Submitted by Kindred Soul on
In premodern times, people did not "believe in belief," but rather, saw the religious way of life as an active, transformative practice. In order to be intimate with God, Brahman, the Way, you had become a skilled practitioner. Spiritual knowledge was something you had to do "do," and not just "believe."
Belief comes after experience, and religions in pre-modern times understood this very well.
In contemporary debates, we often forget that religions were systems of attainment and development. You couldn't change by simply accepting a set of beliefs, but by first understanding what the truly meant, and by changing yourself in the process.
Sources:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfr...