Chris: You fail to accept Christianity because you lack faith.

Alex: You fail to reject Christianity because you lack intelligence. — Art48

What Alex says about Chris has been empirically proven. The IQ of the average Christian is below the IQ of the average non-believer.

What Chis says about Alex is also true (I don't know however, if studies had been conducted to show this to be true with statistics.) Alex does not have faith because he does not need it. He gets along much better with knowledge and intelligence, than Chris does with his faith. Obviously when you want to be prosperous, healthy, happy and successful, being intelligent and smart and knowledgeable is much more helpful to achieve your life's goals than praying and believing in god.

James' theory is actually a combination of doxastic determinism and doxastic voluntarism. Absolute doxastic voluntarism would mean that one could choose believe anything, simply by whimsical choice. — baker

Can you say this in laymen's terms? I have absolutely no clue what you are talking about.

Faith is a matter of choice. Intelligence is not. — Fooloso4

I agree that intelligence is not a matter of choice. But faith? I define faith as belief in the supernatural force's conducting changes in the physical world.

I am still out on that. I don't know. Child-age indoctrination certainly plays a huge role in the faith of a person. Yet, people have reversed their faiths. Atheists becoming faithful, and vice versa.

I dunno. It is largely NOT a matter of choice, but with a lot of effort, perseverance, and thinking, it just may be in certain select individuals.

Perhaps whether or not it occurs to someone that it is a matter of choice is a matter of intelligence.

IME, reason works better than any of the alternatives tried so far. Better for what? At least for (1) producing, using, correcting and transmitting (algorithmic) knowledge and, via reflective equilibrium, (2) forming normative beliefs in indeterminate situations or intractably complex domains.

I like your fallibilism idea better.

You've lost me.

You've lost me. — 180 Proof

I'm lost too bruh! :groan:

Perhaps whether or not it occurs to someone that it is a matter of choice is a matter of intelligence. — Fooloso4

Flattery will get you everywhere. :-)

James' theory is actually a combination of doxastic determinism and doxastic voluntarism. Absolute doxastic voluntarism would mean that one could choose believe anything, simply by whimsical choice. — baker

Okay, I read it ten times and I think I have a pretty good grip on this. Doxastic - relating to belief, to dogma. It's all clear now.

I see now the OP's point, it's a dilemma.

1. Either you accept Christianity OR you reject Christianity
2. If you accept Christianity, you lack intelligence
3. If you reject Christianity, you lack faith
Ergo
4. You either lack intelligence or you lack faith

Nobody likes to lack anything now do they?

I propose a counterdilemma, Protagorian style.

5. If you accept Christianity, you possess faith
6. If you reject Christianity, you possess intelligence

See?

Now, instead of lacking intelligence or faith, you possess intelligence or faith!

Hats off to the amazing Protagoras! Go sophists, go!

By "someone" I did not mean some particular someone.

By "someone" I did not mean some particular someone. — Fooloso4

Too late. Compliment already taken, even if it had been unintended. No harem done, you only made my day, that's all. Is that so wrong? :-)

I think it best to take compliments wherever we find them.