What is disbelief?
Disbelief is a state of mind of an individual who finds it difficult or almost impossible to accept the reality of a situation that is incredible but nevertheless real.
For example, an individual has just won a lottery with the payoff of millions of dollars. The disbelief is that it is just too good to be true!
For example, an individual is standing in front of the scattered belongings in front of his or her house destroyed in a tornedo. The disbelief is that it could have happened only to others but not to him or to her!
For example, it was disbelief that during the Roman Empire, spectators in the amphitheater could “enjoy” watching gladiators fighting and killing each other. Then, on January 1, 404 A.D., a monk named Almachus jumped into the arena attempting to stop the senseless killing. It was disbelief that the monk was stoned to death by the spectators. But it was also disbelief that the monk’s sacrificial death finally inspired the Emperor to bring an end to the senseless gladiator fights in the Roman Empire.
For example, Jeffrey Dahmer, a serial killer who had killed more than 17 young men in more than a decade, was convicted in 1992 and sentenced to life imprisonment. In prison, Jeffren began studying the Bible with a church minister, and was then subsequently baptized in prison. Jeffrey’s conversion was disbelief to the public. Another disbelief was that some Christians even told reporters: “I don’t want to see Jesus in heaven if I find Jeffrey with Him.” In prison, Jeffrey was harassed and life-threated by his inmates. It was disbelief that Jeffrey did not want any isolation or even protection; as a matter of fact, he was looking forward to his anticipated judgment from God. In 1994, Jeffrey Dahmer was beaten to death by two prison inmates while cleaning the bathroom. His own anticipated death was disbelief to many.
Indeed, we are living in a world of disbelief in what humans desire to do and what God allows them to do.
What is unbelief?
Unbelief is not believing something, and this generally refers to not believing in faith or God.
Unbelief is common. Why? It is because, to many, God does not exist. Even if He does, His existence is no more than the existence of the sun, the earth, or the moon. God’s existence does not change their lives.
Unbelief also comes from one top theological question: “Who created God?” The answer is simply: God is a Creator who gets anything from nothing. God is a timeless uncreated Creator with eternal existence and no origin. Unfortunately, this simple answer may remain inexplicable and incomprehensible to many, and thus sustaining their unbelief.
Unbelief may be present in those who do not want to seek the ultimate truth about anything, especially the presence of God. To them “seeing is believing” and so they just bury their heads in the sand, thinking that God is “not here for me to see”; so, “Why should I believe?”
Unbelief is the mindset of those who focus on the now. Accordingly, “life after death” or “eternal salvation” is irrelevant to the thinking mind of living in the present moment.
Unbelief is natural to those who are currently struggling to survive or to make a living in the material world. The self-focus paves the pathway to unbelief.
Unbelief is the rational thinking of those who observe the lies and evildoings in the world, including those done by pastors, priests, and religious people. Injustice justifies their rational thinking of unbelief.
Unbelief is the self-defensiveness of those who believe that they have done no evils throughout their lives. Their self-denial and self-justification often nourish their own unbelief.
Unbelief is, ironically, the result of having too many religions in the world that makes some people reject God altogether.
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