Noted economist Sylvia Cordwood once wrote: âMy opinion is something that is true for me personally. My conviction, however, is something that is true for everyone - in my opinion.â Many religious people view their beliefs as âconvictionsâ rather than âopinions,â and fail to understand the connections. Such is the case with the writer of the letter âResponse to the lost in translation problem.â If an belief canât be scientifically and definitively proven to be true, one has an opinion, not a fact. Many who have convictions about their beliefs, will almost always assume their convictions are FACT, when they are merely opinions.