Social media eruption

[Calm]

1 hour ago, bluebell said:

we are each doing the best with what we have experienced and internalized and it can be reasonable for different people to come to different conclusions (even if some of us are ultimately wrong, it doesn't mean it was unreasonable for us to believe as we did). 

Especially since not only do we have very different experiences and therefore very different sets of evidences we work with, we have been taught to evaluate this evidence very differently based on our cultures and subcultures.  

Someone who was taught sufferings means that God sees you as strong and is helping you grow in character, etc will evaluate their life very differently than someone who was taught prosperity is a sign of God’s favor.  If one believes the latter, then objectively (because financial wealth is a pretty objective measure even if giving it a spiritual value is not) it would seem that God favors many selfish and greedy individuals more than he does the humble and poor.  If one believes the former, then one could view the massive wealth some have as God allowing someone to damn themselves to hell. 

Edited April 15 by Calm

[The Nehor]

2 hours ago, Kenngo1969 said:

Okay.  I guess the rest of us are "denying objective reality," then.  By all means, you do you.

That is not what I said but if you want to take offense at the imagined thing you think I said you do you.

So was it a choice to believe that was what I said?

[Senator]

19 hours ago, Kenngo1969 said:

Fair enough.  Your reply illustrates perfectly well that, although questions may be inevitable, doubt and faith are choices.  To each, one's own.

I believe it an oversimplification to say that doubt or belief are merely choices.  Our mind's capacity to believe is a fascinating phenomena. I'm not a neurologist nor psychologist, but I suspect that there are multiple factors at play, even subconscious protocols that employ variables of upbringing, environment, experience, education, mental health, emotion,  personality, and trauma to name just a few.  All these quietly influence our state of perception, belief or disbelief, outside of our conscious and deliberate thought.

Edited April 15 by Senator

[Kenngo1969]

6 hours ago, Senator said:

I believe it an oversimplification to say that doubt or belief are merely choices.  Our mind's capacity to believe is a fascinating phenomena. I'm not a neurologist nor psychologist, but I suspect that there are multiple factors at play, even subconscious protocols that employ variables of upbringing, environment, experience, education, mental health, emotion,  personality, and trauma to name just a few.  All these quietly influence our state of perception, belief or disbelief, outside of our conscious and deliberate thought.

Okay.