Christians: Why do you believe in God?

There are a number of reasons why I believe in God. I am convinced that the cosmos of space, time, and matter had a beginning and that something outside the cosmos and, in a sense, supernatural, with power of free choice brought it into existence. I am persuaded that different forms of the design argument provide justification for belief in God. I am particularly impressed by the fine-tuning of the universe, the information content and so-call specified complexity in biological organisms, the fact that our rational and sensory faculties allow us to gather truth in our intellectual environment, often with regard to immaterial entities (like knowledge of universals, moral knowledge, self knowledge of one's own soul and mental states, aesthetic knowledge, knowledge of mathematics and logic) that have little or nothing to do with the demands for reproductive advantage and have much to do with the gratuitous beauty in the world.

Third, several features of the moral life and the objectivity of purpose in life are, in my view, best explained by the sort of monotheistic God the Bible describes and who creates human persons in his image: The fact that value properties came to be exemplified in the world, the imperative force of moral law that is best explained by a moral commander, the existence and appropriateness of moral shame and guilt that goes beyond what is owed to other human persons, the fact that human persons have incredibly high value as human persons, the fact that our faculties are such that we have knowledge of value, the fact that our desire structure causes us to want to do what is right, even when it is not in our self-interest, the fact that we are so constructed that we can actually make moral progress, and the fact that it is rational to adopt the moral point of view in the first place.

Finally, the existence of immaterial souls, the reality of libertarian freedom, and the nature of consciousness and intentionality are, in my view, best explained by the notion that we were created by a God who has these features himself. It seems clear to me that none of these items could come from pure matter, nor do I believe that panpsychism is adequate to explain the unity of the self and its power of choice. There are other things I could cite here. I mention only a few items to give feel for the main sorts of considerations that have been powerful in my own reflection about Christian monotheism. I also believe that God's own Spirit has testified to me of God's reality, though I believe this to be an aspect of religious experience. I am convinced by arguments from prophecy and historical evidence that the Bible is, indeed, a divine revelation and that Jesus of Nazareth is the risen Son of God.

First I want to say thank you for your polite tone and your willingness to hear other world views.

Evidence for the Bible:

The Bible has a remarkable internal cohesion in spite of being written over hundreds of years by people of various social classes, and even languages.

The prophecies in the Bible have come true. Including ones that have manuscripts that are older than the fulfillment of the prophecy. This includes the prophecies in Daniel 2 which cover Western history to the present, the one that Jericho would be rebuilt, but the builder’s oldest and youngest sons would die during the building, and the one about Babylon never being rebuilt. If you want to disprove Christianity and Judaism just go rebuild Jerusalem.

The Jews were a small band of people that lived in the area of Mesopotamia in the time of the Phoenicians, the Lydians, etc. Even the Babylonians have been absorbed or destroyed. Why do the Jews continue to survive and prosper with their culture intact in spite of almost universal hatred? As an amateur historian I would say that the Jews should have been wiped out before written history. However, as a Bible student I am not surprised. It was just as the Bible predicted it should be.

This same argument can be made for the survival of Christianity. The Christians were a very small band of an off shoot of a unpopular religion. They should have been wiped out by the Jews and / or the Romans within the lifetime of the apostles. Yet, just 300 years later, we find Constintine converting to keep his empire for splitting because there are too many Christians for the Roman army to subdue them.

Anthropology

Biblical cities not recorded in secular works have been found in the conditions the Bible predicts.

Personal Evidence:

What I know for sure is that God gives me peace beyond my imagination, and is slowly changing me from my bitter, violent past into a kinder, gentler person. I know that you don't give this kind of evidence much credibility, but in my experience it can't be denied.

Psychology:

The venom of the anti-religious is one of the best proofs of religion. Normally people don't fight against things they don't believe in with great passion. They do fight against things they know are true, that they can't deal with that way.

I can only speak for me , but I guess that is what you are looking for ? I have no choice but to believe, in the sense that there is no room for doubt that who Jesus says he is, He simply is, and the same for God.. Let me explain just a tad, and I will try not to bore you : I was a rebel in the truest sense of the word, wild to the core, not even my parents could control me . I fought the system every step of the way, kicked and screamed , cursed and not only raised my fist but used them to get my point across... The ONLY thing I did not get into was drugs, the rest was *anything goes*, rock and roll and sex, booze and fights... But, there was always something inside, one little part of me that spoke in soft whispers, *you do not have to do this !*, I paid it no mind, but some how over the course of about 5 years, when I got to the age of around 31 or so, I noticed that that voice was becoming even more gentle and soft, and another thing I noticed was the changes taking place in me... I was no longer fighting the system, looking at ME and seeing ME, the who I was for the first time in my life... The booze just kinda went away... the confusion went away, the sadness went away, the pain went away.... and in its place was this power, love, comfort, grace, mercy, compassion, an energy so strong it literally took my breath... I would have visions or dreams : there I would be sitting by a river so pure you could feel it, smell it, sense its pure raw power and there would be Jesus sitting beside me . He would be sitting on this huge flat rock, but the rock was NOT part of the ground where I was sitting... He would gently speak to me, saying, * dip your toe in the river*, and then we would talk some more, then he would say, *dip your foot in the river*, etc... not a word was spoken as in *language* but there was communication.... and one day I DOVE full body in that river, and I have not been the same since.... I have not had those visions in years, and have had only one other that was nothing like them.. so, you see, there are those of us, who are called, if that is what you wish to call it, and there is nothing outside of Gods' of grace that really matters..... go in peace.... God bless

*edit*, there is a LOT more to this, but to much to type here.....

I believe there is a duality that exist, physical and spiritual.

The only way to understand them is to give them both proper investigation and not disregard one because you feel elements of it are illogical or unsettling.

I am a Christian because after many years of studying many religions I feel Christianity fits me best.

I also read the bible regularly, not just the KJV but also Aramaic and Hebrew translations.

What makes a person a Christian is in my opinion is the constant search to understand what God wants of us.

It is about doing our best to follow Christ example and live a life of constant reflection, benevolence, and peaceful understanding of people.

It is about realizing that this life is a precious gift from the Creator and this life is a journey not a race to the end.

Accepting Jesus and your personal savior, reading the bible, and believing that he died on the Cross for the sins of man is just one facet of the duty of a Christian.

Through prayer, readings and just personal evaluation I have found Christianity is really lovely at its core.

What convinced me to believe were several personal events along with some readings and research of Christianity's history and some books by theologians.

But over all I have come to understand that my beliefs are my own, they are based on my personal perception and perspective of life.

From where I stand there is a God and I seek to live a life he will find pleasing.

Others may see it differently and that is fine, after all we must do onto others as we would have them do onto us.

I would want someone to respect me for my opinions so I respect the opinions of others.

But I simply decided to believe based on my personal experiences in life, and to be honest I feel that is the best argument for belief.

If you are to believe in anything you must speak form your personal perspective, not just things you have been taught to believe.

"Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good."- 1 Thessalonians 5:21

Peace and Blessings = )

Maybe your not atheist but maybe agnostic. Agnostic believe that maybe there could be a God but have not been proved yet. That being said, I am a Christian and have been most of my 42 years of age. I believe in God because I don't think the earth or the people in it are just here by happenstance or accident. Everything I see was created by a creator and I believe that to be God. I believe in God because he has never let me down, has never failed me even tho I have Him. Plus I have the promise of a better life after this life. That's where my Dad is who just died of cancer. And you my friend can have that same promise! Just accept Christ in your life and follow his ways!

Kaila,

I was an agnostic for many years then had a NDE. After that I remained in a Coma for some time. I began searching for GOD and my beliefs after the Coma ended and became a Christian after a lengthy study of the BIBLE. I do not believe it is my place to convince you or that it is your place to convince me of what my beliefs are. I will answer questions and study with anyone who has an interest. Have a great week.

Thanks,

Eds

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There are messengers that talk about things that cannot be observed. You either do or don't believe these messengers, but in either case, the key word is believe. Atheism is not a science but a belief.

The question of God is not proved in the bible, it is assumed. Within the pages of the bible, God reveals God to man.

What makes me a Christian is that I have heard the messengers and believed. It is because of God's favor.

I believe in God because the alternative is that nothing made everything from nothing for no reason and that just doesn't make sense.

Furthermore, Science has never demonstrated how or why non-life produced life; randomness produced fine-tuning; chaos produced information; unconsciousness produced consciousness; and non-reason produced reason.

I believe in Jesus firstly because there is more historical evidence that he existed than there is for just about any famous figure from ancient times and, secondly, if he only did 10% of the things credited to him them he has still done more than any other historically verifiable religious figure - so he more than proven he was who he claimed to be.

Religion is about giving people hope. If the bad man treats me badly or murders my family or whatever the offender will suffer Gods wrath. It plays perfectly into mans lust for vengeance if wronged. It is can be used for good or bad, it comes down to the view point of the follower.

when i finally came to realize that God loved me so much that he was willing to die for me, die a horrible death. i pondered on this for years, I always wondered why would God being a loving God allow such a horrible thing to happen to his son Jesus, I was angry with him,until I saw that he done it for me and all of mankind. he showed me that he cannot go against his own commandments,therefore without a perfect sacrifice we had no chance to ever reunite with God, God gave his best so that we could have the best. It breaks my heart to this day when I think about the sufferings that Jesus went through, and now I understand if I do not accept what he has done then what he did was suffer for nothing when he did not have too.