Can I challenge this argument? It makes sense from a rational perspective, but it misses an important point. We don't choose to worry. No person ever wakes up and decides, having the choice, that they will become an anxious neurotic. Just like no one decides to have a headache.
We do worry, but to address it, deciding not to worry is as helpful as deciding to forget about the headache. It might even work for a few minutes, but it won't address the root of the issue. Instead, we need to address the reasons our moment-to-moment experience is worry, instead of, say, joy or contentment.
Likewise, with a belief in God. If the totality of life experiences and circumstances made it obvious to someone that there's something that they could refer to as God, it'll be so obvious, nothing will persuade them otherwise. If not, thinking "It makes sense, so I'll choose to believe" will have as much effect as someone who saw God deciding to tell themselves they haven't.
Can I challenge this argument? It makes sense from a rational perspective, but it misses an important point. We don't choose to worry. No person ever wakes up and decides, having the choice, that they will become an anxious neurotic. Just like no one decides to have a headache.
We do worry, but to address it, deciding not to worry is as helpful as deciding to forget about the headache. It might even work for a few minutes, but it won't address the root of the issue. Instead, we need to address the reasons our moment-to-moment experience is worry, instead of, say, joy or contentment.
Likewise, with a belief in God. If the totality of life experiences and circumstances made it obvious to someone that there's something that they could refer to as God, it'll be so obvious, nothing will persuade them otherwise. If not, thinking "It makes sense, so I'll choose to believe" will have as much effect as someone who saw God deciding to tell themselves they haven't.