Belief a CHOICE?

Since a number of people on these boards seem to imply that they can consciously CHOOSE to believe things, I wonder if someone who thinks that way could explain how you do it. What do you do at the last moment to make your lack of belief in something instantly change to belief?

Thats a good question.My personal guess is that you(i) arrive at the belief you want to have by first rationally thinking about it, assessing new evidence as you experience it etc,
(ii) then make a conscious decision to live your life as if you already imagined that belief to be true, and then,
(iii) over time, come to forget that you ever made that decision to begin with.You're left with a belief you never question.PE[This message has been edited by Primordial Egg, 04-08-2004]

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"Probably the toughest time in anyone's life is when you have to murder a loved one because they're the devil." - Emo Philips

I think it is called denial.

Primordial Egg,re: ..arrive at the belief you want to have by ...assessing new evidence...If belief can be engendered by simply consciously CHOOSING to have it, why is evidence necessary?

1.61803,re: I think it is called denial.I’m afraid I don’t follow. - Could you please elaborate.

Sounds a lot like science to me...
You set up a hypothesis, conduct tests in which you assume the hypothesis to be true and if it works, you may conclude that your hypothesis is true.[This message has been edited by Sarde, 04-08-2004]

As a child we all had beliefs that we no longer have faith in. Such things as Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy are fun things to believe in as a child but when you get on in years you realize the folly in such beliefs. As you began to understand the implications of applying logic to everyday events such mythology no longer has a place in your belief system. As an aside, I am not comparing christianity to the Easter Bunny, but rather showing how a persons belief system changes.As we get even further on in years, we start to tackle the more fundamental questions. We are long past wondering where our two front teeth went and arrive at more philosophical questions such as "what is the meaning of life." Some feel that they have already reached that answer through a life long exposure to religion and spirituality. For others this is not sufficient.I think it is naive to say that peoples beliefs don't change, or that they simply have no choice in the matter. Whether we acknowledge it or not, at some point in our lives we test and question our belief systems and the results can either reaffirm or realign what we believe in. My personal opinion is that a personal belief system should always be challenge through self examination, study, or even through religious practice and rites. Regardless of one's belief, I think the best approach is through endless exploration, challenge, and discovery. Beliefs should never be set in concrete.

I could not agree more with you Loudmouth. So you mean closing my eyes and screaming "say it is'nt so!!" wont work?

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So you mean closing my eyes and screaming "say it is'nt so!!" wont work?

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Only when doing your taxes.