You know nothing about my spirituality. I hold that all life is sacred, not just human.

When you kill a bird to eat, you are taking the chance of killing the one bird who may have developed an immunity to the bird flu that may be passed down genetically to it's offspring and their offspring, etc... but we will take that chance, won't we. To me, it is morally wrong to take that chance.

I experience the spiritual every day, being alive, experiencing life. I find spirituality in the life and forces found in all of nature. That I do not attribute this to a supernatural entity does not mean it is not a spiritual experience.

Perhaps in your opinion, spirituality can only be found in an entity separate from life. To me, personal opinion is founded in ego and ego is a fallicy when seeking truth.

You can claim your opinion is truth but it rings hollow and echoes ego.

Then prove me wrong, help me save my soul, and decide to believe in elves. You can pretend to. You can lie to everyone including yourself, but deep down you would know you were lying.

I'll tell you what. If you send me a notarized letter stating that you honestly believe that liberals are superior to conservatives in every way, I will send you fifty dollars. I will also have the right to publish that letter. But you won't mind since you will believe that to be true. If what I said is so dumb, that should not be a problem.

Do you have any idea what you're talking about, or are you just talking because you love the sound of your own voice?

Here's what YOU WROTE: So... are you going to tell me that people are NOT free to choose what we will believe?

Yes. That is exactly what I said. If I am wrong, use your freedom to choose what you believe and choose to believe being a liberal is better than being conservative for fifty bucks. If you think that is morally repugnant, just choose to believe that it is not. How about this: simply tell me the last time you made a conscience decision to stop believeing in something and believe in something else.

You're going to try to tell me that people do NOT have the ability to CHOOSE to believe or not believe something?

Are you kidding?

Are you REALLY that ignorant?

If you CANNOT CHOOSE WHAT YOU WILL BELIEVE, what the heck is the point of education? What is the point of reading? What is the point of thinking?

I have CHOSEN what I believe and what I do NOT believe, based on observation, research, logic, thinking and coherent affirmation.

I wish you were a thinker too...

No, your experience and education has lead you to believe certain things. If you grew up in Iran, you would have a different set of belilefs. If you can choose to believe what you want, why not choose to believe liberals are better and get fifty bucks? If you can choose what you believe why don't you choose to believe that whatever you are eating is the most delicious meal in the world? Why don't men choose to believe that the girl they are with is actually the sexiest woman to ever walk the earth?

1. Very likely, yes. But that doesn't mean I can't ever change my mind as a result of learning.

2. I can choose to believe whatever I want. But I don't need to prostitute myself for $50 by lying and saying that liberals are better. Besides, that has nothing to do with being able to choose what you do and don't believe.

3. Sometimes I do. In fact, my wife has pork chops, potatoes & onions cooking in the crock pot for supper. Most delicious meal in the world.

4. I HAVE chosen to believe that my wife is the sexiest woman to ever walk the face of the earth. That's why we've been married for longer than you've been alive, junior.


Now... what does any of this have to do with the FACT that we CHOOSE what we do and don't believe?

Note: If you find yourself in a hole, the best thing to do is stop digging.

You are making the familiar mistake of arguing what you think I am saying rather than what I am saying.

1. You can change your mind about something and your beliefs can change. But that is not my argument. My argument is that you cannot intentionally change your beliefs. You can become educated and do things that might lead to your beliefs changing, but you cannot wake up one morning and decide to honestly believe in elves. You might wake up one morning and believe in elves, but that would be because you have seen something that make it believable.

2. You believe that is like prostitution, why don't you choose to believe that it is more nobel. If I can see anyone choose to believe something that they currently don't I would be open to choosing to believe in God and become saved. It is exactly the topic of being able to choose to believe what you want. Either you control what you believe or you can't. This is very simple.

3. You claim to do that sometimes. But if you can honestly make yourself believe that anything is the best meal in the world, why don't you do it all the time. There is no reason that everything you eat should not be the best if you can make yourself believe it.

4. Then I am sure you have never looked at another woman lustfully because you already have the sexiest women in the world. But the issue is not how you feel about your wife (and I am sure you think she is the best and I do not intend to imply differently). The issue is if you have control over that belief. In other words can you choose to believe that some crack whore who weighs 300 pounds, has no teeth, and is covered in herpes is the most beautiful woman in the world? If your claim is correct and you can choose what you believe, you would be able to do so. Further, I assume you thought that your wife was sexy when you first met her and doubt that you believed that she was not sexy and then decided that you would think she was sexy. Finally, just because you think your wife is the sexiest woman in the world does not mean that every person feels the same about their wife. Why would any man choose not to believe that his wife is the sexiest woman in the world if all he has to do is will it to be true ?


This proves that we do not have total control of what we believed. If we did we would universally believe that everything we ate was the best and everyone would believe that their wife was the sexiest woman in the world.

That's just stupid, and getting more stupid.

No reason to even dignify it with a response.

Why don't you choose to believe that it is not stupid. May I suggest that you choose to believe this is the best thing you have ever read? If you do that, you would be much happier.

Please explain to me when you have made a decision to believe something you did not believe in before.