Well, I could point out how China recently blocked all of the protest videos on youtube for tibet. I think if they thought it was possible to regulate your beliefs, they probably would have laws dictating that. Of course, a question this raises, is if you have a belief, but can never say it out loud, is it really your belief?

But in reference to the original question, it is possible to change your beliefs in a single day, provided you have new informaton or specific motivation behind those beliefs, otherwise it would take a great deal of time to change a belief without any reason at all. 

A lot of my views changed after my son was born, but a lot of my core beliefs have remained intact for years.

 Right. So you think beliefs can be changed because of information? Do you also think that beliefs are the results of the rational structuring of information? It seems like they would have to based on some rational structure of information if a new piece of information could change the belief.

It is not possible to change your beliefs in a single day, no. There's a difference between actually believing something and merely mentally ascenting to it.

But overall, I do believe in free will. In fact, I think it was my fate to believe in free will.

^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?

When i read the original post i thought it was about changing what you believe like the original poster had stated, but it seems it has changed into if you can change your actions not your beliefs. Like the guy who doesn't eat meat and the smoking guy, that is not changing your beliefs but rather changing how you act. You might stop smoking due to the baby having problems from it but most likely you still feel the same about smoking and belief it is fine but avoid it to avoid harming the child. This is easy.

On the other hand changing what you believe like the original post stated is a lot harder, changing actions is harder than changing beliefs. I can act like i whatever i choose to act like but if i believe something it is harder to change. If i believe abortion is bad and i protest it but one day i want to run for mayor in a town where the people are democrats, i might say i am now for abortion and act like i am for it but in my mind i still believe what i believed before but act like i have changed. It is not impossible but hard.

Free will is an illusion anyway...

@fku--in china for a long time it was aganist the law for certain religions from practicing in the open

and in Iraq even if a woman believes that she should have the right to go out in public dressed like an american you know the police and vigilantes would be all over her in a mintue

 That's a little bit different argument. But if free will is necessary to choose a belief than it would follow that we do not choose what we believe in.