What's bothering me today? - Religious Deconstructionism

Okay.  Let me start by saying that I value harmony as much as anyone... really, I do, even to the point of indolence, and that probably is not a good thing.

And I get that a lot of horrible acts have been committed in the name of religion.

And, yes, I understand that the human mind can, of its own accord, only deduce and infer so much about the infinity that is the reality.

However...

When one asks another person whether or not they believe their religion, doesn't one expect to receive a yes-or-no answer?  I wouldn't blur the lines between social commentary and literal fact by rhetorically asking whether or not anyone really believes their religion.

And yet when I asked a Pastafarian whether her "beliefs" constitute an actual creed or if they are simply commentary on the nature of religion, I was treated to this confounding question that provided no answer and was clearly intended to make me question the dictionary definition of the word "belief."

The question of whether or not you believe something is not subjective.  "I believe..." is a factual statement.  Whether or not your beliefs are true depends on reality itself, but if you are "religious," and believe that religion is all imagined, then don't lie to yourself.  You're either an atheist or an agnostic, and you're hiding behind your "religion" to induce the illusion of belonging.

If you say you believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and you're just pretending you believe in it, then aren't you just engaging in satire (albeit a highly dedicated roleplaying version of that satire).

I believe that gravity is a force that draws matter together.  The more mass an object has, the stronger its gravity.  This is the current scientific fact, and until a better one comes along (unlikely, given the evidence in its favor) I will not deny that it exists.

I believe just as firmly that an infinite deity of infinite power and wisdom devised matter to work in the way that it does, including the fact that more mass generates more gravity.

I am not content to think that this is just a fun theory that somebody made up because they were bored, or that it is only subjectively true.

If you don't believe something is objectively true, don't say you believe in it.

Don't satirize belief.  Dodging the question of your beliefs by trying to subjectify the definition of "belief" just isn't honest, and it isn't right.