Here are some quotes from a position (and plea) presented presented by Dr. Helen Quinn that summarize my thoughts on faith, belief and knowledge (science).

"When a person hears 'scientists believe,' he or she may hear it as a statement of faith or a suggestion of uncertainty. Neither is what we intend.
 
"What do we mean by 'scientists believe that . . .'? Typically it is something like 'Most scientists agree that the preponderance of the evidence favors the interpretation that . . ., and furthermore, there is no evidence that directly contradicts that interpretation.' Clumsy language perhaps, but it would behoove us to say something like it more often. If we need a shorthand version, we can replace it by 'Scientific evidence supports the conclusion that . . ..' Sometimes we should just say 'We know that . . ..' In other words, we need to articulate more precisely the state of our knowledge—its authority or uncertainty. ...
 
"We could, and I think should, excise the word "believe" from our vocabulary when talking about science."

 -- Helen Quinn: a theoretical particle physicist at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and a former president of the American Physical Society

Original article here.