Do you believe in God? Why or Why not?

HannahMo, I think I see where you are coming from. We adapt to the politics, our social values and our religion from our parental influences. In a mixed setting this can be very confusing. Let me see if I can help.

I am Southern Baptist, my family is also except my father, he was what is called Primitive Baptist (believing in predestination). Now all the family were Democrats, had strong reserves against certain races of people, typical redneck values. As I matured, I did look into other religions, mostly the typical denominations of other Christian teachings. Once was married to a Catholic and attended church often, but we both moved over to a more middle of the road church: not Catholic and not Baptist. After our divorce she went back to Catholicism and I to the charismatic full gospel groups. I am back to Southern Baptist. I will tell you why in the next paragraph. I am now a registered Republican desiring smaller federal government with conservative consciousness. I believe the church should provide aid to needy families, not government for instance.

Being born into a religion is a misnomer. Being born into a family with strong religious values is what really is happening. Your father has a double dose: 3/4 Jewish by race and probably 100 percent Jewish by religion, hard to see another path. However, for your information there are thousand of what I will call Christian Jews. Jews by race who have accepted Jesus as the Messiah. A protestant is of a church group who opposed the Roman Catholic church so is a protesting person. Not all other Christian groups fall into that position. Typically the Lutheran, Episcopalian, possible the Presbyterian and Methodist. So you see, Baptist and many others are not protestant for they are not breakaways from Catholicism. I would be willing to bet your M. Grandmother yielded to the stronger demands of the Catholic church since your M. Grandfather was Catholic. I do not mean any criticism of the Adventist, but the rule (part of the old testament Ten Commandments) was changed when Jesus entered history and fulfilled the Law, and brought into the society the period of Grace. Therefore, the continuance of remembering the Sabbath and keeping it holy is passe, structurally.

So why am I Southern Baptist? First and foremost I am a Christian. An event that has absolutely nothing to do with which church or denomination I attend. My faith is in Jesus, the Son of God, not in some family of God calling themselves Baptist, or ***. of God, Methodist or what ever. I am Southern Baptist for I believe they attempt to practice or teach the true doctrine of the New Testament. That is not to say the others are wrong, just not as complete a testimony of the NT teachings. It is not to say that Southern Baptist are any more Christian than others, nor that all who claim to be SB's are good Christians. I know Mennonites who are better Christians in practice than many SB's but they too have a few miss placed interpretations.

I have studied in classrooms while in college the differences of religions of the world. I have continued with interest in many of these and have attended most of the Christian assemblies. I made my choice to walk the Christian path as defined in the New Testament and to do that walk in the SB churches for they teach what I believe the closest in the overall text that covers a person's walk with God while on earth. I also do not agree with many of their traditions, but that is not a concern to me for I do not find a conflict with scripture only interpretation and tradition. God is very real to me in my walk, he has proven his presence many times and I am very comfortable in Him.

No, I do not believe in god. This was not a decision I made lightly or quickly. I was raised Catholic and spent many years going to Mass. None of it ever resonated with me. Years ago during a college class a professor state that man made up God (or Gods) to explain things they could not explain at the time (for instance, why the sun went away at night). That made sense to me.

I continued to do the church thing on and off for the next couple of decades. I felt like it was something I should be doing, not that I wanted to do.

Along the way I developed a life altering chronic pain condition and I would pray for god to bring me relief. I had a major surgery that I prayed would work and it only made matters worse. I was alone at the time and prayed for god to bring me someone to love as I wanted a family of my own. None of these things happened.

So, I came to a crossroads. I could choose to believe that god had forsaken me, or going with my gnawing belief there was no god. I read many books on the subject and finally concluded the evidence, at least for me, was overwhelming that there wasn't one. And it was amazingly freeing. It made sense to me and things felt right.

It is amazing how many people refuse to accept my decision and try to change me. I do not push my believes on others, so I do not want them to push theirs on me. It is a deeply personal choice.

No. There is no evidence for ANY God. Think about all the Gods we no longer believe in. Think about the Gods Christians don't believe in. Simply having an idea is not sufficient weight of argument to say well why shouldn't you believe in it. Christians would have to show that their God exists. They can't and they know it. I am not inclined to believe wild claims without evidence.

I believe in God because I feel it's the right thing to do.

My entire family consists of Nondenominational Christians, including me.

I don't believe in God because I see too many holes in the christian story and I feel that self improvement should be completed by oneself, not by a higher power.

Of course I believe in God. I think most people do, but they don't want to follow his word. When you live iin the light of eternity, your values change.

I am Luthern, but use to be Catholic

Yes, i believe in God.

Because of my experience with him.

I have seen him at work, and that is unexplainable except divine intervention (God).

And to those who say there is no God.

Well, May God save your souls.

I don't believe in any gods, for the same reason you don't believe in Santa or the Easter Bunny.

I know that reason is overused, but it's true.

I was raised Christian though.

no i don't,too many reasons to mention but i will say,if we were created by 'god' every body wouldn't need a religion,we all would believe the same,no one would be preaching about 'god' or their religion trying to convert it would just be part of our DNA,just like our parents and so on,but i ask"y do we feel the need to be created by a 'higher' being?

yes, I believe in God. how can you 3/4 Jewish? doesn't it only depend wither you practice Judaism or not?