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Religious Freedom
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It is said that people choose to believe and so also choose not to believe.
But is belief a choice? Can I, if I wanted to, choose to believe that Thor is god and exists?
"People need heroes. They don't need to know how he died clawing his eyes out, screaming for mercy. The real story would just hurt sales, and dampen the spirits of our customers." - Mythology for Profit
It depends, I think. Some people seem to do just that, but I don't think such people are being intellectually honest with themselves. I thought about this myself, wondering if I could ever decide that I do believe in god after all... and I don't think that I could. I know too much now. I understand where 'feelings' and 'intuition' come from now... and understand how the universe functions and how life evolved, etc.
Once you have knowledge and lose superstition, I don't think there is any turning back. Why do you think the Church has always tried to suppress the quest for knowledge? Knowledge, as they say, is the 'Forbidden Fruit'.  (September 25, 2010 at 11:13 am)FadingW Wrote: But is belief a choice? No. You either are or are not convinced to something. You can act like you believe something but if you aren't convinced, you can't will that to change.
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too." ... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept "(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question" ... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist 
You can't force yourself to believe something.
 (September 25, 2010 at 11:13 am)FadingW Wrote: It is said that people choose to believe and so also choose not to believe.A generalisation since not everyone chooses what and what not to believe in. Sometimes people mature and develop their own beliefs without peer pressure, however, in most cases its childhood religious indoctrination that determines what faith-based system one adopts without question. Quote:Can I, if I wanted to, choose to believe that Thor is god and exists?Yes. That's your right of entitlement, your privilege.  (September 25, 2010 at 11:13 am)FadingW Wrote: Can I, if I wanted to, choose to believe that Thor is god and exists? Of course you can. It doesn't mean you're right. But that's never stopped the christians has it 
![[Image: mybannerglitter06eee094.gif]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=i118.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fo112%2Fpussinboots_photos%2FBikes%2Fmybannerglitter06eee094.gif) If you're not supposed to ride faster than your guardian angel can fly then mine had better get a bloody SR-71. 
At least Thor is cool.
[attachment=393]
Yeah, Thor was a superhero and had his own comic book. Did jesus? I think not. 
If you're not supposed to ride faster than your guardian angel can fly then mine had better get a bloody SR-71.
Also Thor had an action figure that was more kid friendly:
![[Image: TheMightyThor.jpg]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=i557.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fss17%2Fmikey_boy76%2FTheMightyThor.jpg) All you can do with Jesus is crucify him! (obviously) ![[Image: jesus.jpg]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=i186.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fx235%2FSneaky_Snake6996%2Fjesus.jpg) The only thing going for Jesus here is his awesome catchphrases such as: "Oh my God, these nails really HURT!" 
It is obvious that belief is a choice. If I choose to believe in Thor I most certainly can, but that does not make him real.
Quote:"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. " |
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