Belief

Definition:

To believe is to accept something as accurate without evidence.

“Faith” is to accept something as accurate even when you have evidence to the contrary.

Etymology:

The word “believe” originates from the Old English verb “beléfan,” which means “to have faith or confidence in, to trust, or to consider truthful.” It is derived from the Proto-Germanic “*ga-laubjan,” which combines the prefix “*ga-” (indicating completeness or association) with “*laubjan” (to believe). This Proto-Germanic term is also related to the Old Norse “láta” and the Gothic “ga-laubjan,” both meaning “to believe.” The Proto-Germanic root can be further traced back to the Proto-Indo-European “*leubh-” or “*leub-” (to care, desire, love), indicating the emotional and cognitive aspects involved in the act of believing.

It is worth noting that the word “believe” contain the word “lie,” as believing is fantasizing. There’s a reason why fantasizing is called “make-believe.”

The word “faith” comes from the Old French word “feid,” which itself is derived from the Latin word “fides,” meaning “trust,” “belief,” or “confidence.”

It is worth noting that the word “confidence” contain the word “con,” as belief is a scam.

Description:

Religious thinking claims that it is impossible to know anything with 100% certainty. That is why it is often said by believers that we can only believe, never know. A popular saying theists use is “only God knows”. At the same time, they try to enlist you in the religion by telling you “you must find faith”. Religion requires your belief even before religion can begin to convince you of anything else.

Some believers will even go so far as to claim that you can never know if something is accurate or not because you may find yourself in a matrix where absolutely everything you believe exists does not exist, where everything has a completely different set of physical rules. The problem with this hypothesis is that this external reality will be completely irrelevant to us. We exist here and now and are forced to adhere to it.

Believing is not a method of finding out what is accurate and what is not. Believing is the wrong method. So even if you believe and guess correctly, it is still wrong to believe. Either you know, or you don’t. You’d be foolish to bet on someone coming up with the correct answer when they say they believe it’s accurate. From there comes the well-known sarcastic saying among non-believers: “believing is something one does in church,” because there’s no other place for it. Your belief is only useful to the church, as they are relying on your belief to scam you.

Many would argue that believing does not mean accepting something as accurate; “you just believe it’s true” they say. But to believe is actually to accept something as accurate, because you make decisions based on what you think is accurate, and what you think is not. In the same way that you make decisions based on whether you know something is accurate or not.

Herd Mentality:

Belief, whether religious, ideological, or social, can be considered an example of herd mentality due to several factors that drive individuals to adopt and maintain these beliefs within a group context. Herd mentality, also known as groupthink or social conformity, occurs when individuals in a group adopt certain behaviors, beliefs, or norms because they perceive them to be accepted or prevalent within the group.

People often adopt beliefs held by their social groups to gain acceptance and avoid rejection. This need for social belonging can lead individuals to conform to group norms and beliefs even if they internally question them. Friends, family, and community members can exert significant influence on an individual’s beliefs. For instance, a person might adopt the religious beliefs of their family to avoid conflict or maintain harmony. Many people adhere to the religion they were born into, influenced by family, community, and cultural expectations. Attending religious services and participating in rituals can reinforce these beliefs through collective worship. Beliefs often come from authoritative sources like religious leaders, political figures, or cultural icons. Trust in these figures can lead people to adopt their beliefs without critical examination. Many beliefs are passed down through generations. People often follow these traditions unquestioningly because they have been taught to respect and uphold their cultural heritage.

Beliefs can provide a sense of security and certainty in an unpredictable world. Adopting the same beliefs as the group can reduce fear and provide emotional comfort. Beliefs contribute to a sense of identity and community. Sharing the same beliefs as others fosters a feeling of belonging and shared purpose. Within groups, individuals’ beliefs can become more extreme over time as they are reinforced by others who share the same views. People tend to seek out and believe information that confirms their pre-existing beliefs. When these beliefs are shared by a group, the reinforcement from others can strengthen them, even if they are not based on factual evidence.

Individuals often align with the political beliefs of their social circles, influenced by media, community discussions, and social media echo chambers.

Herd mentality in belief systems can also lead to the suppression of individual critical thinking, resistance to new ideas, and the perpetuation of harmful ideologies. This can result in phenomena like mob mentality, where groupthink leads to illogical or harmful behaviors.

Symbolism:

Every symbol representing a religion can be interpreted as symbolizing belief, as it symbolizes a specific faith, such as the Star of David, the Christian cross, the Crescent moon, Om, and the Wheel of Dharma. But the main universal symbols for belief are the symbol of light and the love heart symbol. The love heart symbol originates from leaf, just as the word “belief” contains the homophone “leaf”.

In the movie “Dumbo” (2019), about the flying elephant Dumbo, he sees a feather in the air and sucks it into his trunk, causing him to sneeze. As Dumbo sneezes, he shoots up into the air and begins flying by flapping his ears. This leads Dumbo to believe that he always needs the feather to fly, which he later discovers he doesn’t. Several times throughout the movie, one-eye symbolism is shown in relation to the idea of Dumbo needing the feather to fly, as one eye symbolizes fantasizing. Click to watch the video clips.

Articles:

Religion:

Belief is the main topic of all religions. The word believer is synonymous with a religious person.

Buddhistic text promoting belief:

• “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.” – Dhammapada 223.

Hinduistic texts promoting belief:

• “To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” – Bhagavad Gita 9.22.
• “Faith is the basis of all success, and lack of faith is the basis of all failure.” – Atharva Veda 12.1.12.
• “He who has faith has all; he who lacks faith, lacks all.” – Chandogya Upanishad 7.24.1.

Buddhistic text correlating the heart with belief:

• “By faith, the wise and good become truly pure in heart.” – Dhammapada 423.

The Bible correlating the heart with belief:

• “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” – Romans 10:10 (ESV).

The Quran correlating the heart with belief:

• “The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith; and upon their Lord they rely.” – Quran 8:2
• “Those who have been given knowledge know that it is the truth from your Lord, so they believe in it, and their hearts humbly submit to it.” – Quran 22:32.

The Quran claiming that belief in God defines you as a believer:

• “Indeed, the believers are those who have believed in Allah and His Messenger and then doubt not but strive with their properties and their lives in the cause of Allah. It is those who are the truthful.” – Quran 49:15.

The Bible commanding you to not think for yourself:

• “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” – Proverbs 3:5 (ESV).

The Bible telling to believe without evidence:

• “Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'” – John 20:29 (ESV).

The Bible claiming to be written to make you believe:

• “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” – John 20:31 (ESV).

The Bible claiming God judge you based on your belief in him:

• “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 (ESV)
• “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” – Hebrews 11:6 (ESV).

The Quran claiming God judge you based on your belief in him:

• “And those who believe in Allah and His messengers – those are [in the ranks of] the supporters of truth and the martyrs, with their Lord. For them is their reward and their light. But those who have disbelieved and denied Our verses – those are the companions of Hellfire.” – Quran 57:19.
• “Indeed, those who disbelieve in Our verses – We will drive them into a Fire. Every time their skins are roasted through We will replace them with other skins so they may taste the punishment. Indeed, Allah is ever Exalted in Might and Wise.” – Quran 4:56.
• “And those who believe in Allah and His messengers and do not discriminate between any of them – to them He will give their rewards. And Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.” – Quran 4:152.
• “And those who believe and do righteous deeds – We will surely admit them among the righteous [into Paradise].” – Quran 29:9.
• “And whoever believes in Allah and does righteousness – He will remove from him his misdeeds and admit him to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great attainment.” – Quran 65:11.
• “O you who have believed, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger; He will [then] give you a double portion of His mercy and make for you a light by which you will walk and forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” – Quran 57:28.
• “O you who have believed, believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Book that He sent down upon His Messenger and the Scripture which He sent down before. And whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day has certainly gone far astray.” – Quran 4:136.

The Bible claiming that the impossible becomes possible with belief:

• “Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.” – Mark 11:23 (ESV).
• “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?'” – John 11:25-26 (ESV).
• “And Jesus said to him, ‘If you can! All things are possible for one who believes.'” – Mark 9:23 (ESV).
• “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” – Matthew 21:22 (ESV).

The Bible instructing believers to kill believers of other Gods:

• “If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and worship other gods’ (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people.” – Deuteronomy 13:6-10 (NIV).

The Quran instructing believers to fight and kill disbelievers:

• “They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among them allies until they emigrate for the cause of Allah. But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper.” – Quran 4:89.
• “And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” – Quran 9:5.
• “Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth from those who were given the Scripture – [fight] until they give the jizyah willingly while they are humbled.” – Quran 9:29.
• “Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed. Allah does not like transgressors. And kill them wherever you overtake them and expel them from wherever they have expelled you, and fitnah is worse than killing. And do not fight them at al-Masjid al- Haram until they fight you there. But if they fight you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers.” – Quran 2:190-191.
• “O Prophet, fight against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh upon them. And their refuge is Hell, and wretched is the destination.” – Quran 9:73.
• “O you who have believed, fight those adjacent to you of the disbelievers and let them find in you harshness. And know that Allah is with the righteous.” – Quran 9:123.
• “So when you meet those who disbelieve [in battle], strike [their] necks until, when you have inflicted slaughter upon them, then secure their bonds, and either [confer] favor afterwards or ransom [them] until the war lays down its burdens. That [is the command]. And if Allah had willed, He could have taken vengeance upon them [Himself], but [He ordered armed struggle] to test some of you by means of others. And those who are killed in the cause of Allah – never will He waste their deeds.” – Quran 47:4.

Hadith instructing believers to kill apostates:

• “Whoever changes his religion, kill him”. – Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 84, Hadith 57.
• “If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him.” – Sahih Muslim, Book 16, Hadith 4152.
• “The blood of a Muslim who confesses that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in three cases: In Qisas for murder, a married person who commits illegal sexual intercourse and the one who reverts from Islam (apostate) and leaves the Muslims.” – Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 87, Hadith 17.