How can a religious believer without any solid foundation for belief say that someone else is being mislead?

Question

I am happy to believe in God, or a God.

I find it hard to believe in the holy trinity. I find it hard to believe in resurrection of Jesus.

So without any evidence or solid proof, why do some religious believers feel so comfortable in saying that everyone else is off the mark?

I am not just referring to Christians, I am equally puzzled by the Muslim beliefs, especially as the net result of both is a lot of bloodshed over the entire history of the world.

So who is really off the mark. Dont forget, Christians must also believe that God created the Muslims. How do you work through that?

Answer 1

What do you consider "a solid foundation for belief?" You would need to be able to quote an absolute, unquestionably authoritative source of moral truth. Unfortunately, to date there is no such source. Many people may claim that there is, but as you say, there is no proof.

Unfortunately, when it comes to divine beings, it is unlikely that such proof will ever exist. Most religious schools of thought teach that a God will refuse to prove itself, and demand that people take the concept on faith in the absence of any proof.

So I agree with your viewpoint in principle. One person may be able to find a good pathway to God, but they have no basis for saying that everybody else is wrong. To make such a statement is to claim Godhood for oneself.

Answer 2

God created people. Free will and the ability to believe what you want creates Muslims, just as it also creates seriel killers, murderers of all types, those who cheat on their spouses, etc. The fact that certain types of people exist does not mean that God made them that way; they made their own choices.

You can find significan evidence of the Trinity at Isaiah 9:6, where we see the prophet speaking about an unborn baby who would also be God Almighty and a number of other holy and unspeakable names only ever attributed to God Himself.

As for a lack of evidence, the fact that YOU lack evidence does not mean that there is a lack of evidence, only that you yourself have not yet seen it. Others perhaps have seen it and been compelled to believe and to tell you about it. It is an arrogant assumption to think that your lack of evidence means that there is no evidence. You probably cannot explain any number of things that are nonetheless quite real.

As for solid proof, what constitutes solid proof? In court we convict a man and send him to prison on the testimony of two witnesses -- sometimes only one. The resurrection and ascention of Jesus had over 500 witnesses and the NON-Christian first century historian Josephus says plainly that Jesus was alive after He was dead. That alone is enough for any court of law.

If you're interested, you'll find some further arguments in some of my other answers. In summary though, just because you don't know something yourself does not mean it is not known by others.

Hope this helps!

Rebecca
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Answer 3

To answer the first part of your question...

Nobody without a solid foundation will be able to tell somebody with a solid foundation that they are being mislead. With that said, most Christians have a very solid foundation in Christ and the Bible, which is why we are so confident in what we believe. If you are not confident in what you believe, you must examine what foundation you have.

To answer the second part...
We "work through" the fact that God created Muslims the same way we do everything else. Meaning we LOVE Muslims just like we LOVE you and LOVE atheists and LOVE Buddhists, etc. Just because they haven't given their life to Christ doesn't affect our love for them. To us, all men (and women) are equal. The only difference between a Christian and a non-Christian (of ANY religious background) is that we have put our faith in Christ and they haven't. So there is really nothing to "work through"!

Be blessed!

Answer 4

As a True Christian, following the teachings of Jesus, I have no problem believing in the trinity, as Jesus said he and the Father were one and that the comforter couldn't come until he was ascended. And why would a Christian not think God made the muslims as well, he didn't make their religion, anymore than he made buddah, but he made the people who believe in buddah. I'm glad to say I' m not a religious believer without any solid foundation - I am a True believer with a very rock solid foundation in Jesus Christ.

Answer 5

I am NOT Christian, and I doubt that I ever was, despite the fact that I spent my entire childhood and adolescence having it pounded into my head. And thinking back to all of the things that I have been "taught" in religious schools, the Bible is a solid foundation. It's the "inerrant" word of God and all of that stuff, and the Koran is apparently the same thing. For someone who actually believes that, then there is no uncertainty.

I remember when I was in 3rd Grade. King Tut's exhibit came to the Field Museum in Chicago at around the time we were "studying" the book of Exodus in school. I saw the artifacts from Tut's tomb, including two sarcophogi for the mummies of his stillborn children. That shocked me, because these little bitty coffins were as well decorated as Tut's own, and in my little kid's mind I thought it was cool that these little stillborn children could be buried with their father. I went back to school and reported this, with rather bad timing, right in the middle of bible study and was told by the "teacher" that it was nice that I was able to go the museum, but I should remember that since the Ancient Egyptians weren't Christian, that I could not assume that they loved their kids in the same way that "we" do. I remember being shocked that someone who didn't even see the exhibit, or probably didn't even know how to spell Tutankhamun's name, making THAT kind of a judgement. I guess she took it on *faith* that ancient Egyptians didn't love their children in the way that people like her did...and I think she's right. They probably loved their children even more.

From that day on, I Christianity has given me something of a queasy-about-to-puke feeling.

Since then, I've gone through other events and it occurs to me that all of the Christians (and members of other faiths) who denegrate others are essentially very terrified, very small and unhappy people who've run out of excuses to justify their behavior...since they have no excuses left, they adopt a faith system that does all of the justifying for them. And for people as unfortunate as that, THAT's foundation enough.

Answer 6

I believe that faith is good, but not blind faith. Christianity is backed consistantly by historical records (and therefore, the same with Judiasm).

Regarding to your lack of belief in the Trinity, I would recommend reading the book listed in the sources. Also, I look at it like this. One of the core traits of God is that he is omnicient (knows what everyone is thinking). This allows him to issue orders (from the 3 personalities) in one accord, since they are all 3 omnicient.

The Bible even states that God is more than one in the old testament. In Hebrew, when it is said "Our God is one God" the first instance of God is plural, while the second is singular. Thus, they're saying "Our Gods are one God'

I don't blame you, I had a lot of trouble with this one as well. However, if you do your research in Christianity/Judiaism and even in historical texts, you will find that there's really no other faith to adhere to, as Christianity fits the historical evidence.

Answer 7

He who seeks knowledge will not find it. Faith is belief without basis. The Trinity exists whether you believe in it or not and Jesus Christ died for you whether you believe it or not. Every believer is based on a foundation of faith. Some would see that as the equivalent of a foundation of air but most will see faith as a foundation of stone. Religion on the other hand messes everything up because people place their faith in their religion instead of in God. That's why you have the Christians and Muslims killing each other.

Answer 8

I am on very solid foundation with my belief in the word of God in the Bible. Therefore, if someone says something that is not found in the Bible as it pertains to christianity, I can confidently refute them.

God created all humans, however all humans do not recognize the Creator. That's how I work through the issue with Muslims and all other religions.

Answer 9

faith is believeing in things unseen. with that being said, one can say "big deal." because some of the stuff we as christians are asking people to believe can be just weird. while i desire to address all your concerns, i am not a muslim so if i am wrong in addressing those parts of your question please forgive me.

i am not comfortable in saying anyone who believes different from me is "off the mark" - while i will believe i am "right" i can not say others are "wrong." at best i can say they have a different set of beliefs. let's be honest, i have a hard time with the trinity because in no place in scripture does it say there is a trinity - that is a human understanding of how God seems to project God's being, and it could be wrong. the idea of the resurrection is hard to grasp, but for me [and i can only speak formyself and the mouse in my pocket] i have no problem with the idea that jesus became new and refreshed his life.

i am not sure anything to do with faith can be "proven" to the liking of all people - there will always be some who question. i have been a pastor for about 10 years and i still wonder and ask questions - faith is not something you wake up with one day, it is a process that leads you to understanding God in your life.

in all faiths there are those who hold to "absolutes" and it is in that place where we find people who are willing to kill for a faith that demands peace. all faiths are driven to violance. all faiths are driven to kill in the name of their God. i would hope that you would see the extreme end of any faith as just that, the extreme end of that faith and that the extreme end should not define the whole.

Answer 10

It is such a hard thing to counter logic such as "its in the Bible, so it must be true" that thinking people turn to alternate religions or atheism. Don't beat your head against the wall and try to figure it out. Sometimes I wonder if those fundies are marrying their sister like Adam and Eve. Trust God and Help others. That's all you need to do. The advice of man will let you down everytime.