Listen it don’t really matter to me, baby
You believe what you want to believe
You see, you don’t have to live like a refugee
Is belief a choice? Mr. Petty would have us believe so, even if he leaves room for the possibility that it is an unconscious choice. Simon and Garfunkel take a similar tack:
All lies and jest
Still a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest
Since we know pop lyrics are always true, we must be on to something here. Belief is a choice.
Or is it? Can I choose to believe that I am an orangutan? Or am I stuck believing that I am Dan T, just because because? If I can’t choose to believe I am an orangutan, maybe some other, more ambiguous subjects are still up for grabs?
My dad was fond of a quote from one of his professors–something along the lines of: Belief is whether you think the acrobat can push the wheelbarrow across the tightrope. Faith is whether you are willing to get into the wheelbarrow.
Questions:
- Do you choose to believe or not believe in God, or are you simply stuck with what your mind tells you about the matter?
- If it is a choice, why have you made the choice you’ve made?
- Do you think other people choose to believe or not believe in God?
- Might you be making an unconscious choice to believe or not believe?
- Is there a difference between what you believe and what you have faith in?