Deacon,
When something is proved.... then we make a choice to accept it..Witnesses, dont choose to accept it....even in the face of proof...
ergo, its a choice.
I do see your point, and it is a valid one. I need to clarify what I meant.
If we follow that argument to its conclusion, we are faced with the dilemma that for most controversial questions, "proof" doesn't exist either way. We talk about evidence, sometimes strong, sometimes circumstantial, sometimes ambiguous. So, if we accept your argument, we are forced to conclude that we all just choose what to believe, and evidence and arguments doesn't really influence us, be it religion, social questions or politics.
That is obviously not the case for everybody, or, I hope, most. Yes, I think it's a conscious choice to be honest about facts, and allow yourself to be lead by arguments and do you best to not follow emotions and choose what "tickles your ear." The JWs you mention, and many others, do not make such a choice. They will be and remain intellectually dishonest to themselves and to everyone else because they are strongly emotionally attached to the idea, be it the Society, God or Communism.
My point is that once you choose to be unscrupulously honest about facts and truth (small "t"), as best you can, then you will accept where that evidence leads you. When this leads you to atheism (or whatever) then you have not chosen to be an atheist. You have chosen not to try to fool yourself.
I did not wake up one morning and say "I want to be an atheist." I did wake up one morning, realizing, "Hey. I actually am an atheist."
Thanks for your comments. Always a pleasure to read your postongs, Deac.
- Jan
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Faith, n. Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel. [Ambrose Bierce, The Devil´s Dictionary, 1911]
