do you believe that you chose this life before you were born?

GOOD QUESTION!!

I think like this; I suspect that we live lives experiencing life and learning so that at one point we will have become enlightened enough to move to the next level of existence. I have NO clue that the next level is but I know it's outside of this world as I know it. I think we experience life here - then it ends. Then we spend some (non linear) "time" examining what we learned and what we still need to know. Then we get tossed back into the process and get dealt things to work through that will teach us those lessons. We get reborn and ride the cyclic ride of life again and again passing on, examining and being reborn. I don’t think every moment of life is mapped out second by second by me or a greater god in the sky. I do think there is a god like something out there who helps guide us and to manifest the process. I think he/she/it provides us with opportunities to learn things. As we all know, sometimes those things are too hard to deal with and it can take us an entire lifetime struggling with something to work it out (and sometimes we never do). Other things seem to be easier to work out and each time we move through the cycle we move (hopefully) closer to total enlightenment. It’s clear to me that I have previously known many of the beings I am connected with in this life. I think the relationships get recycled and changed each time around but the basic formula is the same. Me. You. Her. Him. We. Love. Authenticity. Humility. Letting go of ego.
No, I don’t think I specifically chose the specific details of this life I live. I’d not have wished this life on my worst enemy. I do think the life I’ve lived was necessary for me to learn the things I’ve needed to have awareness about in order to become closer to enlightenment.

Of course! If you know anything about "spiritualism" and re-incarnation, then you would know this to be fact. Every soul is given choices when it is time to incarnate. If you get the chance, read a book called the "Divine Architect"!

That'd mean some people chose to be born mentally retarded, or to have their brain sucked out in the 2nd trimester.

Yes I believe I make all those choices.

Nope.

No, absolutely not - I wouldn't have wished some of my experiences on anyone (especially not me!)

No, because if I did I wouldn't be this sick or have any other horrible things happen to me.

No.

Although I have learned much this life and enjoyed much I seriously doubt I would have chosen many parts of it. I tend to like less struggle and more peace.

Absolutely. Karma or universal justice at work. Our higher selves decide what lessons must we learn at each incarnation and arrange our earthly birth accordingly. If we fail then we must do it all over until we get it right.
This is the answer I'm tempted to give every time I see the question: Why do bad things happen to good people.
Only it sounds heartless so I say zip.

YES This life and the one before and the one after.

I believe in a god of unconditional love that created our souls with free will (not humans) in his likeness. many souls could not bear to leave fathers side for the loss of love. many souls went out and returned to share their adventures. Some souls rebeled wanted to be a god themselves. This place (earth system) WAS CREATED FOR THE SOUL TO MAKE ITS FINAL CHOICE. Do they really want to be a "little God and live in dominion=lordship over others. or return to father of love/fellowship/joy/sharing/ab... bliss.

What if heaven and hell are exactly the same except for one difference? What ever you picture in your head heaven to be, imagine hell to be the same except for one difference. Everything you can do in heaven you can do in hell except for one difference. The difference is love or dominion. If you choose love you are in heaven, you are sharing love/joy/fellowship, absolute bliss in all you do.

If you choose dominion you are in hell, everyone will be dominion bent, acting without regard to anything but personal pleasure, personal gain, exercising power over others. Everyman for himself in all that is done. Everything else is the same.

Now which path do/will you choose? LOVE or DOMINION

Nope the only person who can do that is are heavenly father, he knows all that before anyone is born.

no
where did you get this idea?

erm. considering i didn't have a brain until several months along, i'm gonna go with no.

I was raised in the Mormon church, and I always believed in the "pre-existance" but I don't think I chose my parents and cirtainly did not choose the lessons or experiences I would have in life. In fact, my own mother told me that it seemed like I did not want to come into the world. They tried inducing my birth and it did not work. Finally, three and a half weeks after my mother's due date, I was born but before that could happen, they had to go in and turn me around the right way so that I could be born in the proper position... head first. My mom said "I was trying to run for the hills" (..of heaven of course ;o))

I know that the Lord did. The Lord says this:

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before your were born I sanctified you." (Jeremiah 1:5)

So I didn't do it!

Many new-age believers think that we choose our lives, but I do not. I believe we can learn from the lessons life brings us, in the form of experiences. But choose them? No.

No, because we were not created yet.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.(Genesis 1:1)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.(Proverbs 1:7)
The fool has said in his heart,“There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1)
There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12)
“The heart is deceitful above all things,And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.(Jeremiah 17:9-10)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans (6:23)
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6)
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)