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Quote by: tman_ndsu08 Those are 2 separate beliefs. |
Those are two different statements. A statement is not a belief. I can state all sorts of things that I neither understand nor believe.
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Your belief is either that you're not going to have a belief that there is a god or your belief is that there is not a god.
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You are using an overly broad meaning for the term belief.
Here is what Webster's says about the word:
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Quote by: Webster's Main Entry: be•lief
Pronunciation: b&-'lEf
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English beleave, probably alteration of Old English gelEafa, from ge-, associative prefix + lEafa; akin to Old English lyfan
1 : a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing
2 : something believed; especially : a tenet or body of tenets held by a group
3 : conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or phenomenon especially when based on examination of evidence
synonyms BELIEF, FAITH, CREDENCE, CREDIT mean assent to the truth of something offered for acceptance. BELIEF may or may not imply certitude in the believer <my belief that I had caught all the errors>. FAITH almost always implies certitude even where there is no evidence or proof <an unshakable faith in God>. CREDENCE suggests intellectual assent without implying anything about grounds for assent <a theory now given credence by scientists>. CREDIT may imply assent on grounds other than direct proof <gave full credit to the statement of a reputable witness>. synonym see in addition OPINION |
Most people mean 1) when they use the term. That is of course why it is the number one definition. Then 2) is the next most popular. It would appear that you are using some form of 3) in the sense that if I state it then I believe it. That is of course unless I am lying to you, or I am an actor or I am reading a script. So you do not actually know if I do believe what I am saying unless you know that I am lying, acting or just reading. However, exactly how would you know if I am lying, acting, reading or not? Your form of belief requires more belief on your part than it does on my part.
Starboy