| Is belief a choice?
Posted: 9/15/2009 3:15:23 PM | See ... there ya go ....
Bresker
You would love to believe but you don't, you can't, so where is the choice in that? | |
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| Is belief a choice?
Posted: 9/15/2009 3:24:09 PM | If someone wrote a very believable book about the moon being made of cheese, and millions of other people believed in it, it would be easier for me. I've tried persuading others to join me but they know my heart isn't in it. And I'm not much good at writing books.
Interestingly, one of the few people who really believes that the moon is made of cheese is Mr. Buzz Aldrin. Make of that what you will. | |
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| Is belief a choice?
Posted: 9/15/2009 3:37:22 PM | I know this is such a bad thought I am going to express here OP but I can't help but wonder if you are attempting to either recruit us into some kind of cult or convert us?
I'm having terrible flashbacks due to the way this thread is going to deep 'philosophical' conversations with born again Christians - the worst couple of hours I've ever spent and the most wasteful too - full of never ending questions and if answered honestly would lead to exclamations of statements like " see..I knew deep down you are a believer" followed up by invitations to attend one of their services and telling you that Jesus loves you. | |
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| Is belief a choice?
Posted: 9/15/2009 3:44:16 PM | Ok this thread isnt about if religion or spirituality is right or wrong .. it's about if it's choice that makes someone believe or not, so using the moon analogy works just as well for me, is someone 'choosing' to not believe or are they falling back on what they've been taught at school that as a planet the moon has to be made of rock and dust etc, or is it that the connection just isn't there? If it's because they're falling back on what they've been taught then that's not a choice is it?
EDIT: Sheesh no I have no inclination to recruit anyone, sorry if it came across that way, I'm trying to keep the belief out of this ... it's a question of choice versus what? It's the what I was interested in. I have no need to convert anyone, each to his own, have I stated anywhere on this thread what my personal faith is? I do hope not. | |
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| Is belief a choice?
Posted: 9/15/2009 4:12:32 PM |
Here is a good documentary about how ridiculous faith is.
Faith is only ridiculous to those that have none. | |
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| Is belief a choice?
Posted: 9/15/2009 4:27:56 PM |
Ok this thread isnt about if religion or spirituality is right or wrong .. it's about if it's choice that makes someone believe or not, so using the moon analogy works just as well for me, is someone 'choosing' to not believe or are they falling back on what they've been taught at school that as a planet the moon has to be made of rock and dust etc, or is it that the connection just isn't there? If it's because they're falling back on what they've been taught then that's not a choice is it?
I think that as children we are possibly brain-washed into making connections with certain beliefs. As an adult we have the capacity to choose what we believe and what is heartfelt. For some reason, this is now making me think about about Derren Brown's prediction of the lottery numbers last week when he demonstrated his unique powers of psychological illusion and mis-direction and is an example of how a collective power of believing brings hope but at the same time destroys it. | |
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| Is belief a choice?
Posted: 9/15/2009 4:51:07 PM | I think that children are most possibly the closest thing we as humans will ever get to the wonderment of the magic of this world, if not children ..the intense creative works of great minds, if not that ..the sheer beauty of life...strength in adversity etc. Honestly, for me Nature is an incredible power, a force to be reckoned with - but I'm grounded and am only thinking in terms of earthly things...
I don't think even the most stringent follower of Dawkins could deny the beauty and magic of Nature and mother earth ..and I don't think that children who thrive on routine, become bored by the mention of God..that's such a nutty statement..
Children are our reminder that life is full of wonderment if you let yourself see that without any kind of prejudice ...i.e. through the eyes of a child...children ought to be revered for their take on life.
I have wonderful memories as a child of just simply feeling at one with the world and loving everything about it - I admit it freaked me out big time that I was led to believe that god was watching my every move but I loved all of my life as a child and I strived to be spiritual, the one way I knew how to do that was to attend daily mass and do the rosary every evening and still to this day I believe in prayer and trying to have pure thoughts about people, accepting them for who they are and their place in the world and the positives they bring to me as a person...teaching me what I need to understand so I can evolve as a person and be a better person.
But I won't become a member of any church or cult or society to add weight to my own personal thoughts...or find my equals in life - I'm going to be childlike forever in my spiritual beliefs, believe in the greater good and let other people do what they feel they need to. | |
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| Is belief a choice?
Posted: 9/16/2009 5:09:23 AM | | That's a lovely way of putting it Silverfix. My personal beliefs have been borne out of experiences and I've never found any one organised religion that I wanted to conform to, but my beliefs have been the same since childhood and what I've evolved with along the way have been things that have struck a chord in my heart, so for me choice is a conscious decision and not how I work when it comes to my beliefs. Hence the OP. | |
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| Is belief a choice?
Posted: 9/16/2009 10:38:26 AM | What about Santa?
Most children believe in Santa Claus because adults tell them its true. Most of these children will get very upset when told that Santa is not real. However, if these children were to grow up never being told that Santa was not real ,I think that the vast, vast majority would realise that it is a made up story.
But yet religous adults force feed our children this noncence that a god can listen to every single persons thoughts all at the same time in a continious 24/7 loop.
What utter****and bull.
Christians especially Catholics rely on faith, go to church every Sunday attend midweek bible classes and things like Catokism, think it wrong to hang with unbelievers. Why? Simple , if you hang with believers- that boost your believe, it is easier to have faith and less likely that you realise you have had the wool pulled over your eyes.
Virgin birth -I mean come on.
World is only 5000yrs old -woooo haha.
WAKE UP
Drink some Jack Daniels buddy. | |
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