(August 31, 2015 at 12:02 pm)robvalue Wrote: Belief isn't a choice, so by this criteria no one has any control over whether they can or can't be a true christian. I'm instantly out of the running, and there's nothing I can do about it. People can choose to assess all the evidence, but they can't choose to believe something they don't believe, or vice versa.
For example, I can't choose to believe I can fly, no matter how much I might want it to be true. I'd have to really mess with my brain in some serious ways to achieve such a belief. I could probably sill convince myself of that more readily than I could convince myself there was a man walking about who was the son of god.
You can choose to say you believe it, of course.
I agree with all this, rob.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
-walsh
-walsh
