Would you tolerate your beliefs if they were irrational?

[Wootah]

Would you tolerate your beliefs if they were irrational?

If there was a logical chain that was demonstrated to be a contradiction would you still follow your beliefs or would you simply accept that God could do all things?

For instance suppose you had to accept that square circles existed. Would you claim that God could make square circles or would you abandon your beliefs?

I for one would not follow my beliefs once I knew they were irrational. Would you?

[Bust Nak]

If there was a logical chain that was demonstrated to be a contradiction would you still follow your beliefs...

Of course not. But I would point out that there are things that are neither rational nor irrational, it's "arational" as it were.

[Anomaly]

Would you tolerate your beliefs if they were irrational?

If there was a logical chain that was demonstrated to be a contradiction would you still follow your beliefs or would you simply accept that God could do all things?

For instance suppose you had to accept that square circles existed. Would you claim that God could make square circles or would you abandon your beliefs?

I for one would not follow my beliefs once I knew they were irrational. Would you?

I feel reason is very important to my religious beliefs and should be to everyone's. The problem with your question for me is that logic and truth are not necessarily identical. The more complex the proposition, the more room there is for error.

My answer would be: if by "demonstrated to be a contradiction" you're talking about a purely logical formula, maybe or even probably not. If you mean demonstration by the more lax rules of logic as 'propositions able to pass reasonable warrant for belief' as it's used in common, everyday judgment...I may [hope I would] adjust my beliefs to the greater weight of proof.

I'm sure you're aware that beliefs are not easily changed, even by sufficient proofs. Theists and atheists seem to feel confident in their opposite beliefs that God exists and doesn't exist respectively, and both feel they have sufficient warrant for their beliefs. Where truth lands in this vast sea of beliefs seems not much available to us.

[Complexity]

I would never tolerate an irrational belief in favor of a more rational belief (all other factors being equal). But what we all consider irrational is tricky, highly relative, but important to our decisions. And we must all tolerate some level of irrational in all our beliefs. If you doubt that, study Philosophy; indistinguishability, man’s circular bootstrapped method of justification (the only type of knowledge available to non-gods). All beliefs contain mysteries, unknowns, gaps, and contradictions. But that is no excuse to be a blind, foolish feeling-follower, picking the most selfish, easy, comforting beliefs. I don't trust my feelings any further than I can throw them. If I found big contradictions in the Bible, I'd ramp back my faith; but would never give up my hope for a good God.

Unfortunately, many of my fellow Christians are content to ignore rationality and even state that irrationality is a virtue. I often ask them what they do with the vast number of verses that promote rationality. I get little response, if any. But I have the same trouble with most atheists I encounter, who virtually all refuse to engage in deep discussions; no matter how easy-going and gracious I try to be. My beloved dad was an Atheist who would never talk about it to anybody. He died never opening up. But my mother was very open and I followed that virtue.

Scientists know that truth sometimes doesn't track with the evidence or test data, even where hard science can be done and there are repeatable tests available for peer review. It is tricky to tease out truth from the entangled maze of inputs and relationships (functions). Then it is an entirely different matter to decide which beliefs to follow and support. There are factors beyond the facts that reason tell us to incorporate into our decision-making. Most evidences can’t be studied with repeated lab tests, but can be analyzed by rational means. I won't go deeper but say that the possibility of an eternal afterlife is so important that it is to be preferred or supported above the alternative. How much of a benefit of a doubt we grant to the God hope; and to what God; and how that affect our chosen beliefs and actions is the struggle we all forced to face. How do you balance all the factors? Most people hide in their favorite escapism with sloppy-to-no analysis. I know the temptations personally.

People Do Change: I was born into a blind, irrational faith. I fully trusted my family and religious preachers. But I saw huge contradictions and started asking questions. Some opposed this as godless heresy, a few supported my quest, most ignored me. I left Christianity at age 15 after much emotional and intellectual struggle. I became an Atheist, solidly believing the godless evolution I was taught in school. At last I'd found rationality firmly based in the science that I loved so much. But, I again found contradictions within the Atheist arguments and started asking questions again. Long story. I eventually found Jesus; the best rational faith. Point is that people do change, big time; and what seems to silly and wrong can turn out to be right. We must be humble about what we think is irrational.

[2ndRateMind]

Would you tolerate your beliefs if they were irrational?

Following on from this thought, 'tis my belief that humanity in general, and each human in particular, is on a mission.

That mission is to render our world-view internally coherent, externally consistent, and universally comprehensive. Thus, our beliefs should not contradict each other, and they should not contradict the brute facts of reality, and they should account for every known phenomenon of the universe.

It's not an easy mission, and it may well take generations to achieve. But, I think, it is a worthwhile mission.

Meanwhile, we just have to reconcile ourselves to the reality that our knowledge is partial, and get on as best we can with what we have got, however incoherent, inconsistent and incomplete our beliefs may be. And, there is advantage to understanding that, in that it behoves us to adopt a becoming degree of intellectual humility. As Socrates put it: 'I am the wisest of men alive, since I know one thing: that I know nothing else'.

Best wishes, 2RM.