The real religion?

[FatAndFaithless]

But I could come up with something that fulfills those requirements.  How is being 'properly basic' at all a guarantee that a belief has any relation to reality?  I could believe my cognitive faculties are operating properly and aimed at truth, have internal reasons for a belief, and encounter no external defeaters...and the that says absolutely nothing about how that belief maps to reality - ie, if it's true or not.

You are correct, it does not mean the belief is true, only that you are justified in believing it (rational). There could exist defeaters that you are unaware of.

If that's all that it takes to be considered 'rational' then that word loses its meaning.  if there's no way to investigate a belief with any sort of external framework for validation and comparison, it's a useless belief, and claiming that it's "rational" is equally as vapid.

If I can just whip up a belief out of my ass that fulfills the requirements for being 'properly basic,' that should say something about how useful being 'properly basic' really is.