What is the big secret to believing in God?

Pray about it. Study His Word. Have a personal relationship with Him.

Purpose Driven Life book was very helpful to me. It is written by Rick Warren

There really is no big secret. God is not hiding in the bushes somewhere. Look anywhere you choose to find evidence of a Creator. In your kitchen you find any appliance. Who made it? You probably answer Black & Decker. Then why would it be difficult to accept a Creator is involved in more complex things than a toaster?

Now when it comes to knowing ABOUT God, that is where study and understanding comes in. There is a plain, out in the open secret about that. Just going to church and accepting what you are told is not enough. Personal study, knowledge, understanding and wisdom gained is necessary.

You will not find this at most churches of Christendom. they have not taught what is in the Bible for many, many years. To find the right religion God does approve of, which is the only one which will do any of us any good, we must find THE one that matches what the Bible teaches. Only then can you learn the truth about God and His plans for earth.

You can do so in about 30 minutes with a Bible, a good Concordance of the Bible, paper and pen.

First write down the major beliefs of religions you know as well as which religions believe them.

Second, look up in the Concordance the key words about a belief. "Soul" for instance. The better Concordances will list all the scriptures having soul in them.

Third, look them up in the Bible. For "Soul" you will find Genesis 2:7. It tells what makes up a soul. It is the body + breath of life = a living soul. The soul is not something apart fro m the body. Then you also find Ezekiel 18:4. The latter part says. "the soul that is sinning, it itself will die." So souls do die. They are not immortal. Does that mean ALL souls?

Well, you must look under "Sin" to find Romans 5:12 which tells us we all sin--inherited from Adam. Proof of that is we all die.

So there is no human who has an immortal soul from those scriptures you just found for yourself in the Bible.

So fourth, cross all the religions teaching such a thing off of your list. They cannot be the true religion of the Bible while teaching wrong doctrines.

Repeat. Until there is only one name on your list. Or make a better list. What you are looking for is one that stresses "ACCURATE knowledge and full discernment" and worship in "deed and truth". (Philip.1:9; 1Tim. 2:4; 2Tim. 2:25; 3:7; Titus 1:1; 1John 3:18)

I believe in the God of the bible because I cant look at this world and not see it being created by a thinking being. The glory of God is in His creation as the bible says. God says because of this the world has no excuse not to believe. There is so much proof that God exists. I know many try to argue this (and many do it very well) but science has never and can never disprove God. You say you're losing faith, but your details make it seem like you are losing it not because of God but because of those who claim to know God. Dont base God off others. If you have to be the only true Christian on this Earth alone, it is well worth it because God promises the believer rest. If you truly feel as if you are about to lose all faith pray. If you cant (as I dont feel like praying alot) study the bible. Go on the internet or get books that show you the facts of God's existence. Some book recommendations are :

The Politically Incorrect guide To The Bible

The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict

I've found that Youtube has tons of Christians who give people the proof of God's existence as well.

I truly hope you never lose your faith. Remember that that is exactly what satan wants you to do, he wants one less Chrstian on the earth. Dont give in. Trust in God.

I believe you seem to know the answer to this already. To believe in God is not being a Catholic, Mormon, Baptist, and the list goes on. Don't let these people make you lose faith.If you do not want to be in the Catholic church then don't. Keep your faith with you and proceed to go where god is telling you. To me all of these branches of religions are a place of status and not for God. You can worship God anywhere even in your own backyard, under a tree sitting on a blanket, sipping a cup of tea.And unfortunately the Catholic church was based around the rich. Look it up in the history books. A member of royalty could go and sleep with a prostitute, go pay the church for forgiveness say Hail Mary and you have earned your way back to Heaven. The rich could also pay money to the Catholic church for there dead family members to get them into heaven. God is not the enemy. It is the evil way of the sinners that misinterpret what God truly is. The Catholis church happens to be one of them.

I believe in God because I have seen Him work in my life and i KNOW that He is there. Your doubt is the very reason that faith is needed. You chose to believe. If there is concrete proof then no faith is needed, you believe because it has been proven. You believe because you have faith no matter what others say or do around you. You choose it.

Most believe because that is how they were raised but the time comes when your questions should lead you to a faith of your own which may or may not be the same as the religion you were raised believing in. You must make your own choice in what to believe and if you believe.

Take your doubts to God, not to church or to a priest but to God himself, direct and ask Him to let you know that he is there and then be quiet for a few days. I do not mean you can't talk or do anything I mean that you be still inside, remain calm and let your doubts rest for a time. watch and listen with your heart and you will get your answer as I got mine. If you want to know and ask for an answer, God will give it to you....but of course you must have faith enough in His reality to ask Him if He exists.

And I don't know why your friends are so proud to be Catholic when that religion has so distorted the actual truth I can see why there is Christian and then there is Catholic.

You said the magic word -- "faith". Either you want to believe, or you don't. I was raised as a United Methodist, but was saved in a Pentecostal church after many years away from God. I went back to my home church (UM), & found their contemporary service to my liking -- it's a bit like the Pentecostal services, but toned down a bit. While it may be acceptable for some, I personally don't agree w/ the Catholic faith's concepts. As long as you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, I suppose that any Christian faith is reasonable though.

You write that question so well.

Believe me, you will keep asking questions like that as long as you live. Sometimes I think that faith isn't in the answers; it's in the questions. Only when you start asking the really big questions can your faith grow from the child's (where your friends all seem to be just now) to a more adult faith.

Do not fear to doubt. we all wrestle with doubt. Only to a few saints is it given, by grace, to have that kind of faith that knows no doubts.

As a Roman Catholic, you sometimes recite the Nicene Creed. Each time you recite it, pay close attention to it. Remember that it is more a prayer than a statement of faith. State that as a prayer for faith.

Your faith will not be perfect; human faith never is. Just keep attending Church, keep on reciting those prayers and by all means, ask questions. It's the questions, not the answers that hold most of the mystery of our Awesome God.

Well, I'll give you my own testimony, of sorts. I was raised in a religion of which I am no longer. I felt as a kid I didn't "fit". I spent much time in Bible study,prayer,and fasting.I simply asked God to lead me where he'd have me to go.That is how I ended up in the Apostolic church(not Catholic!). I think its about a desire for God and simply faith. To answer your questions:1. Most people DO just go along w/ whatever they are taught. 2. They do believe w/o question(usually) whatever has been drilled in their head. 3. I believe in God because I can see,feel,and hear the very real presence of God in our daily lives. Feel free to ask if I can help more. God Bless!

If your friends think they can judge people, then they are obviously not good catholics. God ONLY does the judging. I know i honestly don't know how to believe either and sometimes i do question my faith as well but in reality if you think about it i mean like look at this Beautiful world, and how it changes everyday. Something beyond our belief made it so that baby birds could learn to fly, seeds could grow, pollination could occur, seasons could change, etc. People believe because they know that there is a world beyond our comprehension that someday we will go to, where we will see our loved ones, and live forever in peace, love, and comfort. No wars, no presidents, no stress, no poor, and no rich.

I was brought up a roman catholic and left the church when I left home at age 17. I think they did try to make us feel superior, for example, they told us it was a sin to set foot in a protestant church. I felt guilty for that years later. NOBODY but God has the right to judge anybody, its one thing to state an opinion, but never judge. God said, 'judge not lest ye be judged'. Maybe you should remind your friends of that. To start with, if you were biblically literate, you would know that 'hell', when taken back to its original language translates to 'grave'. So they don't know what they are talking about. The only one who God has sentenced so far is satan, and he will be going in the lake of fire after judgment day. When he is cast into the lake of fire, he goes to perdition (death) so there is no hell where people burn forever, and it is wrong to go around preaching that to anyone. They have a title only in my opinion, they don't even know what the church teaches them or else it is teaching them UNtruths. Pray to God, and I don't mean recite prayers, Jesus told us to pray like so...Our Father..who art in heaven...not to pray to saints or to Mary. He was giving an example, you speak to God from your heart, tell Him what is on your mind and ask Him to show you the way.You sound like the smart one of the bunch in my opinion :)

I have my own kjv companion bible(with footnotes) and a strongs concordance, so I can look up the original meaning of a word for myself, not just take some man's, in your case priests word for it. I have many things against the catholic church. It's wrong to bow before the pope and kneel and kiss his ring. It is wrong to call anybody else Father, except our Father in heaven. Last time I went to church, a priest was still called 'father'. I don't believe we have to confess our sins to a priest or any church person, they don't have a private line to God anymore than we do. Your prayers will get answered faster prayed by YOU. I wish you all the best in finding God for yourself ! If you are persistent, you will and what a difference it will make in your life !

The secret is to find the love of Christ in your own heart.

It is a philosophical teaching that humans want to reach and believe that there is a "higher being" or someone/something greater than themselves...ie afterlife, heaven, hell, rebirth, etc. That would explain why there are billions of people on this planet who have a "religion", be it Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, etc. God, being the creator and the Father, has placed in man's heart the desire to be with him.

As a Father, that DOES play into following the religion of one's own parents, doing them honor as He commanded.

What you must do is to surround yourself with people who are good Catholics and learn from them. Of course you are losing your faith! It would be unfair to yourself to judge the Church on the basis of the behaviors and, sometimes, false beliefs or lack of knowledge of those individuals.

Please do your own homework regarding your faith. What you are relying on are the opinions of others, either Catholic Christian or Protestant Christian. Do the research for yourself and pray for guidance from God.

I do believe in God and I believe that you would be short-changing youself if you were to abandon your faith. There is a rich, fullness of truth for YOU to discover. No one can do it for you.

PS-Canonization takes centuries!!