I want to believe...

[Vigormortis]

I believe that there is other life in the universe.

Sure, there's no empirical evidence to support that. However, the more we learn of the adaptive and tenacious nature of life, and the utter size of the universe, I find it incredibly hard to accept the idea that this little planet is the only spot of life in the universe. (hard and a bit pretentious)

I also believe there are quantifiable factors in determining "good" and "evil". In a sense, they can be viewed as constructive and destructive, if I were to be pedantic about it. I feel the same way about quality. As in, there are quantifiable aspects in determining the quality of craftmenship in art, etc.

I believe that Half Life 3 will get released in the next few years.

Me too. Shall we start a church? If nothing else, we could save a fortune on tax exemptions.

 

[dragonswarrior]

Snip

I love this one. I came to sort of the same conclusion myself when thinking of the split universe theory. It was sort of like... "But I wouldn't do that. Why on earth would there be a universe where I did that if I just LITERALLY wouldn't do that. Because of everything that has gone in to making me and everything leading up to this moment and what the moment itself is, there is actually a very limited number of responses that could actually happen."

I love your coin toss example though.

OT: And... now I'm gonna sound like a nutcase. I am a skeptic with strong atheist leanings who is also very spiritual (it works, trust me) but I believe in "energy projection". Because when I was a kid and wholeheartedly believed in everything silly, I stabbed another kid through the neck with an energy sword and the kids reaction was way too crazy to dismiss as mere coincidence.

But I don't practice it, and I don't go around blabbing about it or trying to convince others of it. Because A. I don't have time to waste on energy projection shenanigans when there is much more fun things to do out there, and B. I would never trust anyone who told me this story, and I don't want anyone to trust me, and C. if this stuff actually is true, science will figure it out eventually. Maybe not in my lifetime, but eventually. I'm a very patient person.

Also, astrology. I'm extremely skeptical, but I don't wholly dismiss it either. Again, waiting for science to figure that one out. Unfortunately, I have never heard of any reliable studies proving it does or does not exist, so waiting.

 

[Platypus540]

I believe in an afterlife, even though I'm usually more of a science and rational thinking type.

 

[Dead Seerius]

I had what I would best describe as a 'paranormal' experience when I was about 12 years old, so I'd say I believe in ghosts.

Woke up in the middle of the night. I was crazy thirsty but for some reason I felt it was a really bad idea to get out of bed. I can't explain why; I'd gotten out of bed for water many times before, but that night I felt like I should stay put. For about 5 minutes I looked across my room, into the restroom when all of a sudden a blue-ish white ball swelled up out of thin air and started moving away from me.

I screwed my eyes shut and have been a believer ever since. There were no windows near the bathroom. I still can't find a logical explanation for what occurred that night.

 

[Zinzinbadio]

I believe that I can do absolutely anything at all, be it winning a Nobel prize, killing a tiger on my way to school, shooting laser beams from my hands or just flying. I think that I (might) have complete control over the universe and if a try really hard I can bend it to my will as to accomplish anything from the mundane to the magical.

 

[Xathos]

From my understanding, it's actually a present scientific debate whether the universe is infinite or not. So you don't HAVE to believe it.

But tell me, what are some of the "dozen or so" reasons why the book would be floating across the room? lol.

Could be some type of remote controlled book, maybe some elaborate toy that looks like a book, a book being pulled acrossed the room by wires, maybe a sign from some "divine entity" to read the damn book.

Or I could be tripping balls on drugs. That makes the most sense.

(OK, not a "dozen reasons" but I tried, lol.)

 

[mateushac]

I hate to say this, it makes me sound way too cocky, but deep down I feel (and consequently believe) that the universe is centered in my own existence. It feels like everything that exists exists for the sole purpose of adding something to my life experience.

 

[uzo]

Ghosts for me. Pestered by poltergeist as an early teen - for some reason I always thought it was my older brother - he'd died in an accident at 18 but when he was alive he'd wait for me to fall asleep and do shit to scare me (bash on the window and run off; shake me awake and hide under the bed as I blearily tried to realise what was happening, scratch on the cupboard doors and make weird whisper noises). That fucker kept doing it after death it seemed, too. It gradually lessened until I was about 15 and then stopped completely.

When I lived in England I was visiting Scotland with my family. We stayed at a big ol' YHA in Sutherland, called 'Carbisdale Castle' (some Escapists may have visited), which was famous for ghosties apparently. There was a games room downstairs in the old servants' quarters - access via a 'secret' panel in the great hall. Down a few flights of garishly bright-painted cement stairs, I got to the entrance to the games room. Creepy bloody place down there. I'd arranged to meet my sister down there (`cause it creeped me out) so I paused at the door and listened - I could hear what sounded like a ping pong ball being played. Good, I thought, I won't be alone in there - and opened the door.

Nobody. Just a ping pong ball. Bouncing on the ping pong table. I got up 4 flights of stairs in about 2 seconds I swear lol.


Also got into the occult a bit too deep in my late teens/early twenties. I make a point of not talking about it very much because I've seen (and done) some rather fucked up shit. The other danger is that when I get started talking about it, I pull other people in with my philosophies and they seem to become disciples. I shit you not they start following me around like the Life of Brian. To quote Ghostbusters, "I have seen shit that'll turn you white."

 

[lechat]

I had what I would best describe as a 'paranormal' experience when I was about 12 years old, so I'd say I believe in ghosts.

Woke up in the middle of the night. I was crazy thirsty but for some reason I felt it was a really bad idea to get out of bed. I can't explain why; I'd gotten out of bed for water many times before, but that night I felt like I should stay put. For about 5 minutes I looked across my room, into the restroom when all of a sudden a blue-ish white ball swelled up out of thin air and started moving away from me.

I screwed my eyes shut and have been a believer ever since. There were no windows near the bathroom. I still can't find a logical explanation for what occurred that night.

could be ball lightning, hallucinations, partial dream state, false memories etc. etc
perfect example of how i believe in something but always seek a logical explanation

 

[Sable Gear]

I believe that Half Life 3 will get released in the next few years.

I also believe in miracles, fancy that! =D

In all seriousness, I sorta believe in ghosts. Not avidly or adamantly since I've ironically never seen one, but I believe there is a sort of existence that we are familiar with (all things supernatural) and have coexisted with as a species since our beginning, but do not understand.

 

[Dead Seerius]

I had what I would best describe as a 'paranormal' experience when I was about 12 years old, so I'd say I believe in ghosts.

Woke up in the middle of the night. I was crazy thirsty but for some reason I felt it was a really bad idea to get out of bed. I can't explain why; I'd gotten out of bed for water many times before, but that night I felt like I should stay put. For about 5 minutes I looked across my room, into the restroom when all of a sudden a blue-ish white ball swelled up out of thin air and started moving away from me.

I screwed my eyes shut and have been a believer ever since. There were no windows near the bathroom. I still can't find a logical explanation for what occurred that night.

could be ball lightning, hallucinations, partial dream state, false memories etc. etc
perfect example of how i believe in something but always seek a logical explanation

Can't say it was hallucination or partial dream state; I was wide awake and in full control of my senses since I was so thirsty. I remember every detail of that ordeal and I'm not one to remember my dreams, ever. I'd put false memories to rest too. I told my entire family about it the next morning and I had to repeat the exact same story many, many times following to other friends and relatives. I haven't changed a single detail over the years and I can still picture what I saw.

Could you tell me what ball lighting is, though? I'm interested because this thing did have a sort of electrical sense to it. And it was about 2 feet in diameter I'd say, if it matters.

 

[Epic Bear Man]

I believe George W. Bush honestly only acted like a complete idiot to justify his actions during his administration. >.>

I'll take this one step further and say that Bush was merely an easily controlled puppet and Dick Cheney was really the one running the show.

I also believe that the government was at least somewhat aware of the attack on Pearl Harbor beforehand and allowed it to happen so that we could justify entering WWII.

I think the Pearl Harbor one has been confirmed, although I could be wrong, but I've heard the same rumor before.

Although the way it went was the US knew Japan was going to strike, we just didn't know when or where.

 

[lechat]

http://theconversation.edu.au/ball-lightning-exists-but-what-on-earth-is-it-10419
in some cases ball lightning has been known to harmlessly pass through walls and people and in others a burn mark is left behind
again i'm a skeptic but one who isn't opposed to the existence of ghosts/demons/vampire/magical men in the sky
for all i know you really did see a ghost but until you catch it on camera to convince me then get a leading scientists to say he has no fucking idea what it is i am always gonna call bullshit

 

[TheNaut131]

I not only believe in extraterrestrial life, but believe that extraterrestrials have visited our planet. (or at least probes)

I've kinda wondered how the hell humanity is is still alive. You know, with supernovas, asteroids, and all other types of cosmic crap being flung at us day-in and day-out. Then I remembered the dinosaurs and figured we've just been lucky for the last few millenniums. At some point, if we don't blow ourselves up, our luck will run out. This is most likely the case for most other intelligent life in the universe. Some races unable to escape impending doom have been wiped out by asteroids, growing stars, you name it. Simple logic.

But within the last one hundred years of not being blown up, we've gone to the moon and have sent objects out of our solar system. So I've figured that with enough time and enough luck, perhaps certain planetary races (not many, but a few)could reach a point where they can travel between star systems. If not themselves, merely probes.

No doubt they're finding plenty of lifeless planets, so when they find this little green and blue ball, why the hell wouldn't they stop by and study the things there? The only reason they haven't made direct contact is probably because that shit would be too complicated.

 

[GrimTuesday]

I believe George W. Bush honestly only acted like a complete idiot to justify his actions during his administration. >.>

I'll take this one step further and say that Bush was merely an easily controlled puppet and Dick Cheney was really the one running the show.

I also believe that the government was at least somewhat aware of the attack on Pearl Harbor beforehand and allowed it to happen so that we could justify entering WWII.

I think the Pearl Harbor one has been confirmed, although I could be wrong, but I've heard the same rumor before.

Although the way it went was the US knew Japan was going to strike, we just didn't know when or where.

The US government was actually supposed to know about the attack just before it happened, but still too soon for anyone to do anything about it, via a declaration of war. Unfortunately, the Japanese ambassador was a slow typer or something like that, and didn't get done decoding the declaration of war until sometime later.

 

[Dead Seerius]

http://theconversation.edu.au/ball-lightning-exists-but-what-on-earth-is-it-10419
in some cases ball lightning has been known to harmlessly pass through walls and people and in others a burn mark is left behind
again i'm a skeptic but one who isn't opposed to the existence of ghosts/demons/vampire/magical men in the sky
for all i know you really did see a ghost but until you catch it on camera to convince me then get a leading scientists to say he has no fucking idea what it is i am always gonna call bullshit

I've gotta admit, ball lightning really does fit the description of what I saw. I'm seriously beginning to think that's what it was all along.
Well, either way it scared the shit out of me when I was a kid. Not a fun night.

 

[Eomega123]

I believe that somewhere, probably somewhere so far away that we'll never even see the light coming off their star, is an advanced alien civilization, several of them in fact, and a good deal of less advanced ones as well.

 

[Phuctifyno]

All that proves is how far you're willing to go to make a point.

Odd, that.

Willing
1. Ready, eager, or prepared to do something.
2. Given or done readily: "willing obedience".

Has nothing to do with free will.

It sure does. Check this out: willing / free will

In order to be willing to do something, the option to not be willing must be present, thus giving the willer a choice, which the willer will make using his free will, or his willie's free will.

Spoiler: Click on this, if you're willing.

BAM

 

[blazearmoru]

I believe in determinism, though some may call it fate.
I believe that there is no free will and that all our thoughts as well as actions were determined. This means I don't believe in chance.