Are you sure?

[R3quiem]

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being absolutely sure, how sure are you that your religion is correct?

For example, if you believe in a god, how sure are you that this god actually exists, objectively? If you believe in reincarnation, how sure are you that you've actually had past lives?

 

[Arthra]

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being absolutely sure, how sure are you that your religion is correct?

For example, if you believe in a god, how sure are you that this god actually exists, objectively? If you believe in reincarnation, how sure are you that you've actually had past lives?

I think what you're referring to is the quality of certitude... and this quality is one that while easy to understand is often overlooked...

It's a quality that I believe is bestowed by God as a result of the humility and dedication of the believer..

Here are some quotes from the Baha'i Writings:

Praise thou God that at last, through the divine teachings, thou hast obtained both sight and insight to the highest degree, and hast become firmly rooted in certitude and faith.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 30

I beg of Him to bestow His confirmations upon those loved ones, dwellers in that pure and holy land, and to grant them successful outcomes in all things: that in their character, their behaviour, their words, their way of life, in all they are and do, He will make them to achieve distinction among men; that He will gather them into the world community, their hearts filled with ecstasy and fervour and yearning love, with knowledge and certitude, with steadfastness and unity, their faces beauteous and bright.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 259


Then did His clouds part and loaded down the earth with His bounties and bestowals, and made all things sweet with rain, and caused the fresh greenery of knowledge and the hyacinths of certitude to spring forth and to shake and tremble for joy, till the whole world was scented with the fragrance of His holiness.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 253-254

 

[CRfan]

I am certain that what I believe is correct. Have I ever had a doubt? Sure, but not for too long. Actually, using the intelligence God gave me, I can see from creation that God exists. I think that most people can see that the world and the planets and life couldn't just happen on it's own without a cause. I think some people deny God exists to try to make themselves feel secure / comfortable. They either don't want to believe out of hatred or fear, or they are blinded into thinking that they can only believe in what they see...which reason would tell you that you can't always see everything that exists.
As far as the Bible goes, you can find other sources in history that verify locations and events. As far as Christ's resurrection, there were witnesses who attested to what happened. Now, I'm not saying that there isn't faith involved to believe in what Jesus said and even in the resurrection.
Hebrews 11:6 says,
"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
I have the encouragement of others who have had faith- both in the Bible and in my lifetime. I have seen others who are joyful and at peace in the midst of difficult circumstances.
You can see fulfillment of prophecy in the Bible and even the events mentioned outside the Bible show the events happened as well. I have seen the difference in people's lives who truly love God, and I have had times I have seen God working through circumstances. There are some things I still don't understand yet about God and people or situations in the Bible. Some might question God's fairness, but fairness would be that all would be condemned to hell. I think for those of us who know the Lord or for those who are ready to know Him, they will see their sin and the wall it can put up between them and God.
It's just that Christians know that Christ payed the penalty for them, and that they are right and at peace with God though still living in a human struggling body. They have access to God through Jesus, and the Spirit intercedes on our behalf as well. We (believers) can have a good relationship with God, but sin can bring a barrier to closeness which repentance will tear down.
I believe in the resurrection of the body and soul, but I can only know what God has said in His Word about that. Sometimes it's hard to imagine, but it will be great to be with the Lord and free from earthly pain and the evil that He will one day destroy.
I can look forward to that more, but God has a purpose for me here right now.

 

[français]

Probably a 4 or 5!

 

[Gardenia]

First, to answer the OP.. Between a 1 and 10? I'd probably place myself somewhere around.. say, 7ish? Specific beliefs may fall higher or lower along such a scale, but as a rough guess at the whole..

I think some people deny God exists to try to make themselves feel secure / comfortable. They either don't want to believe out of hatred or fear

I honestly believe this forum (heck, this world) would be a much better place if people weren't constantly making assumptions about why people do or not not believe this or that. I feel these lines especially are rather absurd, as they're often turned back to Christians (or theists in general).. That some folks only believe in God for some sort of security blanket, or it's what they were raised with - and thus comfortable with, or they only believe for fear (of hell), or because it justifies this or that prejudice they have.. well, I'm sure you get the point. I do realize you said some and not all, which is a start.. but again, you certainly can find some Christians who believe for such reasons as well.. so is there really a point to making such comments?

 

[awitch]

I'm not sure I can quantify it, but I happily recognize that my beliefs are just my beliefs. They may or may not be true and that doesn't bother me at all. It's not like I feel compelled to get anyone to believe the same things I do.

 

[Völuspá]

I don't think my religion is 'correct', but I presently feel about an 8 about how it suits me. I think I could do better through learning and incorporating different things into my life. As for if my gods objectively exist and intelligently interact with me.. about a 2. My spirituality just doesn't depend on a belief in the supernatural.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

I would say about a 9.999. I am very convinced that I have found the truth; and that my God is who he says he is. I believe this because of various things a) my personal experiences with God, b) experiences others have had with the same God.

Examples of b)

As an example this guy was clinically dead, as he was dying he became a born again christian (that is what God called it), he after some time came back to life (God said to tell of what lies beyond the grave), it fits with my religious belief. See the full story here http://www.aglimpseofeternity.org/content/pages/documents/1206980519.pdf


This guy after dying was sent to hell then returned to his body to tell of his experience. See his story here Back from the Dead, by Athet Pyan Shinthaw Paulu

This guy got on our local TV news because of healing a guy who was wheelchair bound; he also has heaps of other testimonies of God healing sick people. See John Mellor Ministries

Now for my personal experiences with God; these help to keep me a Christian because no matter what people say or offer I know that God is real.

One morning I got up and walked into the hall and I heard a voice say "How would you like to be stabbed in the Valley". The Valley was the rough end of town, and the voice scared me a little, I wondered if I had done something to offend God. I had planned to go down to the Valley to ask people out to church as was my habit at the time. In the end I went anyway regardless of the fear. I walked up to the first person I met and asked him if he would like to go out to church. He said to me "I am an atheist, I don't believe in God". I just said "fine", but hoped to change his mind. He then proceeded to unbutton his shirt and showed me scar marks up and down his chest and stomach. He said to me, "I was attacked by a knife wielding man in the Valley some time ago and spent months recovering in hospital, How could God allow that to happen to me". Then I knew why God had said in the morning "How would I like to be stabbed?". God understood this man, but had a good plan for him. Some weeks latter this man came out to church and became a Christian.

Some time after the second Gulf War an Australian man Douglas Wood was captured by terrorists in Iraq, who made demands for a ransom or he would be executed. I set about fasting and praying for his release, I said to God "You know where he is....tell me". Three words entered my mind ABC, Bizaar and "A-meal". I thought "I am going crazy what has all that got to do with him. Bizaar I though "this is Bizarre". I thought maybe "A-meal" is a town so I searched a map of Iraq for a town of that name, but found nothing that really matched. Some time latter Douglas Wood was freed by US troops who came across his captors. It was not until latter that I actually discovered what the three words meant. I was on a forum libertyunites.us and came across a post by a user called ABC in the post she appealed to the captors to release Douglas Wood because he had gone to a/or the Bazaar and bought food for homeless people and had provided them with "A-meal". I believe God saw this action too and blessed Douglas Wood with an escape from his captors.

One time I thought about suing some one but felt bad about it because I did not want to give a bad impression about what a Christian is like. So I prayed and asked God to show me clearly what to do. Latter that day I opened my bible at random, selecting a random verse and it opened to 1Co 6:7 "Nay, already it is altogether a defect in you, that ye have lawsuits one with another. Why not rather take wrong? why not rather be defrauded?" So I knew what God was thinking, no lawsuit. From this I don not believe God was saying all law suits are wrong just this one was.

At one point in my life I was praying for scientific cures for illnesses like cancer. Because I was on a science kick I thought would it not be fun to create a real life dinosaur. I wanted Jesus just for fun to show me how to create a Real Live Dinosaur, he can show us anything you know if he wants, but when I asked him how to start recreating a Dinosaur. Jesus spoke into my head the sentence "I bood", it entered my mind when I was awake, a term I had never heard before. I decided to look it up on the Internet and I found out the following: You see, the children of Semai are taught from an early age, the concept of "bood." If a parent asks a child to do something and the child replies "I bood," in other words, "I don't feel like doing that," the matter is closed. Bood means gently No.

One day I was witnessing to a Muslim and he asked me why we ate pork. I used the verse out of the bible which says "It is not what enters the mouth that defiles a man but what comes out of the mouth". After some general discussion I finished for the night. I asked God to give me a verse from the bible to encourage me. I opened the bible at random and selected a random verse. It opened to the exact same verse that I had used with the Muslim. The one about food not defiling. So I knew that God was approving of what I had been talking about.
"What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him "unclean.'"- Mat 15:11

 

[Stinker]

Are you sure?

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being absolutely sure, how sure are you that your religion is correct?

For example, if you believe in a god, how sure are you that this god actually exists, objectively? If you believe in reincarnation, how sure are you that you've actually had past lives?

I do not think any religion is 100% correct. If a religion rates an 8 on a scale of 1-10 that is pretty certain. There has to be room for doubt, which leaves room for faith. So I rate my religion, the Christian faith, an 8. The diety of my religion also an 8.

 

[SiderealExalt]

1. Assuming 1 accurately represents ALL religions are superstitions. Nothing more.

 

[hikersong]

1. Assuming 1 accurately represents ALL religions are superstitions. Nothing more.

The OP was about your religion, not someone elses.

 

[SiderealExalt]

The OP was about your religion, not someone elses.

Me? I don't have one. Welcome to the world of forums, where people can reply. That was mine.

 

[tulc]

Sure? About some things say 7, about others? 8-9 and a few more like 3-5
tulc(now if you were asking about Mrs.tulc? she's a 10 on all counts!)

 

[LightSeaker]

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being absolutely sure, how sure are you that your religion is correct?

For example, if you believe in a god, how sure are you that this god actually exists, objectively? If you believe in reincarnation, how sure are you that you've actually had past lives?

Being that all religons are man made...I'll give my religion a big fat Zero!! I know for a fact that my religious beliefs are not correct in any way, shape or form.

.

 

[dewaddict84]

If by religion you mean world view, on the whole let's say 6-7. Definitely not 10. How sure am I that I get the majority right? 9ish. How sure am I that I'm getting EVERYTHING right? 2-4.

 

[CRfan]

some[/i] Christians who believe for such reasons as well.. so is there really a point to making such comments?

I wasn't trying to start an argument, but I do know that many non-believers accuse Christians of the crutch or security blanket thing. The question about the existence of God I felt gave freedom to some reasoning and response.
The fear and hate I mentioned of atheists is to do with fear of the ramifications of there being a God, and the hate to do with hatred of God (which is because the Bible indicates all those who do not believe are enemies of God). Some deny Him because of sinful behavior or through their sin they show their denial. That is a practical atheism described in Psalm 14 in God's Word (the Bible). I realize some people are in puzzlement, and those are people who are willing to believe a God might exist (they just have doubts and uncertainty). I feel a special compassion for those who are confused...not to say that they are more important than others. Every soul and person needs the Savior, although not all will believe.
I know there are those who are not atheists who also fear coming to God or hate Christians (but it's really Christ they hate). That is why Christians are kidnapped or murdered for their faith. Some are mistreated in other ways as well, so believing is not a cowardly act. Some people are killed or have their well being threatened just for becoming Christians.
Some people do turn to God out of fear of hell, but there is much more to a relationship with God than that.
Christianity is not just a religion, it's a relationship. We have no reason to fear God, but to love and be in awe of Him. There is the awe kind of fear, and that's a positive thing.
1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love."
Those who do not know the Lord and have not repented have reason to fear, but they should also know that my God offers forgiveness and love and eternal life with the pleasure of His presence and a close relationship with Him.
I can't read the minds of all atheists, but I was just thinking about some reasons and posting them. You can decide you don't like it or enjoy it, but I do like to think things through and my thoughts can show up here. The subject came up of the existence of God, and I say for me that is a 10.
Since this is a forum, hopefully others may enjoy reading different kinds of responses. I hope one day you will know Jesus too. He's amazing! He is my hope, my joy, and my life is in Him!

 

[Rasta]

I am fairly convinced that nothing supernatural exists. Probably would call it an 8.

 

[français]

I gave the rating a 4-5 because I'm not really sure. I mean, I proclaim to be an atheist but really I don't rule out the idea of a supernatural. Sometimes I actually feel that there probably is a supernatural. I guess you could say I'm more of an Agnostic than anything.

But, I definetely don't think Christianity is the true religion. I will never be able to be a Christian again in my opinion, because I am just very skeptical of its authenticity.So, for Christianity and its authenticity, I say 1. Or 0 if it was 0-10! Lol