Belief a CHOICE?

rstrats said:
China Cat Sunflower,

re: "If we don't choose to believe things, who or what does?"

With regard to my beliefs, see post #4.
　


re: "I chose to believe it."

Can you demonstrate your ability by doing as requested in the OP?
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Not with leprechauns, or sasquatches, or unicorns. Those things are beyond ridiculous. But I did demonstrate that belief is a matter of choice, and that it occurs routinely in one's every day thought processes.
 
rstrats said:
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 hides his gold at the end of a rainbow and if 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?
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What was not mentioned is the occupation of leprechauns; they are shoemakers ...
This is vital information I need so I will know who to blame for the ridiculous shoes for women as well as the short supply of wide shoes for my platypus feet ... :p

I've always believed in leprechauns - that's an easy one since all it takes is identifying the role of the character and the purpose of folklore, myths, fairy tales ...

Something more difficult would be a belief in spirits ...
I don't recall a time I never not believed in them ...
Where it came from or if I was born believing in spirits is unknown ...
What I can say is my belief became stronger from receiving an ADC from my husband as well as all the paranormal activity my kids & I both experienced following his death ...
Severe grief can cause shock & disassociation to the point of feeling as if one is living in a surreal world for months on end ...
To prove I was not going insane or imaging the activity I did alot of research on the subjects of ADCs, NDEs, synchronicities, signs, etc from a variety of sources including the Bible ...

It's basically about researching the subject till it resonates w/me ...
Hope this helps ... ;)
 
China Cat Sunflower said:
Not with leprechauns, or sasquatches, or unicorns. Those things are beyond ridiculous. But I did demonstrate that belief is a matter of choice, and that it occurs routinely in one's every day thought processes.
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A lot of the stuff in the Bible is beyond ridiculous too!:rolleyes:
 
Zinga,

re: "It's basically about researching the subject till it resonates w/me ... :


And once it resonates with you, what is the state of your mind with regard to having a belief about the issue in question?
 
In reply to the orginal post:

I don't know if you can successfully choose to believe anything you want.

Suppose I choose to believe that there are invisible bears all around us, and they will jump out and eat me if I let my guard down. I think I would have difficulty sustaining that belief.

Some factors that support beliefs:

Basis in observable reality.
- The belief is compatible with facts.

Other people who share the belief.
- A support network of people who can help you when you have doubts.

A documented history of the belief.
- Writings to help you understand the foundations of the belief.

A lifestyle that supports the belief.
- The more the belief dictates your behavior, the more real it becomes.

It works for me.
 
Exactly why I have issues believing in a passive aggressive sky faerie off his meds tossing lightning bolts, plagues, bumper crops, demanding worship and parting seas or smiting away and rising them...

And yeah, I question virgin births and reported parlor tricks as well...

I get in trouble wanting observable reality, documented history.... even if there are a slew of people who believe in UFOs
 
Dan said "I don't know if you can successfully choose to believe anything you want."

Actually they can. We see it all the time. In intellectual processes there is not usually any drastic results. In the physical realm it is a different story indeed. One can believe they can jump out a ten story window and fly. All they will do in reality is fall gracefully and go splat!

The physical laws of nature are hard to will away.
 
A belief that kills you as soon as you try practice it is hardly successful, is it? If you read my entire post, you noticed that I mentioned compatibility with observed reality.
 
Everyone say 'choose' and everyone means different things. The OP chose to define it into a sliver of it's usage and no one can follow his reasoning because that's not what we mean when we say that we chose what we believe. In that way, Dan is right in that we can't chose to believe in the most extraordinary things when it goes against everything we previously believed. But sure, we could get there with time if we are manipulated the right way.
 
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