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RE: You do not "choose" your beliefs. You are (EITHER) CONVINCED (OR) UNCONVINCED.
My thoughts are not always beliefs. There are differences between intellectual thought and choices from the soul.
My thoughts are not always beliefs. There are differences between intellectual thought and choices from the soul.
People can be convinced by intuition or by emotion or by logic. Often subconscious conviction is stronger than conscious conviction.
Agreed, that subconscious conviction is generally the driving force of anthropology, psychology, sociology, intuition, emotionalism, our instincts, individualism, to how we react in situations, in what people do, generally speaking, historically, on average, most of the time by default to some extent.
If conviction means belief, which is the seed of choices, then I agree.
A Conviction is something you've been CONVINCED of.
If being convinced excludes choices, then I disagree because I believe in freewill. No choice means we are only animals governed by instinct, by reflect, by mere reaction that cannot be altered by our own will.
You can still believe in freewill.
You can choose to say certain things and you can choose to do certain things.
But you can't choose to BELIEVE in something you're not CONVINCED of.
You can only choose to SAY you believe.
How can I say what I do not believe? What is the point of believing if believing is not the seed to choices, to what I choose to say? I have no idea what belief means to you if people can do things that are separate from their beliefs. If there is a separation, then belief is then therefore inflated towards having no purpose if it in fact does nothing.
In the same way, your choices are based on your DESIRES.
And you don't "choose" your DESIRES.
You can choose to pursue your DESIRES and you can choose to repress your DESIRES.
But you can't choose to desire something you find repulsive and you can't choose to stop desiring something you find seductive.
There are different kinds of desires. So, you are right about certain kinds of desires. You are inaccurate when talking about the other kinds of desires that are actually beliefs. Yes, you're right that you can suppress desires that you may or may not be CONVINCED of. You can choose to desire something that is repulsive. Well, maybe not subjectively repulsive to the person. It can be hard to stop bad habits, addictions, lifestyles, those desires that interfere with what you believe. So, you ask Christ to help you. Also, you tell other people and get help. It is possible to change the course of your life, the ship that you are piloting. You can turn that boat around.