why do you believe

[pixie]

Apologies firstly because I may be in the wrong place…
Over the past week here in the UK it seems that it has pretty much been pan christianity week on the Tv. Various programmes have had me seething and switching off with lets have a good laugh at the Pope segways and several I was a Catholic but now I’ve grown up rants.
One personal diatribe last night condemned all Faith of any variety as being a waste of every ones time and effort, because faith was created by the rich to keep everyone else in their place and make themselves feel better, bringing nothing but war and suffering to the world, and was concluded with the question why do you believe in your god…:ehh: To which my only personal answer would have been I just do. Which I feel sounds very childish and wouldn’t get me very far in that kind of a debate but just be proof to them of my peasant mentality.
So what am I looking for here, well, a better way of saying I just do because although this peasant has an honors degree she is no word smith…

 

[redtech]

Oh that would drive me crazy to see all that anti catholic stuff. I don’t watch much tv so I’m not sure if thats happening in the US too. (You did say you were in the UK right?)

I believe in God because I was raised to believe. As I’ve grown, I’ve seen and experienced things that only strengthen my faith.

examples… Hmmm.
I like to watch Discovery when I get the chance and am amazed by any shows about space/planets. I saw one one time that was talking about the Earths gravitation and the wobble and everything and these people were saying that without the moon keeping us constantly off balance and the placement of our planet away from the sun, we wouldn’t be able to sustain life. Also it seems a little TOO coincidental that this is the only planet with water… God set us up with just the right conditions.

I had a brother who was a pilot and had this fancy aviator watch that played a very distinct tune when he set the alarm. After he’d had it a few years, it broke and the part to fix it was more expensive than the watch. He took the battery out and put it in an old watch and left the aviator one on his dresser. He died tragically a few years later and the whole extended family was gathered in our living room (which his bedroom was off of) and we were all remeniscing about the good times with him when the Aviator watch alarm went off… It then came out that a few weeks earlier while watching some ghost show, he and another brother made a pact that whoever died first would give the other a sign that there was an afterlife… I witnessed this pact AND the batteryless watch playing a tune.

If I have a serious concern about something and I’m praying hard asking God a question sometime in that same day, a light buld will burn out right as I’m walking past it. I’m never positive if this is a yes or no answer to my question but its still comforting.

Here is one last example. I’m on call this week at work. I was getting ready to go to bed last night when that darn pager went off. Someone’s printer was all jammed and they weren’t going to get lab reports for their patients without it (I work in a hospital IT dept) So I had to drag my sleepy pregnant butt out at 9:30 and drive 30 minutes into work. I was VERY grumpy!!! I was about half way there and realized that I’d forgotten the keys to my office so security would have to let me in and I didn’t have my ID badge either so they’d probably give me a hassle. Right then, the railroad crossing started flashing ahead of me and the gates went down. I admit that I cursed. As I pulled up and stopped, I looked down the tracks. It was a coal train as far as the eye could see. I just tipped my head back and laughed. God had spanked me for being so grouchy. Then my usually fuzzy radio began playing that “what if she’s an angel song” and there were some lights reflecting on the train that looked exactly like snow angels. One was yellow and there were three white ones together and another white one a little further away. I’m not sure if it was from my headlights or what but I just took it as a sign and tried to enjoy the song and the spanking that God was giving me. I was in a much better mood the rest of the night. I got home at 11pm, ate a brownie and went to sleep.

Gosh, sorry this got so long!!!

 

[ridesawhitehors]

Pixie,

The answer you give that “you just do” is actually the perfect answer because it expresses faith. I to believe - because I just do.
The real substance of that answer is that you have been given the gift of faith. I have had this gift since my first recollection, having always been wired that way from a very young age. I could no more easily shed my faith then remove my arm.
My priest has expressed to me that this gift was a result of prayer - someone else praying for me, my family, all people, somewhere in time.
The other reason I believe is because of logic. Faith and Logic go hand in hand. I am no theologian either, but God cannot be explained away. Detractors have little ground to stand on.

I understand that Europe and the UK are increasingly anti christian. So sad. The good news is we can pray the Church comes back to the vibrant force it was before. Just look at World Youth Day. Millions of Youths from all over the world and in particular Europe. I believe that if you listen to the popular media they will not tell you that there is an underground movement of these youths… who have faith and will carry the Church long into the 21st century.

Be encouraged.

 

[Peace-bwu]

Start reading the Apologetics and Non-Catholic religions posts, and you will be amazed. Welcome to the posts, I hope you enjoy your stay and find what you are seeking! This is my last day here, I am leaving the CA forums after a few years of enjoyment! I hope this first day is not your last.

 

[Lady_Cygnus]

I have a lot of friends who are athiests, and although they don’t attack my belief in God they have challeneged it. Whenever I start to doubt I reread C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity, or Surprised by Joy. Since he was once an athiest (the second is is autobiography), he gives very rational reasons for our beliefs.

 

[pixie]

ridesawhitehors:

Pixie,

The answer you give that “you just do” is actually the perfect answer because it expresses faith. I to believe - because I just do.
The real substance of that answer is that you have been given the gift of faith.

You know this pretty much hits the right spot though I have never thought of it as being a gift before…

I understand that Europe and the UK are increasingly anti christian. So sad. I believe that if you listen to the popular media they will not tell you that there is an underground movement of these youths… who have faith and will carry the Church long into the 21st century.

Be encouraged.

I agree with this entirely, we have a tiny little church locally which is never empty and is attended by all ages. The Catholic church still has the largest attending congregation in the UK and from what I’ve heard the rest of Europes churches aren’t nearly as under used as they like to tell us.