Can a person chose to believe something other than what they already believe?
What is the process involved in changing ones beliefs?
What is the process involved in changing ones beliefs?
John
Favorite Answer
Not as such. But you could chose to distrust you own judgement on a matter of belief and to trust a person or institution which has a better claim to knowledge and authority than you do.
To give a secular example, if you feel fine and believe yourself to be in good health, but your doctor tells you your arteries are clogging up and you need to change your diet, you might decide to follow your doctor's advice on trust even though your own belief contradicts him. In time, if your doctor's advice proves beneficial, your beliefs might come into line with his.
Paul
Sure. People often leave one religion for another, and hundreds of atheists find God and become Christians every year.
yesmar
No, we cannot just decide to believe something. Beliefs are based on some kind of evidence or experience.
Wundt
In a way, yes. It is a funny reality of human psychology that we can change our mood and beliefs by 'pretending.' If you do an experiment where you ask people to pretend to be happy they will tend to feel happier. If you ask people to pretend they are enjoying an activity they will tend to enjoying that activity more. If you ask people to defend a position they don't believe in they will tend to start believing in that position. There is good evidence that our beliefs follow our behavior as much as our behavior follows our beliefs. Case in point, Ryan Bell, a very devout minister, "lived as an atheist for a year," he is now an avowed atheist.
No Chance Without Jesus
All you need is an open mind and the recognition that you do not infact know it all, that there is always more to learn