belief: 1 conviction that certain things are true 2 religious faith 3 trust or confidence 4 creed or doctrine 5 an opinion; expectation; judgement
choice: 1 a choosing; selection 2 the right or power to choose 3 a person or thing chosen 4 the best part 5 a variety from which to choose 6 an alternative
I'll present some examples of what I would and would not regard as beliefs, as well as why I regard them as such, in an attempt to clarify my position and try to avoid tangential issues about whether or not a given proposition qualifies as a belief.
I believe that MaryAnn is more attractive than Ginger. This is a belief; it conforms with the fifth definition of belief provided above as an opinion and judgement. It also defies independent and immediate verification until such time as an objective means of evaluating attractiveness is established.
I believe that my car will start the next time I need to drive somewhere, even though it's been running kinda crappy lately. This qualifies as a belief since it is a statement of confidence about a future event.
In contrast, I do not need to believe that the New York Mets won the 1986 World Series. The games are over, the scores are final, their win is a fact and remains as such regardless of religious affiliation, political party, sexual orientation or any amount of love for the Boston Red Sox. Nor do I need to believe that my car started successfully last Thursday; no confidence, trust, conviction, faith, doctrine or opinion is required.
I'm not suggesting that beliefs are either innate nor final, but changing sincerely held beliefs requires additional compelling data. For example, if Sherwood Schwartz released some old episodes of Gilligan's Island which portray MaryAnn as a vindictive, back-stabbing bitch and Ginger as a non-pretentious, considerate gal with a deep interest in mathematics and a love of Beethoven's piano concertos, my belief about who is more attractive may very well change. (As well, that change in belief would be fully compatible with my fetish for green-eyed redheads.
)What constitutes a choice can get a bit more difficult since some choices might have considerable consequences. If I go to Baskin-Robbins, I can choose from a variety of ice cream flavors which I find equally appealing (coffee, strawberry cheesecake, mint chocolate chip, orange cream) as well as some which I find less appealing (vanilla, chocolate, bublegum) with little or no negative consequence. As the potential for negative consequences increases for a particular selection, I consider my choice in a given matter to be diminished. For example, I can "choose" not to file a tax return with the IRS, but doing so means weighing the potential consequences against the potential gain by not filing. By my measure, I regard the penalties for not filing as having a greater negative consequence than filing, and Congress and the IRS have stacked the deck in such a fashion as to make a highly persuasive case for "choosing" to file tax returns in a timely fashion.
As well, there are some things which I definitely did not choose: my eye color, my sexual orientation, my skin tone, etc.
Based on its scriptural depictions, as well as the statements of believers in such, hell doesn't sound like a very fun place. Per the statements made by most Christians, hell is my ultimate destiny due to my lack of belief in a particular god. I don't make it into heaven just by being a nice guy; I need to choose Christ as my savior, yada yada yada. And there's the rub: I don't think I can choose what I sincerely believe. I may have all the alleged free will in the Universe, but try as I might, I'm as unable to "choose to believe" in a particular god as I am unable to choose to believe that Ginger is more attractive than MaryAnn.
So here's the question: Are beliefs cognitive or volitional functions? My position, as I've attempted to demonstrate, is that sincere beliefs are not volitional. If your position is that beliefs are chosen, I'd certainly appreciate a demonstration or two to support your claim.
For us non-Christians, our beliefs are not necessarily final. However, changing those beliefs requires additional compelling data; without such, we are destined to eternity in hell as a result of unconvincing evidence. Should not an all-powerful god have the capacity to provide sufficiently compelling evidence to alter my beliefs? Or has God, like Congress and the IRS, stacked the deck in advance against me?
Regards,
mrmufin
