RE: Is belief really a choice?
April 4, 2013 at 6:00 pm
(This post was last modified: April 4, 2013 at 6:10 pm by Paraselene.)
I was skimming through some atheist articles on this topic, and it appears to me that there is no logical argument put forth in relation to the choice of belief. The writers all claim that belief does not appear to be a matter of will or choice, and basically compares it to actions as the source for the argument. (from what I can logically perceive, there is no difference between choosing theism or atheism and choosing vanilla or chocolate ice cream). Also, the writers make mention of no more choosing to disbelieve in god than choosing to disbelieve in elves. Simply put, I am reading these articles and not understanding the arguments put forth at all. It seems to me that the writers are merely attempting to convince themselves, for some reason, that choice is not involved.
My reasoning is this, even though I have already stated it: the fact that there is theism and atheism, two very distinct notions, means that there is a choice available between the two. Does everyone make the choice? No. That is the distinction where I believe we are becoming confused. Just because some people do not choose, does not mean there is never a choice available for others. The only way I can logically see someone not choosing between theism and atheism is if the individual was never exposed to theism while growing up and by default he remained an atheist. Others, like myself, who were raised with theism, eventually come to a crossroads, and we have to choose whether we will continue to be theists for the sake of the comfort it provides or to choose to become an atheist where reason lies.
My reasoning is this, even though I have already stated it: the fact that there is theism and atheism, two very distinct notions, means that there is a choice available between the two. Does everyone make the choice? No. That is the distinction where I believe we are becoming confused. Just because some people do not choose, does not mean there is never a choice available for others. The only way I can logically see someone not choosing between theism and atheism is if the individual was never exposed to theism while growing up and by default he remained an atheist. Others, like myself, who were raised with theism, eventually come to a crossroads, and we have to choose whether we will continue to be theists for the sake of the comfort it provides or to choose to become an atheist where reason lies.
"What a little moonlight can do." ~ Billie Holiday
