Can it be time to retire this facile Christian argument: You don't believe in god because you don't WANT to believe! [Spirituality & Religion]
Think about that for like [i]A[/i] second.
Do you love you mother and father? Grandprents? Husband, wife? Yeah, me too. Can you bear the idea of never seeing them again? Yeah, me neither. So if i thought i would get to see them again after we die, why wouldn't you [i]want[/i] to believe that? I certainly would.
So can we dispense with this puerile response to why atheists don't believe?
Thanks.
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But that's completely true. The existence of God is a self-fulfilling prophecy. God exists for those who choose to believe, and doesn't exist for those who choose not to. Since believers cannot prove God's existence to non-believers and vice versa, recognizing it as a self-fulfilling prophecy is the only way to reconcile the two extremes.
@Pikachu It's as simple as my answer, and it ties back to your question. It's all about choosing to believe or choosing not to believe. Since believers have made the choice to believe, then God exists for them. Since non-believers such as atheists have chosen not to believe, then God doesn't exist for them. Elegantly simple!
@Pikachu Of course belief or non-belief is a choice. It's made for us as children, usually by our parents, and by us when we mature and become free to make our own decisions. What else can it be?
Christians and members of other denominations choose to believe, and atheists choose not to.
@Pikachu But I don't see how there can be an argument, because it's obvious that belief or non-belief is a choice. Perhaps you're saying that some Christians feel that their choice to believe is more valid than the choice made by others. Is that it? I suppose everyone feels that their choice is the most valid, which is why they made it in the first place. But do you think that these Christians are just being judgemental of others?
I honestly can't see where you made it. But since you are so reluctant to go to the other thread we can do it here.
Why don't you begin by sharing the results of the exercise i assigned in that thread. Were you successful? Do you believe that Santa flies around the world at Christmas delivering presents?
@Pikachu I don't believe in Santa Claus, and I'm not going to to some dumb exercise that you "assigned." I don't recognize any authority that you think you may have.
Sorry, i didn't mean it as a command or exercise in my authority.
I'm inviting you to do a thought experiment to test the validity of the claim that belief is a choice.
I imagine that you are genuinely interested in exploring both sides of the argument. If that is true, then to that end please attempt to [i]choose[/i] right now that you do in fact believe Santa is real.
@Pikachu I just said that I don't believe in Santa Claus. I'm Jewish, so I don't even believe in the whole Christian mythology of immaculate conception, resurrection et al.
[quote] I just said that I don't believe in Santa Claus[/quote]
Neither do i.
But you are claiming that belief is a choice. If that is true then you should be able to [i]choose[/i] right now that actually you [i]do [/i] believe Santa is real.
That's the point. If it's a choice then you could choose that you do believe Santa is real. But you can't do that, can you? You cannot decide that you do actually believe Santa is real.
Therefore you have just proven to yourself that belief is not a choice.
[quote] I could choose to believe Santa or God is real [/quote] Then do it. Choose that you believe in Santa and then swear to me on your mother's/spouses/children's life that you really do believe Santa is real.
