationship, and not just mere intellectual assent to a set of beliefs. Believe in, in the case of God, may be a more intense, more personal kind of belief than just believe by itself. However, it has to also involve "I believe God.'  

Her two articles on the subject have made me think, and I am enjoying that. I don't think she was saying that "believe in" is never appropriate, but that it is over used and often devoid of real meaning. 


It is clear that the topic that I introduced of "believing somebody" is in the middle of our target. - G.E.M. Anscombe (from the article Faith - p. 45-Faith in a Hard Ground)

I think it is clear as well. 

This needs a little more development and a few more quotes to back up what I am saying. Later...

I'm not sure what she thinks of me. Mom, I'm tryin' to be good, I really am.