It seems to me that everything we believe we choose to believe.

We choose to believe that a certain person will be a good or bad person.

We choose to believe that standing in the rain is horrible or refreshing.

we choose to believe that playing chess is fun and challenging or boring as hell.

With these beliefs everything that we experience afterwards will back up what we have chosen to believe.

It's in our nature to want to be right, so we will look for evidence to back our belief. Evidence that we will always find in the form of more beliefs. Here are some examples.

So if we choose to believe that a certain person is bad, then we will search for the bad in whatever he does in order to fortify our beliefs. If the person smiles we will choose to believe that his smile is sadistic and hides negative thoughts towards us. Or if we see him speeding in a car we will choose to believe that he is a typical boy racer who has no respect for other road users. If we see him do something good we might choose to believe that he's simply doing it to fool people into thinking he IS good.

All the time we choose beliefs that support our initial belief, which was simply a choice made in the first place.

He may have smiled because he IS friendly.

He may have raced because he was late for something important.

He may have done something good because he IS good.

If we were simply to look for the good in him in the first instance then we would search for more evidence to fortify those beliefs.

Which beliefs would fill you with more happiness? The ones that give you hatred for a person, or the ones that give you love for him?

So why not choose the same about life?

Why not choose to believe in God? If you choose to believe in God then evidence will be found all around because you will search for it.

If you can't believe in God because you think any God who throws people into hell isn't a god worth believing in, then choose to believe in a god who grants everyone into heaven. Choose to believe in the most beautiful God you canb imagine.

I choose to believe that unity is better than seperation.

I choose to believe that loving is better than hating.

I choose to believe that no-one is evil, but perhaps uneducated or hurt and in need of love.

I choose to believe that we choose what to experience in order to make ourselves better and better.

I choose to believe that we all last forever and that by choosing to believe so, nothing can ever cause us any suffering.

Why not believe these things?

Whatever you believe about life, you will experience.

Why not believe something cool?

i believe(haha pun) that parents shouldn't raise children in religion, i think they should let them choose when they get old enough.

You seem to be thinking in absolutes. Chess isn't absolutely fun, nor is it absolutely boring. Why? Fun and boring are defined on a person by person basis. Fuzzy logic, not boolean logic, applies when talking about whether or not something is "fun" or "boring" as "fun" and "boring" cannot be defined in absolute terms.

However, there are some claims that have boolean truth values (they are either true or false). For example, I can claim that the pencil in my hand is 22 grams. This statement is either true or false, regardless of who weighs it. Similarly, religious claims must be either true or false. There is either a God or there isn't a God. Jesus either was the son of God or he wasn't the son of God. It's simple, really.

Furthermore, I'd like to dispute your claim that "Whatever you believe about life, you will experience." Let's say I decide I am invincible, because being invincible would really cool. As such, I decide to try to jump off of 20 story building, because that would be really fun. If I were to do this, I would more than likely die. Why? Because rejecting reality and substituting your own beliefs is not only childish, it's dangerous, and potentially lethal.

I choose to believe with an open mind what I can surmise to be the truth.

Doing other wise and I would be lying to my self.

I have for a lack of better words more changeable ideas and opinions about every thing else.

quote:Originally posted by Graemy:

i believe(haha pun) that parents shouldn't raise children in religion, i think they should let them choose when they get old enough.

My I ask your reasoning behind this?

because he should believe what he/she wants to believe. his/her parents may like christianity but he/she may like atheism. or maybe he/she was raised a buddhist and he/she wants to be a satanist.

if they are raised one way they will think that, the way they were raised is the only way and may have prejeduces against other ways.

[This message has been edited by Graemy (edited 08-05-2006).]

I didn't see the "n't" part. Position clearfield.

There is truth. Maybe not in all things but in all things important there is an absolute truth . Whether you choose to believe it or not isnt the issue. You can believe in the greek gods. That does not make them real. You can choose to fly, you can not defeat the laws of gravity that long. You can choose to find any evidence you wish. But there is an absolute truth. People are filled with all kinds of evil including myself. If you do not see evil then take another look around because you have been somewhat blinded i guess. Nothing is just as you choose. Truth will always be there, whether you want to see it or not.

I'm fairly sure that intellectualism completely discredits the idea that one can choose to believe something.