Free will, or is it?

Several of you here are saying or at least implying that you can consciously CHOOSE to believe things. If so, perhaps one of you can help me. I have never been able to consciously CHOOSE any of the beliefs that I have and I would like to be able to do that - for example to effect a belief that it is possible for me to become a more compassionate person. Since you seem to be saying that you can consciously CHOOSE to believe things, I wonder if you might explain how you do it. What do you do at the last moment to instantly change your one state of belief to another? What is it that you do that would allow you to say, “OK, at this moment I have a lack of belief that ”x’ exists or is true, but I CHOOSE to believe that ”x’ exists or is true and now instantly at this new moment I do believe that ”x’ exists or is true?Maybe you could use something like leprechauns to demonstrate your technique. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a leprechaun is “a fairy peculiar to Ireland, who appeared in the form of an old man of minute stature, wearing a cocked hat and a leather apron.” So, assuming that you don’t already have a belief in them, how about right now, while you are reading this, CHOOSE to believe - be convinced without a doubt - that they exist. Now that you believe in leprechauns, my question is, how did you do it? How did you make the instantaneous transition from lack of belief to belief?

tesla,re: “...you on the other hand, have a choice.”Would that include the ability to consciously CHOOSE to believe things?

tesla,re: “ the choice to examine evidence to come to conclusion is yours.”If beliefs can simply be CHOSEN, evidence is not necessary - prudent in some cases perhaps - but not necessary.re: “what is necessary for you to believe?”I would guess that when I realize that I have a new belief, that it is most likely a result of a process that has occurred in my subconscious mind due to an exposure to certain outside stimuli; such as literature, lectures, media, conversation, etc.

tesla,You’re missing the point. Your comments in your post #130 would indeed apply to the “prudent” part of my last post, but they don’t apply to the basic notion that beliefs can simply be consciously CHOSEN. If they can be, then evidence is not necessary. You can just CHOOSE to have them. Can you do that?

tesla,re: “what is the choice you have?”There are three choices or options with regard to belief:1. To believe that someone or something exists or that a certain proposition is true.2. To believe that someone or something doesn’t exist or that a certain proposition isn’t true.3. To have no belief either way.re: “...with your life potentially on the line by what you have been told, should you not look for evidence?”Again, that would fall under the “prudent” part of my comment. But if beliefs can be consciously CHOSEN, you do not HAVE to look for evidence. Edited by rstrats, : No reason given.

tesla,re: “do you believe because your heart will reject what you do not understand that you have no free will?”I’m afraid that I don’t understand what you are asking.re: “ are these three things the only power of choice you have ?”They are the only three possibilities that I can think of. If you can think of others, I’d be interested in hearing about them.re: “if your house is on fire, do you have the choice to extinguish the small flame, or run form the large flames? to call for help, or watch it burn?”Yes, if I have the ability to do those things.re: “a man can consciously choose to believe a weather sites forecast. “I don’t think that he or you can do that. However, if you really ARE able to consciously CHOOSE to believe things, I would ask you to honor what I asked for in my message #117.re: “what are you saying when you say you cannot make a conscious decision?”That’s not what I said. I said that “I have never been able to consciously CHOOSE any of the beliefs that I have”.re: “the better question i could answer for you is : how do you obtain true faith and have belief? “That was the second part of my question in post #117.re: “i misunderstand you?”So it would seem.re: “do i answer you with an explanation?”Not yet.