Even your asking of other people doesn't count as evidence. Why? Because it is anecdotal. Anecdotal testimony makes for poor evidence, which is largely why the sciences do not rest upon it nor the courts, should they have physical evidence (such as incontrivertible DNA). {ABE}Further, people may not think they can actively choose to believe, when in fact that might be possible. This is partly why personal testimony is unreliable.{/ABE}
Beliefs do not have to change instantly. You are right in the sense that there is that one moment where you go from "I don't believe" to "I believe" (or vice versa), but that process can be a long path, including "I might (not) believe". That you fail to see this is no surprise, given your response to jar.
If you don't understand my point, it's maybe because you don't understand your own argument. You argue that is it impossible to choose to believe (or not, the corollary I outlined). The groups I mentioned are people who have chosen to believe or not. Better yet, it's not exactly anecdotal evidence, because these people exist and we can track their change (or refusal). {ABE}Also, because we don't have to rely on what the people say about themselves, but rather, we can rely on positions they state and we can see the change and we can see the evidence of their choosing to change (such as C.S. Lewis choosing to become a christian, when he was an atheist), they become actual evidence.{/ABE}
Having been here for 3 years, I would imagine you know what a "creo" is.
You also do not understand what a scientific study is, if you think that your request on my belief about leprechauns and my response (should I give one) constitutes a psychiatric study. {ABE}My response would be an anecdotal response.{/ABE}
Edited by kuresu, : No reason given.