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Choosing to believe..or not?
page: 2share:
lonewolf19792000,
re: "Can you choose what to believe? Yes you can..."
Perhaps you can help me, then. I have never been able to consciously CHOOSE any of the beliefs that I have and I would like to be able to do that. If you think that you can consciously CHOOSE to believe things, I wonder if you might explain how you do it. What do you do at the last moment to instantly change your one state of belief to another? What is it that you do that would allow you to say, "OK, at this moment I have a lack of belief that "x" exists or is true, but I CHOOSE to believe that "x" exists or is true and now instantly at this new moment I do believe that "x" exists or is true?
Maybe you could use something like leprechauns to demonstrate your technique. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a leprechaun is "a fairy peculiar to Ireland, who appeared in the form of an old man of minute stature, wearing a cocked hat and a leather apron" and who has a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow and if ever caught has to grant three wishes. So, assuming that you don't already have a belief in them, how about right now, while you are reading this, CHOOSE to believe - be convinced without a doubt - that they exist. Now that you believe in leprechauns, my question is, how did you do it? How did you make the instantaneous transition from lack of belief to belief?
re: "Can you choose what to believe? Yes you can..."
Perhaps you can help me, then. I have never been able to consciously CHOOSE any of the beliefs that I have and I would like to be able to do that. If you think that you can consciously CHOOSE to believe things, I wonder if you might explain how you do it. What do you do at the last moment to instantly change your one state of belief to another? What is it that you do that would allow you to say, "OK, at this moment I have a lack of belief that "x" exists or is true, but I CHOOSE to believe that "x" exists or is true and now instantly at this new moment I do believe that "x" exists or is true?
Maybe you could use something like leprechauns to demonstrate your technique. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a leprechaun is "a fairy peculiar to Ireland, who appeared in the form of an old man of minute stature, wearing a cocked hat and a leather apron" and who has a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow and if ever caught has to grant three wishes. So, assuming that you don't already have a belief in them, how about right now, while you are reading this, CHOOSE to believe - be convinced without a doubt - that they exist. Now that you believe in leprechauns, my question is, how did you do it? How did you make the instantaneous transition from lack of belief to belief?
reply to post by xxclaro
Sorry, this simply isn't true. I am an atheist because there is no chain of evidence leading to the God Conclusion. There are lots of mysterious unknowns, but no fingerprints of a god have ever been found.
You show me a piece of DNA like this and I will readily believe:
Those who believe cannot understand that those who don`t believe didn`t CHOOSE not to believe,
Sorry, this simply isn't true. I am an atheist because there is no chain of evidence leading to the God Conclusion. There are lots of mysterious unknowns, but no fingerprints of a god have ever been found.
You show me a piece of DNA like this and I will readily believe:
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