Belief is not a choice - is it?

Question

I don't believe in God. There are many reasons for this, but having examined the evidence, my personal opinion is that God does not exist. I cannot tell my brain to work differently and come up with an opposite conclusion, and I cannot simply pretend to believe because there would be no point. Even if there were a point, it wouild still hold that i don't truly believe.

Conversely, someone of religion has examined all the evidence available to them and has come to the conclusion that there is a god/gods. They cannot make their brain work differently in order to reach a different conclusion.

In light of this, does it stand to reason that belief is not a choice, but a personal condition dependant on environment, upbringing and the workings of an individual brain?

Answer 1

Well stated. What you say is, of course, so obvious to any person of even modest intellect, we don't frequently enough make this point. I believe what you say would be supported by any competent psychologist. Unfortunately, the psychologists' expert views would be based only on years and years of education and training and will not sway the closed minded under-educated theists who recognize that recognition of this obvious reality would undermine the linchpin of their belief system.

Answer 2

Many people simply believe what their parents taught them or follow the beliefs of the environment they were brought up in. Upon examining evidence that convinces them otherwise some of them decide not to believe. For me it is not a choice in another sense. I believe what there is evidence for and do not believe in things for which there is no evidence. I have never seen any evidence for the existance of god. I suppose that I could simply decide to ignore the fact that there is no evidence and believe. To me however, that would be like taking leave of your senses or losing your mind. With a brain that is good at and useful for examining evidence and deciding what is true and what is not, why would anyone chose not to use it to the best of it's ability? People have hands. Is it not true that they could simply chose not to use them? It is after all a choice right? Yet who would chose not to use their hands?

Answer 3

Yes..it is the working of the individuals brain. I was just thinking about this earlier. I can't help that I don't believe but it had nothing to do with my environment. I was raised in a Jewish household, had to go to services and hebrew school..the whole nine yards but never quite fit in.

I tend to think that some people are more apt to be "brainwashed" for lack of a better word. I think that most agnotics and atheists were actually raised by church going folks.

Believing is NOT a choice but religion certainly is.

Answer 4

Yes, belief is a choice. The life choices that we make as we go through life are all influenced by what we believe. The awesome yet scary thing about this is that what we believe does not have to be true to influence the choices that we make. One of the great advantages we do have is, that each of us have the ability to change what we do believe based on new information or existing knowledge with more understanding. This is not an easy thing to retrain ourself and some of our sub-conscious conditioned responses and reactions. To accomplish this is an act of self-discipline and your willingness to recognize old information and the responses or reactions that they caused and what you want them to be based on your new understandings.

What we believe is based on truth claims that we have accepted as true, whether they are or not, or truths that cause us to make truth assumptions that are not proven or even have evidence to support them. An example of this is centuries ago mankind believed the world to be flat. This belief was considered irrefutible in its day, even though there was no evidence to support this conclusion. As science and knowledge of the universe we live in has grown our beliefs about life, our world and our universe have changed.

I encourage you to keep an open mind and examine the roots of the statements of "facts" that you are accepting as true. These facts that are influencing what you believe and that you are currently accepting as true. Like you I too went on a search for the truth. I was not invested in the outcome I was only interested in the truth. In my quest for the truth about God I found proof that is tangible and real. I was not easily convinced and went on a 5 month odyessy looking for the truth. God is not in a hurry and is willing to meet you wherever you are. If you will seek Him with all that you are, mind, body and soul God will reveal Himself to you.

Answer 5

People who do believe in God who have actually examined those beliefs and still came to the same conclusion are operating off of faith.

It is my understand that you can choose to believe, especially if you have all of the evidence and have examined it, because at that point you must make the choice to rely upon your faith that you are correct instead of on what you know.

Similarly, it is a choice not to believe and thus, not to rely upon your faith to tell you what you should believe.

I think it is a choice between relying on faith or not.

Answer 6

Belief is absolutely a choice. You can or you don't have to. No one makes you believe anything. Your "personal condition dependant on environment, upbringing and the workings of an individual brain" can influence your beliefs but in the end you choose what to believe.

Answer 7

Thanks for this question~ hope I can answer them properly for you~
you have asked several questions so lets get on 1 by 1.

** Does god even exist?
you can see this world that we are living in, with no doubt. You are also sure that humans dont have any creationary power, meaning we cannot make something out of nothing~
so if humans didnt make this world, then surely there is someTHING made the materials in it~
we humans, only happened to call this thing with creationary power "God". God is only this thing's NAME~
you might well ask: i think that the world is made by aliens, only we cant find them~!!
well, you have only changed the name of this thing with creationary power into "aliens".
whatever you call this thing, as long as you are sure that this thing has creationary power, then its fine (we humans wanna unite things, so, all of mankind call this thing God~

**why cant anyone make their brains work when discussing about God(s)?
lets see: if you go back in time to 1000years ago, and talk to the people at that time about the DVD players and CDs, what do you think their reactions will be?
they will probably say to you "what r u talking about? please stop making up stories" something like that~
well, these ppl dont believe you, why? because they JUST SIMPLY CANNOT IMAGINE WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.
their technology, knowledge etc just cant support their understanding on what the world you are talking about is like.
lets talk about humans and God. God is a thing that is much more intellegent and advanced than humans, we cannot imagine what God is like~!! this is why humans get really confused when trying to examins this God thing~ (see my point?)

**Believing in God is not a choice is it?
i used to think this as well~ only one day changed me~~
If you are suffering from a uncurable disease, except for i have a pill that cures your illness, they surely, if you want to be well again, you really have to take this pill~!!
if you wanna live, then u really have to breath, eat and sleep~
so do u have a choice? in your sense, NO~! (i DO agree)
but honestly, you have already made up your choice TO LIVE, so there are things you have to do before being able to get what u wanted.
If you wanna go to heaven, then no you dont hv a choice but to believe in God.
You have to now choose from "living" or "dying"
there is your choice~~!!!

I really wish you can go to heaven with me
remember, heaven is a really nice place with no pain or anything thats bad~!!! its BETTER THAN THIS WORLD THE WE ARE LIVING IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 8

Agree. You are born into a belief set, molded and brainwashed into it. The choice, if ever, comes at the age of reason. Many happily remain in the path carved out for them by their parents, ancestors, and community, national identity et al.
It takes a special person to break away from that, because you will need a lot of work to research if you question the dogmas.
Maybe the breakaway is part of human evolution. Maybe not.
What remains true is that you have the choice and that is the great gift, finding your truth.

Answer 9

Belief is indeed a choice - look at what you said:
"having examined the evidence, my personal belief is that god does not exist."

You made a rational, concerted effort to find out about god, and made a CHOICE based on that info to not believe in him.

Yes, choice is colored by your ubringing, your socio-economic status, your environment, nad indeed the condition of your mind and body, but bottom line is it is indeed still a choice - conscious or unconscious.

And refusing to accept mounds of evidence - for or against anything - is still a choice situation.

"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice"

Answer 10

Its more than just observing the natural world and deciding not to believe. you have to open your mind and you heart to expanded possibilities. such as: explain how logic came to exist? explain how a universe of perfect order emerged from a universe of absolute chaos?

If you are willing to believe in more than what your senses tell you that is a choice. If you allow yourself to believe in something greater than yourself, that is a choice. If you ask the lord to come into your heart, that is a choice, and THAT choice will change everything you believe for the rest of your life.