Sarah Goldsmith- Knowing (Phenomenology of Prayer)

In Phenomenology of Prayer, there is a discussion about "knowing" in reference Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians. This "knowing" is different from the standard definition of facts. Benjamin Crowe, the author of this chapter, writes, "That this 'knowing' is not a matter of indifferent, objective cognition of neutral facts; to the contrary, it is a special kind of self knowledge, a way of identifying oneself with a particular history or ministry" (123). I frequently find myself trying to differentiate between these knowings.
As a student in a catholic school, I had a lot of head knowledge about the faith, however, I did not have the type of "knowing" that is mentioned here. This difference is also evident in young children as they are learning something. They can learn the steps and the process of solving a math problem, but at some point in the process it clicks and they have an understanding of the math they are doing. 
As a neuroscientist, I am interested in this type of understanding- the differentiation in the "knowing." I feel that if we can understand this transition more, we can have a deeper knowledge of not only ourselves, but of the ultimate other as well. It could be possible to facilitate this type of "knowing" and forming that connection with the other.

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