"Why do you believe in God?"

[KrazyKat]

What do you mean?

I mean they continue to rationalize why God is not because there is that nagging doubt that is always within them. That is God, they know there is something but they know not what. Of course they can pick apart any religion, that is easy. Pick apart the Bible, that is easy, too. But God, that is impossible. He talks to us all but the intellectual self does not recognize Him.

I never get mad at those who deny God, I feel their sadness that they refuse to see. When they die I cry as their eternity will be the hell they chose.

 

[St_Francis]

I started to believe in God–a generic Creator–because I realized the utter absurdity of materialist evolution. Way too much effect for way too little cause! But I did not believe in the Christian God–I went on a quest to find out more about this Creator in Whom I delighted because He had made beauty and humor and many other good things. He had to be nice to have done all that

Upon learning more about Christ, I became a “mere Christian,” as CS Lewis puts it, but felt the need for something *deeper. *So I recalled from my earliest school days the Rosary and decided I needed one. Bought the Rosary and a book (Rome Sweet Rome by the Hahns) on a Wednesday, and went to Mass that Sunday

So to me, to not believe in an Intelligent Designer of some sort seems irrational, and takes effort and a huge blind faith in the capacity for order to emerge from chaos. It seems like chaos becomes their deity. To me, once having seen the truth and having everything fall into place, to believe anything else is like cognitive dissonance.

 

[Charlemagne_III]

Oh so the bible says it’s stupid not to believe in God so then it must be a stupid thing now you got me!
Of course the bible wouldn’t say atheism is good or it loses it’s own value; just as the Koran wouldn’t say Jesus is the son of god!

The Bible does not refer to the atheist as stupid, but rather as a fool in his heart.

There’s a big difference. A fool is someone who is easily led or deceived, or even allows himself to be fooled. Thus, a fool has more to do with will than with intellect.

I have believed for a long time that this is true. You acknowledge God because your will moves you in the direction of God. You do not acknowledge God becasue your will leads you away from God. Intelligence has little to do with it. All kinds of evidence can be brought to bear on why anyone should believe in God. But all this evidence will be met with a defiant NO! if the person does not want God to exist.

I know lots of people of that type. They cannot stand the thought of an Ego bigger than their own.

 

[wcknight]

I believe in God because of the testimony of many good honest holy people. People who have witnessed or even performed great miracles… Jesus the Apostles, many saints and near saints and many of my friends who have experienced spiritual events and lastly because I see my life and many of its key events being guided by God.

Plus I hope to experience life ever lasting and belief in God is the only path that can get me there. It is the pearl of great price that I am willing to give up everything else to obtain.

 

[LibralAteoJesus]

I mean they continue to rationalize why God is not because there is that nagging doubt that is always within them. That is God, they know there is something but they know not what. Of course they can pick apart any religion, that is easy. Pick apart the Bible, that is easy, too. But God, that is impossible. He talks to us all but the intellectual self does not recognize Him.

I never get mad at those who deny God, I feel their sadness that they refuse to see. When they die I cry as their eternity will be the hell they chose.

Wouldn’t all beliefs be the same if the same voice is speaking to them? Why other have to believe in other sort of gods and hear their voice?

How does hearing a strange voice in your head makes you happy?

 

[LibralAteoJesus]

The Bible does not refer to the atheist as stupid, but rather as a fool in his heart.

There’s a big difference. A fool is someone who is easily led or deceived, or even allows himself to be fooled. Thus, a fool has more to do with will than with intellect.

I have believed for a long time that this is true. You acknowledge God because your will moves you in the direction of God. You do not acknowledge God becasue your will leads you away from God. Intelligence has little to do with it. All kinds of evidence can be brought to bear on why anyone should believe in God. But all this evidence will be met with a defiant NO! if the person does not want God to exist.

I know lots of people of that type. They cannot stand the thought of an Ego bigger than their own.

That voice sounds familiar

 

[Simca]

I mean they continue to rationalize why God is not because there is that nagging doubt that is always within them. That is God, they know there is something but they know not what. Of course they can pick apart any religion, that is easy. Pick apart the Bible, that is easy, too. But God, that is impossible. He talks to us all but the intellectual self does not recognize Him.

I never get mad at those who deny God, I feel their sadness that they refuse to see. When they die I cry as their eternity will be the hell they chose.

Amen. Lord have mercy and draw the whole world to your son.

 

[LibralAteoJesus]

The Bible does not refer to the atheist as stupid, but rather as a fool in his heart.

There’s a big difference. A fool is someone who is easily led or deceived, or even allows himself to be fooled. Thus, a fool has more to do with will than with intellect.

I have believed for a long time that this is true. You acknowledge God because your will moves you in the direction of God. You do not acknowledge God becasue your will leads you away from God. Intelligence has little to do with it. All kinds of evidence can be brought to bear on why anyone should believe in God. But all this evidence will be met with a defiant NO! if the person does not want God to exist.

I know lots of people of that type. They cannot stand the thought of an Ego bigger than their own.

A child may want for good Santa to exist but he grew up to understand that he doesn’t exist, what you desire doesn’t always work with what you believe, no matter how much you desire going to a place like wonderland if you think it’s just an unreal fairytale, your desires won’t change a bit of what you think reality really is.

 

[St_Francis]

A child may want for good Santa to exist but he grew up to understand that he doesn’t exist, what you desire doesn’t always work with what you believe, no matter how much you desire going to a place like wonderland if you think it’s just an unreal fairytale, your desires won’t change a bit of what you think reality really is.

There is a great deal more evidence for the existence of God than for the existence of Santa Claus.

 

[adawgj]

A child may want for good Santa to exist but he grew up to understand that he doesn’t exist, what you desire doesn’t always work with what you believe, no matter how much you desire going to a place like wonderland if you think it’s just an unreal fairytale, your desires won’t change a bit of what you think reality really is.

Maybe you could help me out. What exactly do you believe? I’m a bit confused because your profile says deist/atheist so I’m guessing you aren’t religious, but believe in something greater than humanity, but is not God the way religious view God.

 

[adawgj]

There is a great deal more evidence for the existence of God than for the existence of Santa Claus.

Of course their is the true Santa Claus St. Nicholas.

 

[josh987654321]

I started to believe in God–a generic Creator–because I realized the utter absurdity of materialist evolution. Way too much effect for way too little cause! But I did not believe in the Christian God–I went on a quest to find out more about this Creator in Whom I delighted because He had made beauty and humor and many other good things. He had to be nice to have done all that

Upon learning more about Christ, I became a “mere Christian,” as CS Lewis puts it, but felt the need for something *deeper. *So I recalled from my earliest school days the Rosary and decided I needed one. Bought the Rosary and a book (Rome Sweet Rome by the Hahns) on a Wednesday, and went to Mass that Sunday

So to me, to not believe in an Intelligent Designer of some sort seems irrational, and takes effort and a huge blind faith in the capacity for order to emerge from chaos. It seems like chaos becomes their deity. To me, once having seen the truth and having everything fall into place, to believe anything else is like cognitive dissonance.

The evidence for God, for Christ, is overwhelming. But I believe some of those who see division, become indifferent and don’t bother seeking such evidence.

 

[josh987654321]

A child may want for good Santa to exist but he grew up to understand that he doesn’t exist, what you desire doesn’t always work with what you believe, no matter how much you desire going to a place like wonderland if you think it’s just an unreal fairytale, your desires won’t change a bit of what you think reality really is.

Absolutely

I believe the truth will set us free (John 8:31) and that it’s better to be awakened by a hard truth than put to sleep by a seductive lie.

If you can find as much evidence for “Good Santa”, “Flying Spaghetti Monster” or “Fairies in the Garden”, as there is for Jesus Christ, than I will absolutely reconsider my belief in them

The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) are not Legends.

There is a great book in this regard called “Reason for Belief” by Timothy Keller, there is also another fantastic one called “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis.

Thank you for reading
Josh

 

[josh987654321]

No I don’t as my both username and religious category say so, but if some people find themselves in religion and they are good beings that’s great.

When you assert that there is such a thing as good, you must assume there is such a thing as evil. When you say there is such a thing as evil, you must assume there is a moral law in which to distinguish between good and evil. There must be some standard by which to determine what is good and what is evil. When you assume a moral law, you must posit a moral law giver – the source of the moral law. But this moral law giver is precisely who atheists are trying to disprove. – Ravi Zacharias

Many people really subscribe the the whole “morality is relative” idea, but what I find interesting while watching World War II Documentaries, is that even the Nazi’s who were killing the Jews, were constantly being reinforced “this is right, what you are doing is right.” yet even they had to stop the shootings and instead go to gass chambers because of the effect it was having on the soldiers, the executioners (the effect on their conscience’s).

Another classic example is Abortion, how many post abortion centres are running? why do they need them if these women are constantly being told and reinforced with the idea that “It was just a lump of cells” or “You did the right thing, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

As Pope Francis said “The woman doesn’t carry a toothbrush or tumor in her womb, science teaches us that at the moment of conception the new being has all of the genetic code, it’s not just a religious issue, but also a moral one based on science.”

A person may dismissively say the he or she does not see a moral order. But I strongly suspect that the real issue is not an absence of moral order in the world but the insistence on determining for oneself what is good and what is evil, in spite of what we intuitively know to be true. – Ravi Zacharias

The other thing that I believe is important to consider, is that we all are on a way way ticket to the cross (e.g. Death) and thus the only logical outcome for an atheistic worldview is desperation and despair, unlike the Christians, which is Christ’s cross and resurrection.

Thank you for reading
Josh

 

[oldcelt]

The evidence for God, for Christ, is overwhelming. But I believe some of those who see division, become indifferent and don’t bother seeking such evidence.

That there was a historic Christ there is very little doubt, but the evidence of his divinity is anything but overwhelming. Just because four men chose to write about him, in VERY different testament, does not deify him or prove the existence of his father. So far as the father there is no evidence that would be accepted into a court of law.

The whole thing boils down, as it always has, to an issue of faith. The writings of “saints”, personal revelations, etc., do not count among evidence. They are enhancements for those who already believe.

 

[roselily]

I have strong faith; I knew that human could not come from random .

 

[Charlemagne_III]

Wouldn’t all beliefs be the same if the same voice is speaking to them? Why other have to believe in other sort of gods and hear their voice?

How does hearing a strange voice in your head makes you happy?

You have to hear it to find out.

How does atheism make you happy?

 

[JRKH]

That there was a historic Christ there is very little doubt, but the evidence of his divinity is anything but overwhelming. Just because four men chose to write about him, in VERY different testament, does not deify him or prove the existence of his father. So far as the father there is no evidence that would be accepted into a court of law.

The whole thing boils down, as it always has, to an issue of faith. The writings of “saints”, personal revelations, etc., do not count among evidence. They are enhancements for those who already believe.

You are quite right. IT DOES all boil down to faith. This is true of non-belief as well as belief.

In some ways I have felt that the non-believer needs a greater faith than many believers. After all, the non-believer must be so convinced (based on the same murky evidence) that he is willing to stake his eternity on the position that God does not exist.

Of course I also believe that there are relatively few who actually and categorically deny that God (in any shape or form) exists. More often I find that what is being rejected is a specific description of God that they have received from one source or another.

You seem to be just such an example since you list your religion as “Deist”. If your beliefs are at least generally in line with what is expressed in the Wiki article HERE, the certainly I would count you as a believer in God.
And I would be interested in knowing, as the OP has asked, Why you believe in God?

Further - I would be interested in gaining a greater understanding of why the Deist rejects the idea of miracles and special revelation. But perhaps that is something for a different thread. Shall I start one??

Peace
James

 

[ThinkingSapien]

YMore often I find that what is being rejected is a specific description of God that they have received from one source or another.

Ignostics may largely agree with this. I remember mentioning something similar in another thread. “God” has been used as a label for a spectrum of god-concepts presented by various people. Some of these god-concepts are said to intervene, some are said not to, some are said to be personal/persons, some are said to not be, and so on. Similarly the phrase “believe in” has been used to mean various things. Borrowing some one else’s words:
prplefox:

…Every Christian is a person with a reason to believe. It is often difficult to articulate or quantify these reasons because they are an expression of each believer. Conflated in the word “believe” that can mean 1) Trust, confidence, and hope, 2)an assessment of what is most likely true, 3) position that embodies your values…

I’ve encountered people that “believe in” Jesus that don’t think the he actually existed.

 

[Charlemagne_III]

A child may want for good Santa to exist but he grew up to understand that he doesn’t exist, what you desire doesn’t always work with what you believe, no matter how much you desire going to a place like wonderland if you think it’s just an unreal fairytale, your desires won’t change a bit of what you think reality really is.

This is patently false. Desire enters very much into discovery of the truth.

Do you think we discovered how to get to the moon without desiring to know?