Do We Choose Our Beliefs?

[Trailblazer]

I get what you're saying, but I still have to disagree. Faith is not a lie: blindly assuming one is right when they cannot possibly know this to be so. Faith is hoping and trusting in what one wants to be true, even though one cannot know it to be true. Real faith acknowledges our doubt, and our skepticism. In fact, faith exists as our response to these. And I believe this is a very important distinction to be aware of: the distinction between faith, and blind pretense. Because faith is based on honesty, while blind pretense is based on dishonesty.

I was not talking about faith, I was talking about belief. However, I have faith that my religion is true and that God exists and is nobody's right to try to usurp my faith, why would anyone even want to? If someone tries to usurp another person's faith, I think they should be asking themselves why they have a need to do that.

You said: Real faith acknowledges our doubt, and our skepticism. But why does it have to be that way? Do you think that God wants us to doubt that He exists? I do not think that.

Matthew 21:21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.

Some things I believe I know and other things I can only believe, and I have to try to have faith that they are true. For example, I can only believe that God is All-Loving. Since I do not see any evidence of that I try to have faith that it is true, so I am hoping and trusting in what I want to be true, even though I cannot know it to be true.

But I believe I can know that my religion is true because of the evidence, and if my religion is true, then God exists. I do not need proof because the evidence is good enough for me. This is not blind pretense, it is certitude, and it is a personal thing. Maybe you cannot understand how anyone can be that certain, but I can assure you I am not the only believer who is that certain.

 

[Left Coast]

I tend to be a skeptic. There are a whole lot of things I simply don't know to be true, things I'm more agnostic about. But I "choose" to live my life as if they are true. That's faith. Is it belief? I think belief is when you know, or at least you think you know. I'm not very good at believing. But I'm great at having faith.

I would say belief is a little broader category than knowledge. Knowledge is extreme confidence, something you're absolutely sure about. Beliefs are less confident, and generally probabilistic. So the thing is, would you choose to live your life as though something was true, if you didn't think it was at least more likely true than not? Why would a person act as though something is true that they think most likely isn't?

 

[Left Coast]

Certitude is not a 'degree of trust'. In fact, it isn't trust at all. If I am certain of something being true, I would be logically unable to decide otherwise. (This seems to be what is being claimed, here.) However, if I am not certain, then I must choose whether to believe something is true, or not to, depending on whatever criteria I decide to be reasonable.

It's your last sentence in bold that's incorrect. Even if I'm not 100% certain of x, that doesn't mean I choose whether to believe it. If the evidence shows it's more likely true than not, I believe, with a certain degree of confidence proportional to the evidence. Whatever is reasonable to me isn't something I choose; it becomes apparent to me upon learning what "reasonable" means in English.

 

[Agnostisch]

I tend to be a skeptic. There are a whole lot of things I simply don't know to be true, things I'm more agnostic about. But I "choose" to live my life as if they are true. That's faith. Is it belief? I think belief is when you know, or at least you think you know. I'm not very good at believing. But I'm great at having faith.

You have to be a skeptic.

 

[Trailblazer]

I believed in reincarnation before becoming a Christian and it helped me to believe in the resurrection. Now I can see from the Bible that Jesus believes in it also.

Why do you think Jesus believes in reincarnation?

I believe there are some things that are hard to unlearn. I came out of a disfunctional long term belief in my old age and wonder why it took me so long.

What was that dysfunctional belief and what belief do you hold now??

I believe our spirits can be very stubborn.

That is true, but the more stubborn we are the stronger is our faith.