Is belief or disbelief a choice?

Question

When I became an atheist, I didn't just suddenly decide, "Hey, I think I'm going to be an atheist now." It was much more complicated than that. After spending a lot of time learning about science, atheism, philosophy, history, skepticism, and so on, I was sitting on my bed one day pondering life when I sudden realized, "I just don't believe Christianity anymore." It wasn't a choice. It just happened. It was the result of learning and finding things out for myself rather than just believing everything my parents, the church, and the Bible told me to believe. My mind had freed. I felt like a giant weight had been lifted off of my shoulder. Not much has changed in my life. But the one thing that has changed, and that's the way I look at life and the universe, and that has made me very happy.

Anyway, that's my story. So, consider my question very carefully and answer: Is belief or disbelief a choice?

RIF: When I said, "It was the result of learning and finding things out for myself rather than just believing everything my parents, the church, and the Bible told me to believe." I was referring to my situation, not anyone else's. Maybe you missed the "that's my story" part?

Now I'm sure there are people out there who haven't bothered to find things out for themselves, but I wasn't talking about those people. I was talking about myself.

And no, science is not my god. I am an atheist. I have no god.

ForeverSet: I wasn't "seeking other faiths." I set out to learn more about the topics I listed in my question because I thought that it would strengthen my belief in God, but it did the exact opposite. Also, science and atheism are not faiths.

I'm not sure what you mean by "life changing experience with God." The only life changing experience I've had was losing God.

As far as OTHER people neglecting to educate me about Christianity, I am perfectly capable of reading, so I am perfectly capable of reading the Bible for myself. You can't just say, "Well, you lost your faith because other people weren't doing a good enough job teaching you about your religion." I lost my faith because I realized what a steaming pile it was.

ForeverSet: Basically, you're using the "You walked away from Christianity so you must not have been doing it right" card. Those arguments are one of the biggest cop-outs in theistic debate. I see it more as a way for Christians to explain to themselves why other people lose faith in their wonderful God rather than an explination to non-believers of why they've lost their faith. I know why I've lost my faith. The more I learned about the Bible the more I realized there was absolutely no way it could have been written by any sort of god.

And I do understand what you're saying now about church leaders. I have been through some very bad church experiences, but once I was in my late teens and early twenties, we began going to a decent church (as decent as church can get, in my opinion.) But in the end, it wasn't about any of that. It was about the Bible, the history of humanity, and the other viewpoints I had learned which I never even knew existed.

ForeverSet: Whether I was a real Christian or not doesn't matter to me. Either way, if I have to jump through so many hoops to become a real Christian (not that I want to be), then why bother? If what you just said is really the case, then it's not me who's not doing it right, it's your god.

RIF: Yeah, I do see what you mean. I think the reason many atheists feel that way is because there are a lot of Christians out there who believe in it because it's the religion of here and now. They haven't bothered to really look it over. It's much easier to be spoon fed Christianity than to bother to look at the whole picture and learn about the other options. I know this because I was once one of those Christians.

Answer 1

Belief or disbelief is an active choice, you make the decision whether to believe (there IS a God) or not believe (there is NO God) based on your perception of the information provided (or lack of information)

Answer 2

What I think you are really asking is knowing if something is true or not regardless of what we may believe. Actually this is an oversimplification. We are actually capable of both at the same time and we call this ambivalence. Ambivalence can only be resolved with understanding the truth. Consider the fact that both atheists and theists make assumptions. The assumptions we make determine the direction of the questions we seek the answers to. If we start with faulty assumptions the questions that follow are not going to be very productive are they? If, for example, a theist assumes that everything they need to know about God is in the bible, then they are not likely to look anywhere else. If they are wrong about the bible everything else they believe will not be accurate. Likewise, if the atheist assumes there is no God and they are wrong, they are not any more credible. Consider the possiblity that you and the theists are both wrong because you are basing your assumption on the same book.

Answer 3

A common theme in most of these kinds of posts is the subtle implication that if someone believes in God, then they somehow can't "find things out for themselves". Why is that?
Is it that science has become your new god? So if I continue to believe in God, then what? I'll never understand science? What if I already don't care about science? Or could that just be my choice? And if that's my choice (and it is. I find the study of Literature and history so much more interesting), are you implying that somehow I didn't arrive at that point by my own thoughts and deliberations? That I did so because of Christianity? The Bible? The church? Isn't that rather smug presumptuousness on your or anyone else's part? The really big difference I see is that all the stuff I study and learn hasn't become my god.

You're the one who asked if belief or disbelief was a choice. My response simply mirrored yours,and pointed out the imbedded assumption that you made. Sorry that I drew that inference, but your question and subsequent "story" strongly exude the belief among your kind that those who profess a belief in God are incapable of independent thought as a consequence. Hell, look around in here. That generalization gets posted at least a half-dozen times a day in here by atheists. I just see no difference in yours, that's all. In fact, I see no difference. But anyway, congratulations on your new found "freedom". Enjoy.

Penguin- I've often said that every seminary should be required to have one atheist on their teaching staff to ferret out those students who are sincere from those who just want to be another Jimmy Swaggart or Jim Baker. I couldn't agree more with your last comment. All the best happiness and success to you. Peace.

Answer 4

It is an interesting question. For the true believers and nonbelievers, I don't think it's a choice at all. For us, the choice lies in whether or not we admit our viewpoint to others and ourselves. However, for the weaker members of each group, I think it is possible for it to be a choice. If you don't have a strong feeling one way or the other, I think it's possible that you could talk yourself into believing one way or the other. We could argue over this is actual 'belief,' but after a while, I think that this facade could take over the reality. I also think this group of voluntary believers/nonbelievers is more prevalent than we'd hope would be the case. For example, my current girlfriend said that I was the first atheist she'd met. When I seemed surprised, she said that she'd met others who claimed to be (and likely thought they genuinely were), but that my version had a touch of sincerity that the others' lacked.

While this may not be exactly what you were going for, I think that convincing yourself to believe something is a choice, and in that way it can be possible to choose your beliefs.

Answer 5

first off I believe in God and Jesus, but not religion (which means back to bondage) I do not condemn anyone for their beliefs, nor do I try to shove God down peoples throat..I have studied several different beliefs and science too..and I was blessed to not have any religion put in my face when I was younger..and my dad was atheist, my gramma was religious...so I got alot of both sides...I find it very ironic that you ask this question, because if you read about Christ in the Bible-his first act after taking the power away from the devil was to turn around and give us the power of choice...by our own words are we condemned or sanctified...and I have been able to know this thru my life and have seen way too many miracles for anyone to tell me there is no God..and I believe that way too many people blame God for there problems but if they have the knowledge they would know that they themselves are responsible for what they have spoken into excistance...God says without knowledge my people perish...and we are made in the image of God. People get downright mad when they read that sometimes..even people when they are disbeliving are believing in not believing...and as a man believes...so is he...hope it helps..

Answer 6

For me, disbelief definitely wasn't a choice. I don't think you can really help not believing in something. You either believe it or you don't. I fought losing my "faith" for a long time. It was a very painful process for me. Once I was willing to let go and accept the fact that I just didn't believe, I felt better than ever.

Answer 7

of course, if one is a call, the two are selections. i do no longer understand who you anticipate own assaults from (fellow atheists?) when you consider which you look leaving open the thought that Christians could make smart, rational judgements to have faith in God. i've got have been given no difficulty with that. Now, while you're suggesting that neither is a call, yet that atheists have merely regarded on the data and had no decision yet to end there is not any God, then I actually have a difficulty with that. it particularly is a bounce in good judgment in line with technology, which has in no way tried to coach or disprove the existence of God.

Answer 8

It depends on how you make your decisions about what to believe. If you come to your beliefs through a process of logic and scientific investigation, then you have little choice but to believe the results of that process. If you decide what to believe on more of an emotional level, though, and use your intellect in service of your emotions, i.e., to defend your decisions rather than to make them, then you can choose your beliefs on that basis.

I'm with you. I can't ignore facts and logic, and I see no credible evidence of any divine intelligence that created or is controlling any part of the universe.

Answer 9

It is a choice, just a very complex one.

Things are not just "decided" anyway. True choosing comes from the coordinated motivation of the entire mind and personality. That usually takes time.

When you realized (think of the meaning of this word "real-ized") you just don't believe in Christianity anymore, you finalized your decision. You actualized your belief, and then began living accordingly.

This is decision.

Answer 10

Varies greatly I think... Factors
1. Initially NO Choice For Most - I N D O C T R I N A T I O N
2. Edu. - Hard Sciences Esp. - Makes Choice an Option.
3. Exposure To The 'Opposite' - Aids Process of Choice.
4. Enlightenment (BOTH Ways) - NO Choice.
( Yours Was Number 4. ) ... My $.02.

"has made me very happy"... That's very good to hear. Thx.