Would you die for your beliefs?

[fantome profane]

If you have doubt in your belief then why would you die for it?

I am asking you would do?

 

[LuisDantas]

So an athiest would be a fool if he died for his belief.

It depends on which belief.

And also on context. The right to stand for atheism is a high priority.

 

[Thana]

I am talking about whatever it is that is most important to you. Your religion, you lack of religion. Your politics, whatever. If you were threatened with death if you refused to renounce your beliefs, what would you do? Would you die? or would you submit?

Idealistically, Yes I would die for my beliefs. But I won't know if I'm capable until I'm faced with that very decision. The survival instinct is a powerful thing.

 

[psychoslice]

Idealistically, Yes I would die for my beliefs. But I won't know if I'm capable until I'm faced with that very decision. The survival instinct is a powerful thing.

Yep, good answer.

 

[amorphous_constellation]

I wouldn't die for atheism, but I would die for the idea that people should not be forced to adopt a religious position.

The human race coming to reason is not dependent on a martyrdom. It either eventually comes to reason non-violently, or it doesn't. And martyrdom was an appeal that was convincing to all those early religionists, the atheists should show that such suffering has neither appeal nor foundation.

 

[LuisDantas]

So an athiest would be a fool if he died for his belief.

I'm trying to understand what you mean here. Are you implying that it is not a big deal if a repressive society attempts to force atheists into pretending to believe?

Dying in order to wound a repressive society is not pointless.

If you have doubt in your belief then why would you die for it?

You keep thinking of this in terms of "doubt', and that makes the whole question difficult to make sense of. Martyrdom is supposed to be about meaning, about having a cause. Not about lacking conviction about what "the truth is". Would you die for your certainty about which is the latest flavor of Pepsi released in the market?

 

[Twilight Hue]

Im not that brave. But if it's gonna happen, so be it.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

To be honest I probably wouldn't mind saying I believed in another religion but personally hold my beliefs if it meant for me to live. That's because religion is very layed back in my part of the world. It is a topic that'll come up maybe once or twice a year for me, and no religious practice or behavior has any part of my life.

In a situation where I'd be forced to practice AGAINST my beliefs and conform to a morality I do not agree to, I would rather die. I don't see why I wouldn't at least, unless I had something to live for. To be honest I presently accept death and expect it from some self destructive behavior I would rather die than live without. In that case, I don't think it'll be hard for me to choose death with my rebellious personality inspired by libertarianism.

 

[George-ananda]

I would deny my advaita beliefs externally but not internally.

Who cares what some despot thinks I believe.

 

[Ingledsva]

I am talking about whatever it is that is most important to you. Your religion, you lack of religion. Your politics, whatever. If you were threatened with death if you refused to renounce your beliefs, what would you do? Would you die? or would you submit?

Not unless I absolutely had to - as in no other choices.

I'm an Alaskan, and I would take the third choice, that you left out, -

I would gather my guns - head for the hills - and defend myself.

I didn't take those living of the land lessons, or my concealed weapons training with the police, - for nothing!


*

 

[Robert.Evans]

Everybody does die for their belief don't they?

 

[LegionOnomaMoi]

I am talking about whatever it is that is most important to you. Your religion, you lack of religion. Your politics, whatever. If you were threatened with death if you refused to renounce your beliefs, what would you do? Would you die?

I would for her. Indeed I nearly have.

 

[DreadFish]

It really depends on if I felt that standing up and dying for my beliefs would do more good than externally conforming and secretly continuing to function according to my own understanding.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Depends what belief you mean, but I'd be unwilling to simply die for most beliefs. I'd fight for several though, with the full knowledge that it might cause my death, which is quite a different thing I think.

 

[LuisDantas]

Everybody does die for their belief don't they?

What do you mean?

 

[Reverend Rick]

The concept of fighting to the death is becoming extinct. Myself, I think like the American Indian. Today is a good day to die!

I value dying well over living beyond my usefulness.

But then again, I have fought on the battlefield before and faced death in the eye.

I fight cancer each and every day as well.

We all are going to die, the question is are you prepared to die at any given time?

People who have lived their life to the fullest should have no regrets.

People who would abandon their principles just to stay alive a little longer just support the notion I have about the pussification of humankind.

 

[Jainarayan]

I would like to think I would die for my beliefs. If I denied my beliefs, it would say more about me than it would about the person(s) that wanted to kill me. Especially if it were my religion I were denying, it would say I had little faith in that religion, and that I only paid lip service to it. This would be the ultimate test of who I am. I would like to think I passed the test.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

The concept of fighting to the death is becoming extinct. Myself, I think like the American Indian. Today is a good day to die!

I value dying well over living beyond my usefulness.

I agree, to a large extent. However, the OP was pretty non-specific. It simply mentions dying. Not dying well. For example, if threatened in a back alley by a knife to my throat, there were 6 men, and my death was assured if I didn't submit, I'd have no difficulty in hailing Allah, God, Thor, or whomever else I needed to. It's not cowardice, but an unwillingness to throw away my life to no effect.

If given an opportunity to fight for religious freedom against an oppressive force (eg. as is happening in the ME with IS) to protect my family, I wouldn't hesitate.
(At least, I don't believe I would. Hard to know until put into that situation, I suppose)
[/QUOTE]

 

[Sees]

Perhaps the one who said it best, was the philosopher known as Big Worm -

 

[allfoak]

When the day comes that someone tells me that i no longer have the right to govern myself and my family without interference from state or federal authorities is when they will have to kill me because they will never lock me up again.