Is belief that a god exists a choice?

[dysert]

The same reason there should be physical evidence of fairies, pixies, and other imaginary creatures before their existence is believed.

K

Well, that answers that

 

[dysert]

Belief is a choice. Belief is a composite of all life experiences. Factors that go into what we believe include things like: experience, logic, feelings, hopes, et al. Lots of people get hung up on evidence, but evidence can be faulty, lacking, and be misinterpreted. And who's to say that evidence should trump all else anyway?

I distinctly remember, though it was a long time ago, having to make a choice whether or not to believe in God. At that time, I chose to believe. Today, I still have a choice. I could choose to not believe in Him any longer. Seems to me that if I can choose to not believe, then I can also choose to believe.

As a couple of examples: I choose not to believe that extraterrestrial life exists. Now if ET confronted me, I'd probably change my mind. I also choose to believe that people cannot perform actual magic. Even though there may be evidence that they can, I still don't believe it.

All choices are based on a multitude of criteria (some maybe even subconscious) and how each criterion is weighed in relation to the others.

 

[talquin]

Yes, it is a choice; one who encounters Christianity has to make a decision within a limited span of time with partial evidence.

Some people see the glass half full, while others see it as empty. It all depends on the epistemological expectations we individually bring to the table.

Peace

If it is a choice, then let's say I claim that I own an interstellar time traveling spacecraft and that I've traveled to the Jurassic era and picked up a pet velociraptor. Could you choose to believe that?

 

[talquin]

But.............Santa is real; he's in Heaven.

How do you know that?

 

[talquin]

We are faced with choices daily. Get up, stay in bed. Go to work, call in sick. Eat breakfast, do without. Believe in God/a God, Don't believe in God/a God. Choice is there, it's up to us to decide.

Could you choose to believe that 5 million orange unicorns roam the plains of western Kansas?

 

[Non sequitur]

Belief is a choice. Belief is a composite of all life experiences. Factors that go into what we believe include things like: experience, logic, feelings, hopes, et al. Lots of people get hung up on evidence, but evidence can be faulty, lacking, and be misinterpreted. And who's to say that evidence should trump all else anyway?

I distinctly remember, though it was a long time ago, having to make a choice whether or not to believe in God. At that time, I chose to believe. Today, I still have a choice. I could choose to not believe in Him any longer. Seems to me that if I can choose to not believe, then I can also choose to believe.

As a couple of examples: I choose not to believe that extraterrestrial life exists. Now if ET confronted me, I'd probably change my mind. I also choose to believe that people cannot perform actual magic. Even though there may be evidence that they can, I still don't believe it.

All choices are based on a multitude of criteria (some maybe even subconscious) and how each criterion is weighed in relation to the others.

When you conclude or realize that you are reading these words, given all the data and your present state of knowledge, are you choosing to believe that you are reading these words or do you simply believe that you are reading these words?

 

[Ken-1122]

As a couple of examples: I choose not to believe that extraterrestrial life exists. .

Could you choose to believe extraterrestrial life exist if you wanted to? If so, how long would it take for you to believe this?

Ken

 

[dysert]

When you conclude or realize that you are reading these words, given all the data and your present state of knowledge, are you choosing to believe that you are reading these words or do you simply believe that you are reading these words?

It's a choice. There are plenty of words that I choose not to believe, and there are words that I choose to believe. Much of the time, it's a conscious choice.

 

[dysert]

Could you choose to believe extraterrestrial life exist if you wanted to? If so, how long would it take for you to believe this?

Ken

I believe I could. It may take several weeks or months, though.

 

[Archaeopteryx]

I believe I could. It may take several weeks or months, though.

So the only reason you don't believe in the various gods of other religions is because you have not deliberately chosen to?

 

[Ana the Ist]

I would generally say "no" belief is not a choice. I do realize that this is, in part, a result of the way that I think...and since I only have experience of the way that I think, I suppose that others whose minds operate much differently from mine can indeed choose to believe.

For example, all other reasons for my disbelief aside...I wouldn't even know where to begin in trying to believe. To even begin, I would have to decide on a clear and understandable concept of god...that's something I've never heard from anyone let alone come up with by myself. To me it's rather obvious, how could I even begin to believe in god if I don't understand what god is and no one is capable of explaining that to me? The answer is....I cannot. It's not something I've chosen, it's a result of how my thought process works.

Yet, quite obviously, there are many many people out there who believe in some nebulous concept of god that if I asked them to explain to me in an understandable way...they would reply along the lines of "god is just too complex for mankind to ever really understand". They're fully aware (or in denial) of the fact that they don't really understand what this concept of god is....and yet they believe wholeheartedly (or they pretend to) that god isn't just a concept, but am actual living thing of which they can only describe a few properties of (some of which they also do not understand) and it's never an issue for them. The way that they think is so far apart from the way I think, that they need not understand something to believe it entirely.

So the answer, I think, depends entirely upon the person answering and how they think. Some can choose to believe, in spite of or even perhaps because of understanding. Others cannot believe...not until they understand, which isn't a choice at all.

 

[dysert]

So the only reason you don't believe in the various gods of other religions is because you have not deliberately chosen to?

That's probably mostly true.

 

[Archaeopteryx]

That's probably mostly true.

I'm honestly quite bewildered by that because, to me, it doesn't seem consistent with the scriptures. I don't get the sense that, on the road to Damascus, Paul suddenly chose to become to a Christian, and that his conversion then followed naturally. Quite the opposite. Paul had an experience that convinced him of the truth of Christianity, and that spurred his conversion. I suppose it might work the other way for some people, but it seems strange to assert that people choosing their religious beliefs is the norm, as though religious belief were as trivial as choosing what pair of socks to wear in the morning.

 

[dysert]

I'm honestly quite bewildered by that because, to me, it doesn't seem consistent with the scriptures. I don't get the sense that, on the road to Damascus, Paul suddenly chose to become to a Christian, and that his conversion then followed naturally. Quite the opposite. Paul had an experience that convinced him of the truth of Christianity, and that spurred his conversion. I suppose it might work the other way for some people, but it seems strange to assert that people choosing their religious beliefs is the norm, as though religious belief were as trivial as choosing what pair of socks to wear in the morning.

I wonder why you're bewildered. Saul/Paul's experience on the Damascus Road was a very powerful experience designed to convince him of Jesus' resurrection (among other things). Paul was evidently ripe to be convinced by an experience.

I'm not so experienced based, so God would likely use a different mechanism to convert me -- or I would have to alter my outlook in order to see Him via a different route. God is personal, i.e., He comes to us individually in different ways. A problem can occur when we think we're highly driven one way (e.g., by evidence), but God is coming to us in a different way. We can totally miss Him because we don't consider anything outside our own box.

 

[Eudaimonist]

One can certainly choose to trust an idea which is not logic. Why not?
If you need a translation so you can understand, then here it is:
One can certainly choose to trust an idea which is not proven.
Such as: a light saber.

Light sabers are fiction. What trust do you think I have?

Perhaps light sabers could be created one day, but I would need evidence to believe that one had actually been created. This is not something that I would "trust" arbitrarily as a matter of pure choice, as if I could flip a coin to determine if I was going to believe in their existence or not.

You didn't answer my question. Can you choose not to believe that 2+2=4? Or that you can have your cake and eat it too? And I mean choose to the point where it is a gut-level truth, and you could pass a lie detector test with ease.

I don't have that ability. I would know that I was trying to deceive myself. It wouldn't be a genuine belief. It would only be a game I was playing with myself.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[juvenissun]

Light sabers are fiction. What trust do you think I have?

Perhaps light sabers could be created one day, but I would need evidence to believe that one had actually been created. This is not something that I would "trust" arbitrarily as a matter of pure choice, as if I could flip a coin to determine if I was going to believe in their existence or not.

You didn't answer my question. Can you choose not to believe that 2+2=4? Or that you can have your cake and eat it too? And I mean choose to the point where it is a gut-level truth, and you could pass a lie detector test with ease.

I don't have that ability. I would know that I was trying to deceive myself. It wouldn't be a genuine belief. It would only be a game I was playing with myself.


eudaimonia,

Mark

I choose to take it as true for practical purpose. In some special cases (curious?), I am not sure (to be determined). That would be a choice too.

But I can also choose to think the light saber could be true.

They are all choices. Everything is a choice, logic or not.

 

[juvenissun]

For example, all other reasons for my disbelief aside...I wouldn't even know where to begin in trying to believe.

Thousands of Christians tell you: Believe. Read the Bible.
That is how could you begin.

You CHOOSE not to begin.

 

[dysert]

For example, all other reasons for my disbelief aside...I wouldn't even know where to begin in trying to believe.

One place to begin is to try assessing the probability that the prophecies about Jesus could have all come true by chance. There are several OT prophecies - very specific - that relate to Jesus. Either someone knew in advance what would happen, or someone was able to *make* it all happen. Either way, there's some fodder for belief in something supernatural.

To even begin, I would have to decide on a clear and understandable concept of god...

I don't think you would. As you read the Bible, God reveals Himself to you. You don't have to figure Him out first.

 

[Archaeopteryx]

I wonder why you're bewildered. Saul/Paul's experience on the Damascus Road was a very powerful experience designed to convince him of Jesus' resurrection (among other things). Paul was evidently ripe to be convinced by an experience.

I'm not so experienced based, so God would likely use a different mechanism to convert me -- or I would have to alter my outlook in order to see Him via a different route. God is personal, i.e., He comes to us individually in different ways. A problem can occur when we think we're highly driven one way (e.g., by evidence), but God is coming to us in a different way. We can totally miss Him because we don't consider anything outside our own box.

Why is that a problem for God? Knowing the best way in which to reach any person means that, if he so desires, he is able to form a relationship with anyone, regardless of their current disposition. He doesn't need to rely on suboptimal methods for converting people because, for each individual, he already knows the optimal way to convert them.

 

[Eudaimonist]

But I can also choose to think the light saber could be true.

They are all choices. Everything is a choice, logic or not.

Not for me. Perhaps it is for you.


eudaimonia,

Mark