2007-04-04 08:22:22 · 36 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
No. It's a matter of definition. If you know something is a lie, you cannot believe it. You can still advocate it, live your life as if it is true, and attack those who say it is a lie. This is the essence of hypocrisy and a large part of much demagoguery.
On the other hand, humans find it very easy to rationalize something that appears to be a lie (or something that appears to be false). As an example, there are two conflicting genealogies of Joseph, Mary's husband, in the bible. If either existed on its own, it would have seemed to be authoritative. Since they both exist, people who want to believe the bible have declared that one is the genealogy of Joseph and the other is the genealogy of Mary. There is no textual basis for this but it has become its own belief in order to rationalize the biblical text without having to declare one of the genealogies to be false.
2007-04-04 08:24:31 · answer #1 · answered by Dave P 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Of course they do! Most people believe that $1 is worth $1. It isn't. On the same day and at the same time and in the same place, $1 may buy me more than it may buy you. But nobody will ever admit that $1 is not always worth exactly $1. They would rather -- knowingly -- believe the lie that a dollar is always worth a dollar.
2007-04-04 08:31:32 · answer #2 · answered by Anpadh 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you believe something and just think about the fact that you know it, you then know that you believe it. If that something happens to be a lie (and you are not aware it is a lie), then you knowingly believe a lie, even if you are not aware it is a lie.
On the other hand, if you are aware it is a lie, you might then be able to lie to yourself and trick yourself into believing it by suppressing your awareness/memories of its truthfulness. Our memory is that malleable. People do this every day, all over the world and have done so throughout history.
2007-04-04 08:31:11 · answer #3 · answered by manneke 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Every time that I've ever sat down and had a long discussion with a religious person, by the end of the conversation... without fail... they will be defeated and exasperated. Using simple logic, facts, and historical references, I prove to them that their religion is false.
Well, not really...
See, when it gets down to the end, and they're to the point where they have to admit that their god isn't real, the same thing always happens. They WON'T LET ME continue. When they know they're about to be beaten, they run away.
They will do everything in their power to end the conversation, without reaching the final conclusion. They do this because they know that within a few more seconds, they are going to lose their faith. That tells me that deep down, all of these people are well aware that their faith is a lie. It's a lie that they knowingly tell themselves. And when confronted with the truth, they have to choose whether to admit it or not.
And in the end, that's all there is to it. It's not about me, it's not about my logic, it's not about my facts. It's about their choice, whether they value the truth, or the good feelings they get from believing a lie.
2007-04-04 08:30:46 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, if a person knows it is a lie, they should have better sense than to believe it. On the other hand, if a lie is told often enough, it will appear to be truthful and a person will not know it is a lie.
2007-04-04 08:27:52 · answer #5 · answered by MoPleasure4U 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If they do, they are truly interesting. To knowingly BELIEVE a lie ... what would be the purpose? I mean, to them it wouldn't be a lie, if they believed it.
This is a thought provoking question. :)
2007-04-04 08:26:10 · answer #6 · answered by CuriousGirl 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you can't knowingly believe a lie
that's like walking and not walking at the same exact time
you can go along with the lie...but you can't know that its false and still believe it....obviously
2007-04-04 08:25:23 · answer #7 · answered by retired 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It sounds to me like you're exceedingly closed minded and characteristic a mission with non secular human beings. What someone believes and feels is extremely their own decision merely as what your emotions and ideology are. provide human beings the freedom that they deserve extremely than smearing their beliefs round. lets turn the tables somewhat and question the actual incontrovertible fact that you'll correctly be residing a lie for being a nonbeliever.
2016-12-03 06:57:04 · answer #8 · answered by naranjo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you think something is a lie, by definition you think it is false, so you can't believe it to be true simultaneously.
One can act like a lie is the truth, you can even pretend to yourself, but you can never believe something to be truth if you also believe it to be a lie.
2007-04-04 10:48:29 · answer #9 · answered by Tom :: Athier than Thou 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, because there is something believable in every lie that's food for the selfish ego. What matters is who can see the truth and who cannot, and who believes the lies of the world, and who is given the light and grace to see through them.
2007-04-04 08:27:53 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋