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RE: Is belief really a choice?
April 4, 2013 at 3:36 pm
(This post was last modified: April 4, 2013 at 3:37 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
(April 4, 2013 at 3:32 pm)MysticKnight Wrote: So it's a choice to remain rational and stick to rational thought from my experience.
It's a choice you don't follow new Age people going on about energy and stuff like that. It's a choice my friend. And important one as well.
I don't see how a story about someone who went from one religion to the next establishes this Mystic. He probably maintains that he is - at this very islamic moment- being completely rational..eh?
It's twu, it's twu, it's twu.
There's been a whole lot of asserting and re-asserting going on in this thread.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Is belief really a choice?
April 4, 2013 at 3:37 pm
(April 4, 2013 at 3:34 pm)Rhythm Wrote: Did you choose to become an agnostic, or did you discover that somewhere along the way you had become one?
I honestly believe there is no distinction. I had discovered that I was an agnostic/atheist because I had chosen to take that path.
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RE: Is belief really a choice?
April 4, 2013 at 3:38 pm
(This post was last modified: April 4, 2013 at 3:39 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Choosing to take a path and choosing to believe are synonymous? I can choose to go on a ghost tour without choosing to believe in ghosts.
(which, amusingly, is sort of how I view wicca..lol)
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Is belief really a choice?
April 4, 2013 at 3:45 pm
(April 4, 2013 at 3:36 pm)Rhythm Wrote: (April 4, 2013 at 3:32 pm)MysticKnight Wrote: So it's a choice to remain rational and stick to rational thought from my experience.
It's a choice you don't follow new Age people going on about energy and stuff like that. It's a choice my friend. And important one as well.
I don't see how a story about someone who went from one religion to the next establishes this Mystic. He probably maintains that he is - at this very islamic moment- being completely rational..eh?
It's twu, it's twu, it's twu.
There's been a whole lot of asserting and re-asserting going on in this thread.
Well the point you were bringing is whether we choose to believe a person can fly or not if he claims it. My response was from my experience and perspective, yes people do chose.
When I see that person going from Deism to Atheism to Islam, I see him struggling to chose what he believes. I see that struggle, because, as a human, I put myself in his shoes and see choices. Because I've been there with choices.
I felt the need to believe in Mohammad and 12 Imams and that the Quran has been corrupted not too long ago. I even gave into it for a day. All this nice fuzzy feeling came in believing my childhood heroes again. But then I chose to be rational and not given into those emotions.
I tend to hate it when people chose to be irrational when coming across rational arguments and reasoning.
Perhaps you been doing a perpetual decision for a very long time, that it doesn't feel like you are choosing anymore. That doesn't mean you aren't.
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RE: Is belief really a choice?
April 4, 2013 at 3:46 pm
(April 4, 2013 at 3:38 pm)Rhythm Wrote: I can choose to go on a ghost tour without choosing to believe in ghosts.
(which, amusingly, is sort of how I view wicca..lol)
Similarly, one can choose to believe in ghosts, but choose to not go on a ghost tour.
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RE: Is belief really a choice?
April 4, 2013 at 4:08 pm
(This post was last modified: April 4, 2013 at 4:08 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
(April 4, 2013 at 3:46 pm)Mr Infidel Wrote: Similarly, one can choose to believe in ghosts, but choose to not go on a ghost tour.
Precisely what I'm trying to determine. I can't, personally, choose that. I can't even -choose to believe- that it seems like I could........
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Is belief really a choice?
April 4, 2013 at 4:13 pm
(This post was last modified: April 4, 2013 at 4:18 pm by Joel.)
Can you choose to believe that you're not seeing the computer screen in front of you - and actually believe it? Not just claim that you can't see it.
I can't.
(March 30, 2013 at 9:51 pm)ThatMuslimGuy2 Wrote: Never read anything immoral in the Qur'an.
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RE: Is belief really a choice?
April 4, 2013 at 4:21 pm
(This post was last modified: April 4, 2013 at 4:21 pm by Silver.)
(April 4, 2013 at 4:13 pm)Joel Wrote: Can you choose to believe that you're not seeing the computer screen in front of you - and actually believe it? Not just claim that you can't see it.
I can't.
I believe people do it all the time, though perhaps not in the case of computer screens. For instance, a mother who claims that she had no idea her child was being molested by the father even though there were plenty of signs. The woman simply chose to not see what was really happening.
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RE: Is belief really a choice?
April 4, 2013 at 4:23 pm
But she knew what was happening. She didn't believe it wasn't happening; she only claims she didn't know.
Purposely turning a blind eye to something - knowing it's happening - isn't the same as legitimately knowing it isn't happening.
(March 30, 2013 at 9:51 pm)ThatMuslimGuy2 Wrote: Never read anything immoral in the Qur'an.
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RE: Is belief really a choice?
April 4, 2013 at 4:24 pm
(April 4, 2013 at 4:13 pm)Joel Wrote: Can you choose to believe that you're not seeing the computer screen in front of you - and actually believe it? Not just claim that you can't see it.
You bring a good point here. Some beliefs we can't chose otherwise, because it is sitting in front of us, right in our face. Like 1 + 1 = 2.
But when a scientist tells me something can be at two places at once, all of sudden, that (1 + 1 = 2) doesn't seem all too objective. We see two, but it's really one. If this is the case, what if we have some person stating we are all one, everything is the exact same existence. I am you, you are me, we are the universe, etc...it's all just one existence.
And when I played Mass Effect 3, there was a part where it was stated by EDI, what if there is a universe where the mathematical properties of this universe break down, etc...and 1+1=2 is false. Now I don't believe that is possible, but some person can come across that and believe in that.
And when comes to material world existing, there is a significant amount of people, who believe only spiritual world exists and material world is just created via five senses (for example Harun Yahya (his nickname) believes that). So he would not believe the laptop is real.
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