is ther anyone else besides me who believes that it is IMPOSSIBLE TO CHOOSE YOUR BELIEFS?

Question

i believe that we do not choose our beliefs or our opinions (and no, beliefs and opinions are not the same thing).

for example, let's say you believe that there are only 9 planets in our solar system. well i'll pay you $10,000 to believe that there are 50 planets in or solar system. you can't do it. you can LIE and SAY that you believe there are that many planets in our solar system, but you can't actually FORCE yourself to believe it.

how is believing in god any different? i don't believe in god, but i didn't CHOOSE not to believe. it's just...... what makes sense to me.

please don't try to enter proof into the equation. we can't prove that there aren't 50 planets in the solar system any more than we can prove that there is or isn't a god.

we believe in things based on what makes sense to us. how can we possibly control that then???

mgctouch,
you missed the point. i never said that "beliefs don't change". i said that "people can't choose their beliefs". BIG difference.

whether or not we can see god has nothing to do with anything. stay on topic please. atheists believe in all sorts of things that we can't see., black holes, antimatter, quarks, happiness, sadness, evolution!! you're way off base if you think we rely on our eyes more than christians do.

you said:
"You need to determine your belief for yourself and be ready to change your beliefs if you feel that there is strong evidence to suggest otherwise."

i agree. (provided that by "determine", you mean "to gage" rather than "to decide"), but once again, this doesn't argue against my point that "PEOPLE CAN'T CHOOSE BELIEFS".

friendshipba...,
i'm 27. i'm not saying that i'm not allowed to choose beliefs because my parents won't let me. i'm not saying that people aren't allowed to practice their religion. i'm saying that IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO CHOOSE BELIEFS.

Answer 1

Your question makes a lot of sense, as does your reasoning. Our beliefs do evolve, but they do not change by an act of will. Thank you for a thought provoking question. I had never thought of it from that perspective( and for this forum, I'm old--43).

Answer 2

Beliefs can change at any time when new evidence is presented. Sometimes we are betrayed by people that we believed to be our friends but new evidence proved otherwise.

It was widely BELIEVED that the world was flat until it was proven to be round.

It was widely BELIEVED that the sun rotated around the earth until we learned more about the universe.

As for the issue of God, that is something that each person has to decide for themselves. There have been lots of athiests who have found God and there have been lots of people who used to believe in God who no longer do.

The bottom line is just because you cannot see God does not mean the God exists or does not exist. You need to determine your belief for yourself and be ready to change your beliefs if you feel that there is strong evidence to suggest otherwise.

Answer 3

I agree - on the basic question of the presence or absence of God, I cannot be a theist even if I tried. I don't think you can choose it.

If, of course, you have the 'god gene', then you can choose which of a million sects you want to attend. That much you can choose.

But I couldn't choose to believe in God any more than I could choose to fly.

Answer 4

I don't know what ever predated your above question or statements, unless you are muslim. Anyone else definately can choose if they are older than 18 or 21. So change your thinking or move away from your parents if you are of age. Circumstances in life are always temporary,so don't be locked into one mindset.

Answer 5

actually there is more like 30 planets in the solar system the deffintition of plaet is very fuzzy.
you made a very good point though

Answer 6

i totally agree its all relative , we take what makes sense to us through our own personally experiences
right now a spiritual life believing in god makes sense to me .. through my own study and experiences , if that doesn't make sense to you then its only right that you don't adopt that way of thinking ... that would be silly
remaining open to possibilities is the way forward i feel though
( for everyone )

Answer 7

you can believe whatever you want. for instance, i believe you can choose your beliefs. but sometimes i chose to believe that you can't chose your beliefs.