ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the language of harm and the Harm Principles and examines the three major sources for setting standards and judging behaviour: Belief, faith and religion, philosophy and ethics and law and regulation. Beliefs have power, and because of this, it is vital to understand the nature of beliefs, the difference between belief and faith, and how faith manifests itself in organised religions with explicit codes of behaviour. A belief is a state of mind in which a person holds an idea, conviction or tenet about an element of reality that may, or may not be, supported by evidence or fact. There are two sub-groups of beliefs: those to do with religion, and those that deal with everything else. Law always lags developments in society—whether the developments are changes in values and beliefs, structural changes driven by growth, or advances in science and technology.
