Would You Die for Your Beliefs?

[Beaudreaux]

This question is for everyone.

If someone held a gun to your head and told you to renounce your current beliefs and swear belief in what they told you to believe, otherwise they would kill you, would you do it?

"Atheist? ME? NO!! That's not me at all. I'm a Christian like you. Praize Jeebus!

Why or why not?

I have kids and do not need to leave them fatherless just so I can publicly maintain disbelief in God.

What if you were a leader within your belief system and this took place with an audience of millions on television?

I like living...it suits me.

Would it have any meaning to do so? Would it have any value to not do so?

I don't think any of the atheists I know would have any trouble understanding why I would embrace Jeebus or Boodal or whoever when a gun is being held to my head. I have a feeling they know EXACTLY what my motivation is.

Does martyrdom have any value?

Of course. If you feel someone who believes like you do has been killed unjustly, you get motivated. How would all us atheists feel if Dawkins or Harris were shot tonight? I know I'd be ****** and might be motivated toward more action.

 

[cardero]

This question is for everyone.

If someone held a gun to your head and told you to renounce your current beliefs and swear belief in what they told you to believe, otherwise they would kill you, would you do it? Why or why not?

I would not die for my beliefs but I would lay my life down for my truths. Beliefs change and beliefs come and go and with my living breath, it is my responsibility to conclude them to a Truth or Untruth. This reasoning process would be very difficult to do if I was dead. There may be some beliefs that I am attached to but it is up to me to eventually discern whether there is a purpose for including them into my life. Beliefs will never rule whether I live or die. Through reason, knowledge and understanding, I decide whether beliefs live or die.

 

[Comicaze247]

If someone held a gun to your head and told you to renounce your current beliefs and swear belief in what they told you to believe, otherwise they would kill you, would you do it? Why or why not?

It depends. If it's some random thug, and I'm alone, and all he wants me to do is that, sure, I'll SAY I do it. Doesn't mean I will.

What if you were a leader within your belief system and this took place with an audience of millions on television?

In this case, no, I wouldn't, because I will not truly give up my beliefs for anyone and I would not want it televised that I did.

Would it have any meaning to do so? Would it have any value to not do so?

It would mean that you are weak and your beliefs were not strongly founded enough.
Being that you're a religious leader, people look up to you. It may shake their own beliefs to see you rescind your own, and so you have an obligation not to do so.

Does martyrdom have any value?

I'd say it does.

 

[Willamena]

This question is for everyone.

If someone held a gun to your head and told you to renounce your current beliefs and swear belief in what they told you to believe, otherwise they would kill you, would you do it? Why or why not?

It's just words. It's not like the vocalization of words makes or breaks our beliefs.

Edit: If someone held a gun to my head and told me to say things, I would have no ethical problem saying them. The very act of his holding a gun to my head makes the words meaningless.

 

[Smoke]

I don't have any beliefs worth dying for, and I don't have a belief system as such, so I couldn't really be a leader within it. Chances are, I'd lie and hope for better days or an opportunity to escape.

However, depending on the circumstances and what side of the bed I got up on that day, it's somewhat possible I might die, not in defense of my own beliefs, but in the rejection of whatever true belief was holding a gun to my head.

 

[blackout]

As an Occultic gifted at 'spell' (ie... word) casting
I would deliver my renunciation 'sp-each' in occultic 'tongues'
casting my words kraftily...
with meaning of my own creation & intent.

Thus MY truth would be their illusory renunciation.

People almost always hear according to, or filtered through,
their own belief(s) and notions anyway...
(weather you choose to use this to your advantage or not).

If I were some kind of an Occultic (lol 'Hidden') leader...
I would flash my hidden following a hidden symbol!
Right there in front of the masses...
through their own media!
And they would take it as a wink and a nod....
and CHEER ME! (very quietly) hahaha!
and secretly prepare to kick some ***.

Martyrdom?
Only if my death would somehow bring the ******** down.
But that is Heroism. Not pointless martyrdom.

Instead of dying to tear down however...
I would rather live to lift up.

If there is one thing I will NEVER EVER conceed,
it is the AUTHORship of MY OWN epic story....
and it's first person MEANING will always be my own.

(A great musing TotalStranger! That was fun.)

 

[Smoke]

I don't think most people do -- or should -- set out to be Tank Man. You're just out doing your shopping one day, and you become Tank Man.

I'd generally opt to save my life. But if I thought the person with the gun was likely to kill me either way, I might go for one last act of defiance.

 

[blackout]

I don't think most people do -- or should -- set out to be Tank Man. You're just out doing your shopping one day, and you become Tank Man.

I'd generally opt to save my life. But if I thought the person with the gun was likely to kill me either way, I might go for one last act of defiance.

We all stand for something.

It really is a beautiful thing when an individual person or a small group
takes a bold and independent stand against the machine. I love it.
Man against the Machine.
You actually BECOME a living work of art in the world landscape!

Problem is... the machine usually manages to chew you up and spit you out in the end anyway.

 

[dogsgod]

Martyrs are for losers, I'd lie about my beliefs and renounce them to save my life, I'm not stupid.

 

[pray4me]

Honestly? I don't know. I've never had a gun to my head. I'd probably try to reason with the person.

"Now please try to calm down, even if I said what you wanted me to you know I wouldn't actually mean it. Would you have me make an insincere avowal to save my life? I know you don't want to hurt anyone here, maybe you're just misunderstood."

I'd probably say anthing I had to to avoid both extremes, dying and renouncing my faith.

 

[Imagist]

If someone held a gun to your head and told you to renounce your current beliefs and swear belief in what they told you to believe, otherwise they would kill you, would you do it?

It depends very much on the situation. Generally I would use stall tactics, not answering the question directly but instead something like quoting scripture, and attempt to find a chance to defend myself while keeping the gunman's attention on me rather than bystanders (particularly if the bystanders are children). And people's lives would definitely be higher on my list than maintaining my beliefs.

But, assuming that the spirit of the question is more along the lines of "would you sacrifice your life for your beliefs, barring any other circumstances such as bystanders", I say yes, for three reasons:

1. It is a matter of integrity.
2. I wouldn't want others to use my possibly last-minute renunciation of my beliefs as a refutation of my beliefs.
3. It took years of my life struggling with my beliefs and feelings about Christianity to become an atheist. Rational thought has become a core part of who I am. Losing who I am in that way would be just as bad as dying to me.

What if you were a leader within your belief system and this took place with an audience of millions on television?

This tips the scale heavily in favor of my not renouncing my beliefs. But again, if anyone else's life were at stake, I would renounce my beliefs if I thought it would save them.

Would it have any meaning to do so? Would it have any value to not do so?

I don't think that a renunciation of one's beliefs at gunpoint has any meaning, but religious people aren't above using that as ammunition (I don't say this as an aspersion upon theists - I merely am saying it because it's true. See the foxhole argument). That's ammunition I would rather not give them.

Does martyrdom have any value?

Martyrdom has value in the results it produces in the world. Beyond that, I don't think so.

 

[whereismynotecard]

This question is for everyone.

If someone held a gun to your head and told you to renounce your current beliefs and swear belief in what they told you to believe, otherwise they would kill you, would you do it? Why or why not?

What if you were a leader within your belief system and this took place with an audience of millions on television?

Would it have any meaning to do so? Would it have any value to not do so?

Does martyrdom have any value?

I'd pretend to believe in anything to save my own life, no matter what. I mean, no one could actually make my belief change, but I'd pretend, because I don't want to be dead. Living is the only thing I'm ever going to do, so I wouldn't want to end my life if I could avoid it.

Would their be any meaning to give up my life? Well, maybe some people would find meaning in it, as they would say "Hannah died so that we can be nihilists and not have to lie and say we believe in something we don't." But it wouldn't have any meaning to me, because I'd be dead. But of course, all of my nihilist followers would also believe nothing has meaning, so I guess they'd all just say "Hm... sucks to be Hannah."

Would it have any value to not die for my beliefs? yes. I would be alive.

 

[BucephalusBB]

My ideas are personal and nothing more to others than information. If they would like to have a scrambled version of that information, I would be happy to provide it to them.

One cannot change complete theories of life over a gun. It always will be a lie.

 

[Killer Whale]

I agree with the statements saying that if there was any other way, I'd do so. But if there were only two options, even if there was only me and some random gun wielding guy, i would like to think i'd take the martyr option, though I've never had a gun pointed at my head, or been seriously threatened really.

"Again the Devil took him up to an unusually high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms and their glory, and he said to him: "All these things I will give you if you fall down and do an act of worship to me." Then Jesus said o him: "Go away Satan! For it is written, 'It is Jehovah your god you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service'"" He went on to suffer tribulation, torture and death he knew would follow for the same gift that one moments unfaithfulness could have got him.

 

[Breathe]

I'm not sure. I'd rather not. I think Riverwolf has put it better than I.

 

[tumbleweed41]

This question is for everyone.

If someone held a gun to your head and told you to renounce your current beliefs and swear belief in what they told you to believe, otherwise they would kill you, would you do it? Why or why not?

What if you were a leader within your belief system and this took place with an audience of millions on television?

Would it have any meaning to do so? Would it have any value to not do so?

Does martyrdom have any value?

No, I would not die for simple words.

But I would willingly be a martyr to save the lives and well-being of others.

 

[Me Myself]

No, I would rather live for my beliefs than die for them.

This.

That said I have no problem in lying in such a situation.

I might also just say the truth and let him shoot me.

Depends on the mood of the day and various things.

 

[ChristineES]

I don't know. I have never been faced with that before. It is hard to say what you would do in a "what if..." situation until it occurs. (Something I have learned in life experience )

 

[St Giordano Bruno]

You can't take them with you so clearly I wouldn't

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Well that all depends on if it were just one person criticizing me and if they'd keep an eye on me.

If they just had a gun to my head, took me to a church, made me repent, and ran away and never seen them again, I would follow through.

But if it were law that had forced me to do it otherwise I'd die (just like Dark Ages) then I'd choose death, but I'd write a few books with written beliefs in it, bury them, just in case the future gets back to normal and then they can find my philosophy (or have a chance to).