Can you choose what you believe?

[Grey Acumen]

mesoteto said:
^thats not true..if god were to come down from heaven and start up a conversation with an atheist are you telling me that wouldn't change their beliefs in a day?

Honestly, that's not the best example to use. A die hard aethiest would probably either believe that it's a scam, or a mental illness before they'd be willing to accept it was God. There's also the idea that God already is down here starting up a conversation, it's just that no one is listening.

Actually, something to consider about whether or not you can choose to change your beliefs:

Just simply by living, we will come across new information that we must interpret. We always have the ability to choose, because when we interprete new information, we are constantly judging it as whether it is information to accept or reject. When you believe in something, there will always be events that happen in life that may conflict or seem to conflict with those beliefs.

We can already reject new information and instead remain resolute in our beliefs, and it is possibile to do this even with the most bountiful of information to the contrary. Therefor any change we make in our beliefs, no matter what our reasoning is, is still a choice, because we also havethe option to NOT change our beliefs.

With that detail ironed out, then yes, it is also possible to choose to change your beliefs in a day. Adding the stipulation of changing our beliefs on a whim is actually very misleading, as it supposes that if we have a reason to change, then it's no longer a whim, but really, choice ALWAYS has SOME reason, otherwise there wouldn't be a choice at all. Sometimes teh reason is simply "because I want to" though.

The other key issue to address is just because people DON'T doesn't mean that people CAN'T. It is POSSIBLE to change our core and key value and beliefs simply on a whim, but why would we? Those are my core values and beliefs, and in many ways as important or more important than my life, but I can chose to cut off my arm, or kill myself on a whim, I just don't want to.