Whatever our convictions are, we all have ONE thing in common; we have learned them from other sources.
We have knowledge by proxy… we didn't find things out all by ourselves. We let trusted sources talk for us.
Belief is not something that you choose. If there is an elephant in my room and I see it, I don't "choose" to believe it's there. But if there is no elephant, I do not "choose" to believe it isn't there either. Belief is the most honest part of our psyche. Again — belief is NOT a choice.
However, choosing the sources we trust IS a choice.
Staying with the pachydermic illustration, lets say I'm outside of my room and the door closed. Two men are guarding the door and the first one says "There is an elephant in your room."
The second one says "Not true, there is NO elephant in your room."
This is where choice really kicks in.
Who do I 'believe'?
— The first guy says all you have to do is trust him. He is an elephant expert, and there is no need to question him.
— The second guy says that he is a researcher, and that there in no evidence of an elephant in my room — proof is as simple as opening the door to check inside!
Religion is the first guy. Faith. Trust. No need for hard evidence, the "guy" says he's an expert. No questioning allowed.
Science is the second guy. Logic. Evidence. YOU are going to decide by questioning/opening the door.
The JWs, more than most other religions, have perfected the cruel delusion by punishing the ones that dare question the first guy (WTS). But make no mistake, every religion has a form of bigotry against the second guy.
What AMAZES me is how so many deny evolution based on a definition of evolution given by the very sources that deny it!!!
Reading the Watchtower on Evolution is like reading about the flaws of Pepsi from a Coca~Cola magazine!
Wake up people! The JW religion is not the root of all problems. The issue goes much deeper. It's about the belief of an all-loving and powerful god that created a universe that is obviously not loving at all.
The stars and planets that collide and explode to oblivion; the cruel "cycle of life" in wildlife — life violently feeding from weaker life; sickness; the fact that 98% of known species are now extinct; natural catastrophes… all witness to a rough natural and relative order — not the smart and loving creation of the god of biblical folklore.
My favorite quote from Bertrand Russell is this one:
(after being asked "Do you think there’s a practical reason for having a religious belief?")
"Well, there can’t be a practical reason for believing what isn’t true. That’s quite... at least, I rule it out as impossible. Either the thing is true, or it isn’t. If it is true, you should believe it, and if it isn’t, you shouldn’t. And if you can’t find out whether it’s true or whether it isn’t, you should suspend judgment. But you can’t... it seems to me a fundamental dishonesty and a fundamental treachery to intellectual integrity to hold a belief because you think it’s useful, and not because you think it’s true."
What say you?