Is belief a choice?

[idav]

But why must have some other piece of evidence done so? There isn't anything that suggests my beliefs described above are based anything observable.

There is nothing that indicates one belief is correct while the other is not; there are so many different interpretations of the Bible that there is no objective way to say what makes sense and what doesn't.

And, even if some piece of subjective evidence that I had collected at some point did influence that, it still doesn't suggest there was ever a choice that could be made. I honestly think that some of us are set up to believe, while others are not. I don't think it's conscious decision we make.

Lets take original sin as an example. Your familiar enough with the adam and eve story I'm sure. Whether you believe Adams sin is on your shoulders at birth is a very simple question but you don't have a reason for believing one way or the other even based on what you think gods attributes are or certain bible verse or anything? You just feel that it isn't true with no reasoning behind it even with most people telling you otherwise?

 

[Willamena]

Is belief a choice or is something that you don't have much control over? Now I'm not talking about freewill or anything like that. Is belief a decision you make?

"Belief" expresses a relation between someone and an object of belief. The object is usually in the form of a proposition about possibly true conditions or possible worlds. As long as there is someone in a relation to propositions in which to believe, belief is not a choice, it is an actual part of a working model of the world.

 

[Tarheeler]

Lets take original sin as an example. Your familiar enough with the adam and eve story I'm sure. Whether you believe Adams sin is on your shoulders at birth is a very simple question but you don't have a reason for believing one way or the other even based on what you think gods attributes are or certain bible verse or anything? You just feel that it isn't true with no reasoning behind it even with most people telling you otherwise?

Exactly.

I was raised Southern Baptist; original sin is a big part of the doctrine and fits in perfectly with the picture of God which was taught in the church. And, even with everyone around me believing it was so, I believed it to be wrong long before I started I started to analyze religion.

 

[Draka]

I don't think that beliefs are chosen. To me, in order for there to be a "choice" there has to be at least two equally plausible beliefs to choose from and you could choose either honestly. If your logic and reasoning abilities do not find an option as plausible, then one cannot logically bring themselves to believe it. It's like if two people are describing something to you and one says that the dog sprouted wings and flew over the 10ft fence and the other said that the dog jumped up boxes to get over the fence. If choice was involved, you could choose to believe the dog flew, but if you know it's impossible for a dog to sprout wings and fly you could not honestly believe that. I can't choose to believe something that goes against what I know and can explain. Therefore, if I'm not choosing to believe in that, then I default to what I know, or at least think I know, from my own experiences and reasoning. To what makes the most sense. If I'm choosing anything, it's to be rational.

 

[Otherright]

Is belief a choice or is something that you don't have much control over? Now I'm not talking about freewill or anything like that. Is belief a decision you make?

I think it is. I've changed my beliefs over time and did so through education and conscious effort.

 

[Splarnst]

To a certain extent, yes. It's not usually a conscious decision though.

 

[Corkscrew]

I wonder how many believers are on board because of the hell thing. It sounds pretty pathetic to me that you should have to scare people into believing. I always thought that without the threat of hell, people would start examining religion more closely and there would be a lot fewer believers once they realize how ridiculous religion is.

 

[Draka]

I wonder how many believers are on board because of the hell thing. It sounds pretty pathetic to me that you should have to scare people into believing. I always thought that without the threat of hell, people would start examining religion more closely and there would be a lot fewer believers once they realize how ridiculous religion is.

Religion isn't ridiculous. You may find certain concepts ridiculous, like Hell, but that one concept does not define religion as most religions have no such concept. In fact, since most religions have no hell concept and they seem to be going along just fine, then there really doesn't seem to be anything to your argument.

 

[Corkscrew]

No hell? What happens to you if you don't believe?

 

[idav]

Exactly.

I was raised Southern Baptist; original sin is a big part of the doctrine and fits in perfectly with the picture of God which was taught in the church. And, even with everyone around me believing it was so, I believed it to be wrong long before I started I started to analyze religion.

I just thought it is a bunk deal but thats me. There is usually a 'why' for everything I believe. Some sort of red flag is raised especially if sounds irrational.

 

[idav]

I don't think that beliefs are chosen. To me, in order for there to be a "choice" there has to be at least two equally plausible beliefs to choose from and you could choose either honestly. If your logic and reasoning abilities do not find an option as plausible, then one cannot logically bring themselves to believe it. It's like if two people are describing something to you and one says that the dog sprouted wings and flew over the 10ft fence and the other said that the dog jumped up boxes to get over the fence. If choice was involved, you could choose to believe the dog flew, but if you know it's impossible for a dog to sprout wings and fly you could not honestly believe that. I can't choose to believe something that goes against what I know and can explain. Therefore, if I'm not choosing to believe in that, then I default to what I know, or at least think I know, from my own experiences and reasoning. To what makes the most sense. If I'm choosing anything, it's to be rational.

So you choose the more logical option over the illogical one. What if both the options sound plausible?

 

[Draka]

So you choose the more logical option over the illogical one. What if both the options sound plausible?

I cannot choose the illogical option. It would go against my own reasoning. Therefore I if I don't have another option there is no choice to be made. If both options are plausible then there is a choice to be made. However, plausible is only within the realm of my education and understanding.

 

[Draka]

No hell? What happens to you if you don't believe?

You just don't believe. You do realize that most religions in the world have no hell or punishment consequence for non-belief don't you? Belief is drawn because it makes sense to people, not because they are feared into it. Most religions don't work with fear. They don't need to.

 

[Corkscrew]

You just don't believe. You do realize that most religions in the world have no hell or punishment consequence for non-belief don't you? Belief is drawn because it makes sense to people, not because they are feared into it. Most religions don't work with fear. They don't need to.

Well let's go the other way with this, what happens to you if you do believe?

 

[idav]

I cannot choose the illogical option. It would go against my own reasoning. Therefore I if I don't have another option there is no choice to be made. If both options are plausible then there is a choice to be made. However, plausible is only within the realm of my education and understanding.

Logic and reason are sometimes flawed when making a choice usually when there is a faulty premise. One may choose to believe a faulty premise in order to come to a logical conclusion.

 

[Draka]

Well let's go the other way with this, what happens to you if you do believe?

Well, ideally, you have a sense of fulfillment. What, exactly, people believe happens to them, if anything, if they believe, really depends on the belief itself now doesn't it?

 

[Draka]

Logic and reason are sometimes flawed when making a choice usually when there is a faulty premise. One may choose to believe a faulty premise in order to come to a logical conclusion.

So you're trying to say that one consciously chooses to believe something they know is wrong in order to come to a logical conclusion? I'm sorry. That makes no sense to me whatsoever. What are you trying to say here?

 

[Orias]

Is belief a choice or is something that you don't have much control over? Now I'm not talking about freewill or anything like that. Is belief a decision you make?

Everything is believed.

 

[idav]

Everything is believed.

Even with no opinion on the matter?

 

[idav]

So you're trying to say that one consciously chooses to believe something they know is wrong in order to come to a logical conclusion? I'm sorry. That makes no sense to me whatsoever. What are you trying to say here?

LIke going by the premise that a particular religious text is the word of god for example and then deriving logical conclusions from there. Sometimes it is something more sound like thinking someone did a crime based on an incriminating piece of evidence when the piece of evidence might not be incriminating under different context.