unbelief - n : a rejection of belief [syn: disbelief] [ant: belief]

"Newton's Third Law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." - Sir Isaac Newton

Unbelief is an equal and opposite reaction to the action of belief.

If someone is a believer, they must believe in unbelief or else thier belief is not valid.

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As long as people continue to believe, unbelief will continue to exist. Once belief ceases to exist then all unbelief too will disappear and then we will all just 'be'.

Be - To exist in actuality; have life or reality: I think, therefore I am.

Once you acknowledge reality then you will accept every human being.

be·ing - n. The state or quality of having existence.

human being - n. A human.

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As anyone can see un-belief is the more difficult path since it is far easier to just believe.

[edit on 18-7-2006 by In nothing we trust]

actually if people stopped believeing they would be unbelieving and therefore the opposite of that would be belief. so you are right back where you started.

and to say we need to just simply BE doesnt really negate the two and create truth either. i mean when people think, they accept certain things as norms or reality, and they reject certian things. that is a component of thinking. otherwise, you simply have human beings alive and breathing but remaining static.

its like if a human being was to create a car, he either believes the car needs and engine to run, or he doesnt. belief is inherient in congnetive creatures, especially when you have the interplay between the concious and sub-concious mind.

as far as unbelief being the harder way to go, it may be for you, but not so for all. and by saying that you in fact proved my point because you stated that you BELIEVE that unbelief is the harder path. see you cant get around it. things either are something, or they arent.

so to go back to my first point about concerning your theory that unbelief cancels out belief, the only true way to cancel them both a human being would have to cease to exist. because the overall component of belief and unbelief is that fact that human beings are alive, and it is their very nature to ask questions and conclude with certian answers, just as you have with your post. so the equal and opposite reaction for human being to lose who they are, would be death. athough, some would argue that if you add in the idea of an afterlife, even death may not be able to snatch away who we are.

good topic though

Kind Regards,
Digitalgrl

[edit on 10/01/2004 by DigitalGrl]

[edit on 10/01/2004 by DigitalGrl]

I agree with you "In Nothing We Trust." The ego holds us down by creating things we associate our sense of Self with. So yes to believe in one thing as opposed to another would not be the act of "Being," but more along the lines of sleepwalking. However, the ego is so deeply entrenched in most people that they are not willing to give up their view of reality for something completely unimaginable. You cannot pretend to "Be" you either are or you aren't. "To be or not to be, that is the question" from Shakespeare seems to be along the lines of what you're talking about.

I was actually thinking about this today, Being. I had a Sobe bottle and I took the name and made a little anagram with it (or whatever you want to call it) "SOBEIT." The company happens to be So Be, so be what? Anything you want. Be what your essence leads to towards...Just exist!

Biggie have you listened or read of any Krishnamurti's philosophies?
I find his teachings to be quite interesting on the topic of the ego.

Originally posted by biggie smalls
The ego holds us down by creating things we associate our sense of Self with.

You cannot pretend to "Be" you either are or you aren't. "To be or not to be, that is the question" from Shakespeare seems to be along the lines of what you're talking about.

Humility is really just such a state as we are talking about here. When one is trully humble the ego ceases to exist. I believe that hinduism and buddhism also acknowledge the truth of the matter.


[edit on 29-7-2006 by In nothing we trust]

I'm sorry, I'm not following...

Are you saying that Buddhism is superior to other religions because it's tougher to lose all mental form of self and other?

Or are you saying that people should strive to accept reality as it is without need for a greater spiritual being?


On both of these counts I would disagree, but since I am not sure of the question, I cannot attempt to take the path to formulate an answer.

Interesting thread. The way I see it, you could break it down 3 ways.

1. Belief -- I accept something to be true for my existence based on my understanding of the facts.
(The sun will rise tomorrow because I can't imagine anything that would stop it).

2. Disbelief -- I reject something because the facts don't support its existence.
(Reincarnation is probably false because no evidence has been presented which proves otherwise).

3. Unbelief -- I could care less about something because it doesn't matter to my existence.
(The "greys" may or may not live on Zeta Reticuli, but I really could care less because I'll never meet them.)

According to this interpretation, unbelief is not the opposite of belief. Instead, it's sort of like a null value to a yes or no question. Do you believe in Big Foot? Yes, no, or "I don't care"?

Also, keep in mind that for much of what we believe, we believe in it because we are taught to do so. Choosing to question a commonly held belief can be difficult. Established doctrine is usually established for a reason. That's what sets our species apart from others: we learn from past and current experience and pass those lessons down to the next generation. After all, the universe is a big place and it takes more than a few decades to learn all it's secrets.

At the end of the day, the only thing that really matters is whether or not your personal belief system brings you comfort. The only person that can answer that question is you.

What do I believe? I believe I'll have another beer!

Originally posted by In nothing we trust
unbelief - n : a rejection of belief [syn: disbelief] [ant: belief]

"Newton's Third Law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." - Sir Isaac Newton

Unbelief is an equal and opposite reaction to the action of belief.

If someone is a believer, they must believe in unbelief or else thier belief is not valid.

---

As long as people continue to believe, unbelief will continue to exist. Once belief ceases to exist then all unbelief too will disappear and then we will all just 'be'.

Be - To exist in actuality; have life or reality: I think, therefore I am.

Once you acknowledge reality then you will accept every human being.

be·ing - n. The state or quality of having existence.

human being - n. A human.

---

As anyone can see un-belief is the more difficult path since it is far easier to just believe.

[edit on 18-7-2006 by In nothing we trust]

I'm inclined to agree with you but I doubt I would have come to that conclusion without believing in something for a long time.