In view of the comments I have selected above, I still feel that a belief is an acceptance of unproven information, and without general acceptance as truth,it requires faith. > > David, would you be willing to settle on belief as just being "acceptance of a claim?" It's as bare bones as it gets, and I think it encompasses everything anyone says...-You are right, the barest of bones, but it does fit with the implication that a 'claim' is never proof, and on that basis it works.