As far as I'm concerned we all believe what we want to believe. None of us believe something because "It makes the most sense".

We either consciously or unconsciously formulate beliefs (or have them formulated for us), and this gradually becomes our view of reality.
Nobody wants to be wrong. Nobody want to find out that the universe as they understand it is in reality a lot different. It would mean that the life we have developed isn't as functional, since it was built to function within what we "thought" was reality.
Therefore we all always search for evidence to support our beliefs. If something comes along that contradicts our beliefs we reject them, make excuses for them, or reframe them, or perform any kind of mental feat to convince ourselves that our view of reality still holds strong. We ALL do this.
If someone's view of reality is that when we die we rot, they will focus on arguments for this belief and arguments against contrary beliefs (Lack of proof in god for example).
Similarly, if someone's view of reality is that we are spirits that go on after death we will focus on evidence that back up this belief (Astral Projection during near death experiences), and again arguments against contrary beliefs.

Now to my point. Whatever you have chosen to believe may be right and it may be wrong, but the evidence that you have built up to support your beliefs has been biased from the moment you first decided what your beliefs were. Therefore can you even trust your own judgement? A judgment heavily influenced by the fear of being WRONG.

There is nothing I can do or say to prove my beliefs to anyone else. I can't even prove my beliefs to myself. But all I know is that my beliefs are that the universe is utterly magical and nothing short of perfect. This makes me happy and so I will continue to acknowledge evidence that suggests I'm right. I want to believe that we exist forever, because in my mind it's better to believe this than to believe I'll rot. I am an eternal indestructible evolving spirit heading towards communion with pure bliss and everything I see and experience is testament to that.

I hope your beliefs are as pleasing to you.

As far as I'm concerned we all believe what we want to believe. None of us believe something because "It makes the most sense".
You're wrong. To use the obvious example, I'd like to believe I'm immortal and invincible, but since that won't do anything but get me killed young, I don't. For a less personal example, scientists toss out theories they like all the time because the facts contradict them; "Many a beautiful theory has been slain by an ugly fact".


If someone's view of reality is that when we die we rot, they will focus on arguments for this belief and arguments against contrary beliefs (Lack of proof in god for example).
Similarly, if someone's view of reality is that we are spirits that go on after death we will focus on evidence that back up this belief (Astral Projection during near death experiences), and again arguments against contrary beliefs.
False comparison. The people who believe we just rot when we die have evidence, and there isn't any evidence for a God, and plenty against. The believers in souls and God have zero evidence; unsupported hearsay is NOT evidence.



But all I know is that my beliefs are that the universe is utterly magical and nothing short of perfect. This makes me happy and so I will continue to acknowledge evidence that suggests I'm right. I want to believe that we exist forever, because in my mind it's better to believe this than to believe I'll rot. I am an eternal indestructible evolving spirit heading towards communion with pure bliss and everything I see and experience is testament to that.

You are wrong; what you hear and see contradicts your incredibly silly beliefs. The fact that you want to believe them doesn't make them more likely, or less stupid. It does make you dangerous to yourself and others, since you might decide to kill yourself believing that it doesn't matter, or kill others for the same reason. Holding insane beliefs is dangerous, and your beliefs are insane.

he makes a point sort of. i've met quite a few people who make their beliefs because they just sound good to them.

if you ask people what they think happens after death, you're bound to get a few answers like reincarnation or heaven just because they "like the idea".

to say that ALL of us believe what we want, is not true. i'd like to believe without a shadow of a doubt that i'll live in bliss for my entire afterlife, but i can't simply cast logic aside and believe that'll happen just because i want it to.

Belıeve ın what you belıeve ın ıt wont hurt anyone. There are tons of valıd ways to look at the world not just one. As long as you are lıvıng well and your belıefs help you be a better person for your own self then your on the rıght path. Basıcaly everythıng ıs rıght. Doesnt matter ıf the mythology ıs true or not ın the end. Its not about beıng rıght or wrong ın thıs kınd of stuff. Its about lıvıng true to yourself and beıng one wıth who you are and the world around you.

I must disagree. At age 15, I was a Christian for long enough to suss out that the basic premises were absurd, most notably that a lving God would concoct somethg like Hell. Spent the next few years being an angry young atheist, not having a viable alternative to the vengeful God thing.

Today, all those concepts I hold as true--that the soul is immortal, reincarnation, that we are All One, and so on--I accept not on blind faith but as a result of either personal experience, or because the concepts resonate within my heart and soul, wherein lies all knowledge and wisdom.

I see some truth to what you say, but I definitely think we can prove our beliefs to ourselves. After all, I think the majority view themselves as the best judges of sensory and abstract content. We may not be able to 'prove' our beliefs to others, on the other hand, but we can certainly sway opinions.

I don't think our judgments are solely (if at all) based on fear, either. There is a genuine desire to know that drives us. This leads us either to an understanding of the transcendent or a lack of belief or somewhere in between. This can also be a transitional state.