Belief mistaken for Knowledge

I think it's worth mentioning just how easily a fervent belief can be mistaken for knowledge.

For me at least, when I hear "I believe that..." (as opposed to "I know that..."), it suggests a degree of uncertainty. Although it may be believed just as vividly as any statement of absolute truth, a claim prefaced with "I believe that..." seems to me to be one that lacks sufficient proof or empirical evidence. Statements of knowledge, on the other hand, should obviously be more grounded in fact.

So here's where I see a little bit of a conflict: When someone holds a belief strongly enough, he/she often claims it to be knowledge when it actually is not. If you believe something firmly, it can actually be pretty hard not to do. For instance, I'm sure you could find two kids at our school at any moment with religious beliefs that directly oppose each other's (i.e. they are incompatible and cannot be simultaneously correct) who would each claim to know his/her belief to be true. But if knowledge can only be applied to true belief, then at least one of them should not be saying "I know..." I guess my point is that it's very difficult for the believer to distinguish between knowledge and firm belief.