yes, defending an idea in a debate has nothing to do with belief
Discussion
A belief that can't be defended, seems like a pretty empty concept to me.
maybe, or maybe someone else who believes the same thing is just a more skilled debater and would be better at that task of filling in the concept for you
I don't think being able to defend a belief has anything to do with being a skilled debater. Because the point is not about being able to win debates. It's about being able to defend your beliefs, by showing that they have consideration, and some rational foundation. It's not even about convincing people. It's about convincing yourself. But more importantly, being brave enough to consider you might be wrong.
To double down on this: I would probably consider a lot of "skilled debaters", con artists and bullshit artists. People who can win debates through pure emotional appeal and fallacies that average people fall for. I wouldn't consider such a skilled debater to be having an open and honest debate. So this is really not my point.