Which sounds more appropriate?:
1. My opinion is that vanilla ice-cream is the best flavor of ice-cream.
2. My conviction is that vanilla ice-cream is the best flavor of ice-cream.
I think most people would go with option 1, but why? The denotative meaning of “opinion” and “conviction” allows for both usages, but the connotative meaning is quite different. “Opinion” connotes a weak epistemic viewpoint. When someone says they have an opinion on a matter, we tend to think there was little, if any research that went into forming their viewpoint. “Opinion” has subjectivity and personal taste written all over it. “Conviction,” on the other hand, connotes a much stronger epistemic viewpoint. When we hear someone say their conviction is that X is true, we tend to think there was at least a fair amount of research that was instrumental in forming their conclusion. A conviction is not entirely subjective, but based in some facts.
I would not make a doctrine out of this, but it seems to me that when we are speaking of our perspective on matters of objective truth, that we couch them in terms of our “conviction” rather than in terms of our “opinion.” Opinion seems better reserved for matters of subjective truth like one’s favorite flavor of ice-cream. Conviction bespeaks rational persuasion. This is important in a culture in which religious claims are presumed to be flavors of ice-cream, with everyone simply picking the flavor that appeals to their tastes. We need to make it clear that we do not have mere opinions on religious matters, but have developed genuine convictions through researching matters of objective fact.
Thinking to Believe 
December 24, 2008 at 10:56 am
*nodding head* – yes, I agree, particulary with the conclusive statment in regards to religion.
I was thinking on something else as well. Perhaps it is my somewhat conditioned mentality, having been influenced by “church” perceptions if I may say it that way – but everytime I hear the word “conviction”, I immediately think about the influence of the Spirit of God. Of course, that is such a narrow perspective generally speaking – and I credit this to the fact the primarily, I only hear people use the word “conviction” in discussions dealing with spiritual matters. So if someones says, “it’s my opinion” – I immediately think subjective in nature. However, if they are “convicted” – then by default my mind ponders the possiblity or even probability of God’s Spirit having influenced them in their decision/stance.
Of course, with maturity and discernment (and just good ole logic), it can be noted that this particular perspective is faulty and at times unreliable. Its kinda funny to me though because it is my experience that when having spiritual discussions, and the individual desires to persuade you on a matter or demonstrate the weight of their statement, they will be swift to say, “I am CONVICTED on this issue” – in other words, “what I am saying is right by God Almighty- accept it!!” -ha!
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December 26, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Conviction is the state ob being convinced to admit the truth or a strong persuasion or belief.
Opinion is a view formed in the mind about a particular subject.
In your example above, vanilla ice cream appeal is a rather bland example and very benign in its scope. I believe that the use of the word conviction would have much greater meaning in a discussion about one’s soteriological views and number two would be the more appropriate response.
Just maybe though…. my opinion only… tic
Ryan Gustason
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December 29, 2008 at 2:58 am
Michael,
I actually had in mind how we speak to outsiders, not insiders. But you are right to note that “conviction” has a particular nuance in Christianese. As you said, that word connotes the influence of the Spirit in many Christian circles. If one were to use the word as I am using it among Christians, the precise meaning (rational persuasion) would have to be clarified.
Jason
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December 29, 2008 at 3:04 am
Ryan,
That was my point. We would not use the word “conviction” to describe what we think of subjective matters, because it is more fitting for objective matters such as soteriology. The word “opinion” is more fitting for subjective matters, and yet many Christians use the word to describe their beliefs about objective matters. In our pluralistic world, such talk can easily be confused for the “true for me, but not necessarily true for you” pluralistic ideology.
Jason
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December 31, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Great point. Now, is that your opinion or conviction on the matter?
J/K
great post Brother.
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