Christians: If you had really never heard of God or Christianity until adulthood, would you have believed it?

I wonder how they explain why some countries are about 99% Christian, some are about 99% Muslim. Nepal for example is 80% Hindu.

Could it be, perhaps, that your religion is determined by where you are born, and not what is actually correct?

You cannot ask Christians that question, because - clearly - they HAVE heard of God and Christianity! You need to address your question to those who have not (but then, by virtue of asking, you would have enabled them to hear of God and Christianity!) Your question is a bit of a double-edged sword!

Well, why not opt for second best and look at people who were brought up atheistic? People who were actively encouraged NOT to believe in God and Christianity? I know one such person. She is a well educated, sensible British lady who was happy with her chosen path of atheism. Well, I say 'chosen', but the young woman had been brought up in an atheistic household with no religious 'input' into her life, so perhaps she was moulded that way and had no choice but to become an atheist. Let's face it, the atheists on here accuse most Christians of having no real choice but to end up Christians because they were brought up with encouragement to be Christians. So, what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

Anyway, back to this university educated young lady. She started off in her chosen career, not ever thinking about God or religion, until one day when an incredible thing happened. Out of the blue, God made Himself known to her - in her thinking. He 'broke through' with a revelation of Himself that staggered her to her core. She was entirely compis mentis when it happened - she had not been on drugs or drink. It was just a quiet but powerful intellectual awareness that neither she nor any other person had initiated. She became a Christian. She knew God was also calling her to change her career and she obeyed that direction. It wasn't what she wanted to do, but she retrained, started practicing. Oh, and she married an Episcopal priest. I first met her some years down the road when she shared my office one day per week. Lovely young woman.

It's odd how people who don't believe God exists never think of the possibility that God can choose to take the initiative with converting people to faith in Himself. Well, not odd. Their disbelief forces them to disbelieve and thus leaves them wide open to be knocked for six should God choose to call them to faith! AiH

Voltaire said that, 'if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him."

As an adolescent, having never experienced religion, I sought to find out for myself what it was, if anything at all. I determined that by the act of prayer and belief in good vs. evil that there was an underlying philosophy and, more importantly, a physiological and mental result. In turn, I realized that once someone learned this, they would pass it on to their offspring. This would propagate; from a child saying, "my father said..." to its child saying, "my fathers said..." to its child saying, "our fathers said..." to ITS child saying, "our father said..."

A few years later I found the Voltaire quote and realized I was on the right track.

The real question is, If God doesn't exist, why is it seemingly the natural order to 'find' him?

I have no clue, just my two cents.

It happens all the time. The Church in China is growing. Many of the New Believers there knew nothing of Christ until adulthood.

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/church.in.ch...

Yes. It's nothing I have done. Christ has done everything! I just trust him and am along for the ride. This is how: Humble yourself before God with a desire to know his true and clear word. Confess your sins and need for mercy that was llaid upon Jesus Christ. Stay in prayer, read the bible and pursue The Lord.

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Simple Salvation.

The Bad News.

We are hell-deserving sinners. We can't save ourselves. Romans 3:23.

The Good News.

God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for your sins. He was buried and rose again to save you and give you the free gift of eternal life. Romans 5:8, 6:23.

How to Saved.

Acts 16:31. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved...

Once saved, always saved.

Jesus said in John 6:47.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

God bless ( :

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See more

Are you saved?

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vBxSr32JFIg

Yes I do believe because God calls you to believe and through freewill you decide to follow Jesus or not.

Yes , God causes us to search for Him , Ecclesiastes 3:11 , He set eternity in each of us , so wen your spirit hears the truth , it is joyful ,

I didnt get baptised til later in life .

Jesus is Lord .

I believe everything I hear, so yes.

I could say something really mean right now...

But I will stop myself....

I think religious people are pretty simple minded, so, yes. Most probably would.

A lot of people get to adulthood without really knowing anything about God or Christianity. But that doesn't mean to say that the message about God and Christianity can not be believed by adults. Some people don't turn to God until they are well advanced in years.

Humanly speaking, we can suppose many reasons for not responding to God till later in life—having a family or a career, wanting to travel, or pursuing any number of sporting or social activities. Some may think God won’t mind waiting till their busy lives quiet down so they can spare Him some time. Others are too proud to acknowledge God. Some live comfortably by virtue of their own efforts, and they don’t feel any need to turn to God. Some simply love their sin. And others are so convinced they are earning their salvation by good works they have not yet turned to God in faith.

Jesus told a parable that shows different people being called at different times. In Matthew 20:1–16 the master of the vineyard hires workers to bring in the harvest. Some start work early in the day and agree to their wage. The harvest is so great the master has to hire more workers as the day progresses, right up until almost the close of the working day. The master pays those who started work late the same amount as those who started early. This parable speaks of God’s sovereignty in calling whomsoever He will, at whatever stage in life. He treats those who enter His service “late in the day” as equals with those who have toiled all their lives in His service.

From before creation, God knew whom He would call: “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:4–5). God knows just the right time to call a sinner to repentance and salvation. Many can hear the outward call of God, for the seed of God’s Word is cast all over, but not all the seed lands on “good soil” where it can take root and produce a harvest (Matthew 13:1–23).

In addition to hearing the outward call, individuals must hear the inward call of the Holy Spirit, for it is He who convicts us of our sin and enables us to put faith in Christ (John 16:7–15). An example of this inward call is the conversion of Lydia: “The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message” (Acts 16:14). Paul gave the outward call, but it was the Holy Spirit who gave Lydia the inward call. Until that happens, we can never respond properly to the outward call. “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:14). It is God who draws us to Himself; He decides whom He will call and when He will call them. His timing is perfect.

God’s plan for us is hidden till God chooses to disclose it. Only in hindsight can we see how the Holy Spirit was active in bringing us to the point of salvation. We may remember something significant a Christian said that made us stop and think. Or we were introduced to people whose lives demonstrated the love and humility of Jesus. Perhaps our circumstances changed dramatically, and we found ourselves in a place not of our choosing. Through seemingly random events, we finally acknowledged we were missing something important, and that started our search for God and a desire to be in relationship with Him. For each believer, the story of conversion is unique, but the common denominator is the Holy Spirit’s leading and the Word of God’s generation of faith (Romans 10:17).

God knows our hearts, and He knows who will respond to His call. When the moment is right, God breaks through our barriers, and the inward call of God becomes irresistible. Those who reject the outward call are without the Spirit of God (Romans 8:9).

God calls to us, but sometimes we don’t hear. God calls to us, but sometimes we ignore it. God calls to us, but sometimes our pride gets in the way. For some, it takes a personal tragedy before they stop to re-evaluate their lives. For others, it takes a lesson in humility before they acknowledge their need. For all those reasons and more, some people take a while to get around to turning to God. The danger in procrastination is that time might run out. No one is guaranteed tomorrow (Luke 12:20). God is patient, but, after death, there is no second chance to be saved (Hebrews 9:27).

Christians have a responsibility to spread the good news, but it is God who brings people to repentance and saving faith in Christ Jesus. If you have someone you are praying for, possibly for years, follow Jesus’ advice to “pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1). Trust God’s timing and turning. If you are putting off God’s call to salvation, you are playing with fire. God’s moment is always now (2 Corinthians 6:2). We ignore God’s calling to our eternal peril.

LM