When does an idea become a belief?

Question

i decided to go all spiritual and deep...........i can do that you know...

Answer 1

An idea becomes a belief when it becomes a dictate from the mouth of an enlightened one like Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ or Prophet Mohammed. Every human being is an independent entity. As many human beings... as many paths can there be for reaching God. A deep rooted spiritual belief stems from the teachings of the enlightened souls.

If a commoner tries to preach... it does not merit attention! The same teachings when dictated by the enlightened one becomes a following... a belief in the teachings of one! When we travel the spiritual path... we come across teachings of various masters. What to believe or not to believe is our personal prerogative yet, the teachings of all enlightened masters can never be belied.

On the path of pure spirituality... it is belief in the teachings of enlightened masters that paves way for ardent followers to follow suit! Devoid of any belief... traveling the uncharted path of spirituality would be extremely difficult! We may have born in a Jain family yet one may believe more in Buddhist doctrines and vice versa.

Amongst perennial source of wisdom available on Mother Earth... what path to follow is an individual belief! Every belief generates from the percentage of truth it carries. More the truthfulness... stronger is the belief! More on Beliefs - http://www.godrealized.com/hinduism_beliefs.html

Answer 2

A turn of the century (20th) thinker, G. Gurdjieff, said that habits are formed after eleven repetitions. I have not verified that this number is 100% accurate or what it is that can cause it to be increased or decreased.
I have also heard that beliefs are habits of thought. Advertising kind of proves that every day. I prefer to call it programming. I am re-minded of it whenever I do the grocery shopping. People often get programmed pretty severely when they decide to go all spiritual. There are tons of other people out there more than willing to do the repeating, after all you can become their slaves in a hurry. I know you can do that, I did it too. Some of my friends didn't make it out. Many got sucked in and were severely damaged before they found a way to escape. Some are still in and think that they are the lucky ones and the six billion are doomed. Sound familiar?

Answer 3

Thinking is the process where by the mind opens to question and possible solutions. often times and probably mostof the time this is where ideas are formed.

Ideas seldom become beliefs. Beliefs are things we hold onto. they usually have very little basis in fact or evidence. They are something we hold onto and are not easily swayed to give up. ofentimes ideas are used to inform, explain or tech others about a particular belief. They are not the same though and one does not become another.
To think is to open. To believe is to shut and stand firm. I believe we have done a dis service in equating the two and making them similar or suggesting that one becomes another. it is much harder to describe where a beilief comes from than to understand where an idea originated.

Answer 4

idea---a transcendent entity that is a real pattern of which existing things are imperfect representation.
belief---a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing.

I think at the moment of conception of an idea it is also labeled true or false. I think it's impossible to have an idea and completely think of it as merely an idea. It's believed it can be true, or it can't be(and you might test it either way.) If it's labeled true then it is also a belief. true=belief. false=wrong=fiction.

Beliefs can be weak and be waiting to be proven wrong but they are still little beliefs.

Interesting question! I don't know if I have the definition of "belief" that you intended. It makes me wonder am I studying how we think or just what the words mean?

Answer 5

Beliefs tend to be supported as a good thing by society - as in having strong beliefs is perceived as a positive characteristic. In truth having beliefs means you're essentially stupid and at the mercy of your learned ego.

Beliefs are developed based on interactions with other egos during the most vulnerable time of our life - childhood. The chemistry of "defining" emotional moments glue them into the unconscious and conscious mind. ALL beliefs are limiting in that they prevent one from truly KNOWING anything in the moment. Beliefs control feelings, thoughts, actions and perceptions. Therefore the ideas that "come to you" will be limited by your beliefs about reality.

Answer 6

An idea is something that arises in one's mind, and which the individual may make use of in his life. But when it reaches the point in which it is the idea that controls the individual, then it becomes a belief. I advise people to have lots of different ideas, but to beware, because some of them will have the tendency to become beliefs, ending up controling the individual's choices, thoughts and behaviour.

Answer 7

Hi, I'm Char, first day here :) - your the first question I answer, so I hope I can be of some help!

I think to have an idea, is sort of the foundations of something but without the confidence in the idea, your belief, you can't get beyond the foundations.
So, when you actually BELIEVE in something for the right reason and you have confidence in it, thats when you call it an actual "belief"

Hope
That Helped
Take Care xXx

Answer 8

When you hire the right Lawyer to make the other believe it....LOL...just joking.
I believe an idea becomes a belief when the creator of the idea fervently and passionately passes it on to others and pursuades them to see through the creators eyes the existence of such an idea. Then as we are humans we pass this to others to see if our "support group" be it peers or family accepts it then you feel comfortable in it and keep it.
You know you have this answer all around you right now. Look at the thousands and thousands that went to Jerry Falwells funeral...Look at the hundreds and thousands of dollars churches make...Look at the bible in its simplest form...someone (not to offend) had the idea and printed it then someone believed it preached it passionately and passed it on and now you have organized religion.
I personally think this is a great question and enjoyed thinking about it as I answered it thanks....

Answer 9

It's based on evidence and on how you feel about the evidence. Often beliefs lead to other beliefs and you get a cluster of beliefs that support each other. For example, "I believe I am like the other people around me," can lead to "I believe I can ride a bicycle" after you see other people riding bicycles. If you then go on to experience riding a bicycle, this reinforces the original belief, "I believe I am like the other people around me."

If you want to create or reinforce a belief, you make a list of reasons that support the belief. If you want to weaken or remove a belief, you work with a list of reasons that argue against it.

Answer 10

An idea becomes a belief when you have found compelling evidence to confirm and support the idea and you except it into your life as part of your values, principles and morals. You have confidence & trust in the idea that its now a belief and conviction you defend strongly.