Defending the Truth

I'm NOT choosing to believe that it is NOT stupid because it IS stupid.

That is my CHOICE - based on my OBSERVATION, READING and THINKING.


I am CHOOSING to believe you are arrogant, ignorant and argumentative - which I did not believe before. Good enough?

If I had to guess, I would guess you have called me all of those before or at least synonyms for those...

Let me further clarify. Maybe I am being too metaphorical for you. I cannot choose to belief the Islamic faith right now. I don't believe it. It is not a choice that I have made, rather I make choices based on that belief. I don't believe the Islamic faith to be true so I choose not to attend a mosque. Is it your argument that I could choose to fully believe in Islam right now?

If you came to believe - through whatever means - that Islam is true, then yes, you could choose to fully believe Islam right now.

Next...

I am not speaking of "whatever means" I am speaking of one specific way, the conscience decision to believe. i could pretend to believe, but unless something else changed other than my desire, I would know deep down that I did not truly believe.

Oh stop backpeddling. You're just making an ass of yourself.

We change our minds ALL THE TIME - based on what we come to know, or know more fully.

Just drop it. You're so far in the hole you can't even see the light. Good lord...

There is a difference in changing your mind and changing a belief. Here is an example of each since you seem to not understand.

Changing one's mind: I was going to wear shorts, but then I decided to wear jeans.

Changing one's beliefs: I was a Wiccan, but I have chosen to believe that Jesus is the Son of God who was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life and sacrificed his life for the sins of me and the world.

Here is a simple question to prove my point. Could you honestly decide that you do not believe 2+2=4? If you cannot choose to believe that, you admit that there are other factors for belief than what you will.

No, I would not personally decide to believe that 2+2 does NOT equal 4. However, it clearly is possible for somebody to do exactly that.

And yes, people can - and do - CHOOSE to change their core beliefs. It happens all the time. It's called (in religious circles) CONVERSION.

No, conversion is the action of switching to a religion that better suits their beliefs. In other words, if I were to convert to Christianity, that would mean that I believed in it before I converted. How can someone truly convert to a religion they don't believe in?

Tell me, when did you make a conscience decision that you believed your core beliefs?

I believe you ought to re-take Logic 101 at college. You obviously either never took it, or you failed it.

Ummm, I did not use any formal logical deductions in my statement that you are responding to above. I made a definitional argument. Would you care to explain how and why someone would truly convert to a religion in which they did not believe in yet? In other words, my argument states that you can choose to convert, but you cannot choose to believe.