Can you control what you believe?

[elman]

So you can sit at your desk and thru the power of thought you can change your current belief that the earth is not flat? Or that the sun i hot? Or that the ocean is filled with fish?


If you can.... what power!

Quote
Originally Posted by: elman




We can control what we believe. We can control if we will be loving or unloving.


Sorry I left out the not. I meant to say we cannot control what we believe but we can control our actions as to their being loving or not loving and we know and do not have to believe that being loving is good and being unloving is bad.

 

[TeddyKGB]

No you don't chose what you want, but you do chose what you want to read.

So I want to read something then I choose to read it? Does that mean I can choose to read something I don't want to read?

You did not read what I said.

I guess I chose not to.

 

[Zakath]

If one could not choose what they believe, then what is the purpose of evangelical preaching?

 

[elman]

So I want to read something then I choose to read it? Does that mean I can choose to read something I don't want to read?

I guess I chose not to.

See, you do have a choice.

 

[elman]

If one could not choose what they believe, then what is the purpose of evangelical preaching?

True Christianity is about being loving. You can chose to be loving or you can chose to be unloving.

 

[Zakath]

True Christianity is about being loving. You can chose to be loving or you can chose to be unloving.

Certainly. Otherwise "free will" and "salvation" are both illusions...

 

[TeddyKGB]

See, you do have a choice.

No, don't do that. Don't act like my lame joke is more important than the substance of my post. Please?

 

[elman]

No, don't do that. Don't act like my lame joke is more important than the substance of my post. Please?

Sorry, but I think it is.

 

[TeddyKGB]

Sorry, but I think it is.

That's really weak.

It was a joke.

 

[elman]

That's really weak.

It was a joke.

Maybe to you but to me it is so not a issue that we can chose what we read and what we do not read, that it is very similar to decided to post or not.

 

[TeddyKGB]

Maybe to you but to me it is so not a issue that we can chose what we read and what we do not read, that it is very similar to decided to post or not.

Nevertheless, my original dilemma still stands: Do I choose to read what I want to read, or do I choose to want to read what I then choose to read?

 

[elman]

Nevertheless, my original dilemma still stands: Do I choose to read what I want to read, or do I choose to want to read what I then choose to read?

Can you chose to do what you do not want to do? I think you can.

 

[TeddyKGB]

Can you chose to do what you do not want to do? I think you can.

Why would I do that? Can't be because I want to, can it?

 

[xAtheistx]

You're referring to philosophical hedonism.

(States that any decision you make is due to the pursuit of pleasure.)

I didn't buy it at first, but I had a discussion with my friend, and we concluded that if you're making a decision, you're doing it for the pursuit of pleasure, or minimum displeasure. Thus is philosophical hedonism.

What if you don't care? Perhaps it's beneficial you "not care." If you truly don't care, it's your pursuit of minimum displeasure of not having to make a decision between something so trivial that you don't care.

The scary thing is it actually is true.

 

[Merlin]

Yeah, it's called "two apples and two apples are four apples, not seven."

Is it the one where I convince myself that 2 = 3.5?

Would you want that?

 

[TeddyKGB]

Would you want that?

I... don't.

Did you follow the discussion?

 

[garleigh]

It is my honest opinion that you can choose what you believe. If you couldn't choose of your own free will, we might very possibly all be the same religion. God can control anything he wants to, but I believe that he allowed us to have some free will to choose to believe or not believe.

 

[elman]

Why would I do that? Can't be because I want to, can it?

It might be due to someone else wanting you to do that. Why would you do what someone else wanted but what you did not want? Perhaps you love them enough to put their want ahead of yours. Perhaps you have more than one want and you make choices between them.

 

[elman]

You're referring to philosophical hedonism.

(States that any decision you make is due to the pursuit of pleasure.)

I didn't buy it at first, but I had a discussion with my friend, and we concluded that if you're making a decision, you're doing it for the pursuit of pleasure, or minimum displeasure. Thus is philosophical hedonism.

What if you don't care? Perhaps it's beneficial you "not care." If you truly don't care, it's your pursuit of minimum displeasure of not having to make a decision between something so trivial that you don't care.

The scary thing is it actually is true.

Not too scary because we make choices all the time that is not going to produce the most pleasure for us and we know it.

 

[TeddyKGB]

It might be due to someone else wanting you to do that. Why would you do what someone else wanted but what you did not want? Perhaps you love them enough to put their want ahead of yours.

In other words, I want to do for them more than I want to do for me.

Perhaps you have more than one want and you make choices between them.

And I choose the one I want more?