SoulPancake

What would it take for me to question my beliefs? If I looked up and saw Jesus coming down out of the sky riding the clouds like an elevator and He showed me a valid ID and asked me what I am doing thinking that Baha'u'llah is the second coming of Him? I think that would send me into a Jackie Gleason ah-hammida-hammida-hammida. But, I could open up the book on my coffee table, The Katab-i-Aqdas, and ask what is there in it that is not the same as His own teachings? Baha'u'llah didn't write in parables, or stories, He wrote exactly what He meant. He made it clear and understandable. The Baha'i Faith makes sense and there is no room to misunderstand. The teachings of Jesus are reflected in the Baha'i writings in very plain and understandable language.

@Psilocide This happened to me too. I found myself questioning
everything I knew to be true about me, about my roles in this life,
about my beliefs, about what I thought was true and right and good...
It is a painful process. For me - ultimately brought me to a higher faith.

I think that for me, prior to tragedy 101, that would have been the answer,
tragedy is the the thing would cause me to question...
Now I do that a little bit every day. Question, examine, ask....
It's good.

@applegrass Hmm I think it is definitely good to keep your mind open to new ideas, but I think people have a set of core values that they then to be adverse to cross. I do not think that this invalidates conversation at all Michael7843853. Infact quite the opposite, without this all conversation (or at least argument) would become impossible, as everyone would just agree with everyone else all the time. It seems to me that no matter how well someone argues for flat-earth theory, you are always going to disagree with it. Or maybe a more real-world example, if someone argues that you should be killed, or converted (ala. extremists), can't believe that you would ever find yourself agreeing with them even if their arguments for the existence of Allah are just as valid as arguments of a Christian God (as religion is faith based, therefore no religion can be more right than another).

I think it is fantastic (and it is the stance I try to take - even if I sometimes can't help but remain pigheaded :p) to open yourself completely to the free-speech forum, however freedom of speech does not necessarily entail a right to have your arguments acknowledged as valid.

This may seem stupid on my part, as you can still listen to a bad argument, but it will just not convince you, and thus not change your opinions. However this quickly becomes a slippery slope for a lot of people (which I don't think anyone can deny after having group discussions about rights and morality) as soon every opinion that offends you becomes unimportant to you.

However the beauty of the forum is that we can all disagree with one another... I am going to stick by my belief that people stick by their beliefs... until someone satisfactorially proves me otherwise :)

I think "beliefs" help a person order her world. That is, create a framework in which to live. At least mine do.

For me to truly question my beliefs, there would need to be some triggering event (catastrophic illness, divorce, unexpected death, etc) causing chaos in that order. And if my usual coping techniques couldn't help me get past the event, then I'd question underlying belief.

Same thing it's always taken since I was 13 years old: a strong gut feeling, call it "doubt," I suppose, that my current beliefs were not Truth. When things simply just don't "add up" and coincide with my inner "compass" which points towards Truth, I begin to seek out further information and options.

If I should come across new information which my compass reacts strongly to, then I try to digest that for a while, and I compare the new idea with my previous belief, and if the new idea seems an even Higher and Better idea, then I have no problem abandoning the "lesser" concept.

as far as questioning my belief i do it everyday but i cant find a good question in which the answer causes me to discredit my belief. every question i come across to impose doubt tends to come with a false preconceived notion. bums me out sometimes that there is no strong argument.

@Edelheit "Very few people (this is purely supposition) can truly set their values in a public forum and accept scrutiny with open arms."
Arms open. Strike down my assumptions and beliefs. Slay them all. That's why I'm here. Philosophical and theological masochism.
Really? That's not normal? Huh. *note to self: not everyone thinks discovering their own clulessness is pleasurable*

@dancingplatypus ":-) Hope that's not too sappy."
Aww.... as long as I'm allowed to tussle in my garden, I'm happy. None of this 'stay behind the fence' proper garden who-ha. Some tulips are bound to get squished. Hmmm.. on second thought, maybe my garden is better suited for 'native prairie grasses' (aka weeds)?

A total package of: evidence, logic, gut-level intuition, and most importantly, the passion to chase down and rassle with that new belief.
Because that's all I really do with my assumptions/beliefs/opinions... rassle them mercilessly.

Evidence. I do believe that beliefs can be like a garden or a bridge.

A garden is allowed to shift and change to support how it is fed and watered.
A bridge has very little tolerance, and when constructed improperly, crashes to the ground.

I strive to always maintain myself as a garden. I'll bet most of you do too. While your beliefs may seem stuck, they can always grow differently.

:-) Hope that's not too sappy.