Why do you believe in God?

[wetrain]

Sorry if this is the wrong subforum, but the only subforums I could find that are where these kinds of questions belong [Christian Theology] says "Christians Only." If you know a better subforum please let me know.

I want to know the answers to these questions:
What is belief?
Why do you believe in God?

 

[TheDag]

Would you mind explaining why you are asking? I am happy to answer depending on why you want to know. In other words I'm not looking to get in a debate about my beliefs and that. I do understand that it is possible I could be following the wrong religion but I would say God proved to me he exists. The most common response is then usually but how do you know the Christian God is the right one. Answer is I can't answer that. That however is who I praying to in some situations which form part of my basis for belief in God.

 

[lesliedellow]

This would be a more appropriate forum:

http://www.christianforums.com/f1037/

However, you might not get many more answers there, because as one atheist (Terry Eagleton) seems to realise, religious devotion is no more reducible to half a dozen rationalistic statements than love is.

The Christian religion, in particular, has an extensive theological tradition, but not one word of it would ever have been written without devotion as the prior motivating factor.

 

[zaida]

For the original poster - I find that a really interesting question, and one that is always important to address. A lot of catholic writers and other christian writers begin by looking at "evidence" for a God. They look at things like design and beauty in the world - the fact that it must come from a "grand" designer. They look at things like conscience, and the fact that man has always had a sense of "right" and "wrong" - why do we have this - and argue that it was out into us - makes us unique among the species. I think if you look up people like Robert Barron - my goodness there are loads others - on youtube, put in a search term "proof of God", or "arguments for the existence of God" you will find a lot of good stuff. CS Lewis - Mere Christianty - offers a great rational defense of the belief.

 

[Genster]

Me, personally, I've seen the power of the Holy Spirit through spiritual gifts. I'll get visions from God, dreams, etc. We (or atleast I) know God exist because we Christians developed testimonies which grows our faith in God. Usually for me they are very personal, on a individual level.

 

[EastEden]

Why do I ( a mathematician and sciences type ) believe in God ?

Ultimately, I do not not why I am convinced. It is most defiantly not nurture as i am a thinker ( means doubter).

From an objective view point: What turned the Apostles around from being a bunch of losers to a bunch of world leaders ? Must be something big.

Why has Christianity always flourished ? The more oppression the more it flourishes. Observable fact.

Though I abhor anything Calvinistic. It seems I am predestined to believe as I do. And I will defend it with vigor.

Maybe a better question is why not.

 

[Nathaniel Byers]

Because I searched, and evidence pointed his way.

 

[Follower3]

It is hard to imagine a universe without God. Something could not have created itself out of nothing, rocks, and chemicals and everything else the universe is made of could not have made itself, that would require divinity, even if God came into existence out of nothing it still makes more sense, as that is one of the traits of divinity. It makes more sense if something was created out of nothingness via divinity.

 

[~Anastasia~]

I know this is a bit older thread, but it interests me to see that several people came to faith through evidences and logic.

My family was Christian (or identified themselves as such, but only because they were born into it - we were not practicing). I will say I felt a bit of a pull from earliest childhood. But my education was heavily science-based, and shook what little I'd been told about faith.

Today I am most definitely a believer, but I became so through experience. It was from reaching the end of what help life could give me, and realizing I could not go on in myself. I cried out for help, without really knowing Who I was asking help from. The result - was dramatic. I don't want to get too into personal details, but I was a new person immediately, and did not learn until a few months later that the Bible contained everything I had experienced, and much more.

It was shortly thereafter that I began examining evidence - my real intent at the time was to develop a SECULAR science curriculum, based on what my education had taught me. It was then that I started to see the inconsistencies in my own education, as I tried to fill in what I saw as the missing pieces. After that I became fascinated with some evidence-based writings, but they only served to underscore what I already knew in my heart at that time.

Interesting to me that it's possible to reach the same conclusion from opposite approaches.