confused about religion.?

Question

i want to believe in god, i really do. but not having proof that there is a god and that there is heaven just really gets to me and makes me lose faith. what keeps you believing?

Answer 1

First I hope that you read all of the comments because the majority of them are amazingly beautiful as well as filled with truth.

I write as someone raised Christian who became an atheist for about a decade and gradually became a believer in God and then a Christian again.

I became an atheist largely because I was a pre-med biology major who found out in school that there was no room in the heavens for a Santa Claus like guy living in the sky and I tired of the idea of what NT Wright has called the "spy in the sky" God. And, obviously there is no scientific proof and as a science major I wanted proof.

So, as everyone says it mostly has to do with faith. However, rarely you can actually see God in the face and peace and actions of a true Christian (this sort of thing is rare though). They radiate peace. You can see them shine almost.

And, so why should you believe in God? I would say mostly for selfish reasons. Because life can be really hard and you can't ever really count on anything or anybody for they may die or turn against you and even (or especially) on the church on earth you can't count. You can only count on yourself and God. And, without God the world can get to be a pretty lonely place.

While God probably isn't going to make you financially rich and famous like the TV Evangelists tell you, he is there to advise you (through prayer, the Bible and small signs), for you to talk to and to sustain you in hard times. He sustains you because you know you aren't alone and you can pray and feel his peace and through things like Psalms in the Bible. But, you have to believe and start communicating with God. And, if God were to turn out not to be really there and you are just talking to yourself, what difference does it really make?

God is there to give you peace. And, if belief in God is not giving you peace it's because you are using religion to beat yourself up about your sins. And, that's not what God is there for. God is there to forgive your sins and love you and support you in your efforts to be a good person and to survive this often difficult world.

And, you probably want to read some theology like NT Wright and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. You may want to read something like Leslie Weatherhead's "The Will of God". But don't get too hung up either on theology. Take it in small doses and know that it's about that person's interpretation so there is no guarantee it's accurate. If not you may get a headache from so many different opinions. You may want to read as many books as you can about Jesus too if you are a Christian. But, once again be prepared for a headache.

And, while if you are a Christian you want to use the Bible use it carefully. While it's all we really have we don't have an accurate translation into English which takes into account the shades of meaning of the original New Testament Greek or which contextualizes it. The Old Testament is the story of the evolution of a people's understanding of God and hence while wisdom is found there, God as they understood him isn't always very nice. And, the view of God may conflict with itself. And, the three or four strands of writers written into the Old Testament are well documented (E.g. Elohist, Yawhist, Priestly).

John Bristow talks about some New Testament translation problems in his book "What Paul Really Said About Women". I own every translation of the New Testament made into English, I think, and the "Cotton Patch Gospels" are the only ones which even start coming close which is really amazing with all of the footnotes and translating teams it's odd. So, you may want to start learning about Greek language and culture and still you don't know if the actual texts are accurate. But, don't let this stop you from having a relationship with God and I think that the truth about Jesus peeks through in his love of the poor and his love of justice and we have the "Lord's prayer" (Catholic's call it "Our Father") which you can cling onto. And, also I think of the 23rd Psalm. Some older theologians, like Barth, go back to the original Greek in their discussions but modern ones seem to mostly assume the translation is accurate and work on the meaning of the English.

The leader of the gospel group the Providentials, Joe Young, (though I don't agree 100% with his theology) can really tell you through song (and especially those he's written) about what a faith walk is about. I can say the same about some old Christian hymns. See the link to "The Garden" at the bottom but there are so many old beautiful hymns like Luther's "A Mighty Fortress is our God". And, in the case of Joe Young you can hear God in his voice because his faith and love of God is so strong.

The song that best addresses this is Joe Young's song "Right there by my Side" on their album "He Will Provide".

Once you start a faith walk with God I don't think that the question of heaven will worry you too much. God's peace is sufficient. If you go to heaven, fine or if you just stop existing you won't even know about it! Some Christians and others believe in reincarnation which makes more sense. However, it is used to blame people for their bad lot in life. So, know that Jesus (and Amida Buddha) forgives your sins not only for this life but for any other lifetimes and if you come back then it will be to help other people and not for punishment.

The only good argument I have found in favor of heaven is in Bishop Mack Stokes' work on United Methodist beliefs where he talks about how people say well I just want to be a good influence on earth and he says that without heaven what difference does this make as everyone is going to die. However, I tend to agree more with a famous Jewish scholar (or maybe it's the Talmud) who says that in your life you should plant a tree or have children or write a book.

You didn't ask about hell. Well, I think there's plenty of that here on earth. And, you will see plenty of bad and perhaps even evil people in this life. But, usually I've found that they get punished in this life. It may take 5, 10, 15 or 20 years. You may not even see it but it mostly does happen. And, we don't know what internal hells they suffer. And, we might hope for another eternal hell for some really bad people but I think they will get punished enough here whether you see it or not. And, I think it is accurate that the "arc of the universe is long but it moves toward justice" as one 19th century theologian said and it was taken back up by Martin Luther King as a quote. This means that we can't always see the long term big picture of things. And, I really do believe in evil, myself though Weatherhead addresses all of this in the context of World War II and this book is widely available and cheap (about 5$). .

And, so I think the best reason to believe in God is the peace that it offers.

Whatever you do don't let any confusion disrupt your relationship with God. Probably being confused is part of being a thinking human being.

Check out the Providentials on their web site at www.providentials.com where you can listen to some of their sound clips and order albums. They aren't a commercial group and sing for the love and glory of God. I provided links to a couple of hymns below. Don't forget to turn up the volume on your computer.

Answer 2

Humanity has created many Gods, for example – Gods of Olympus, Ancient Egypt, Babylon and so on. Most of us are atheists about most Gods humanity has created, except the latest craze, the current God in the Bible. Learned atheists have also rejected this version of a God, but some hard-core believers still hang on, presumably until a better image of God is created by man.

Faith in God seems to be nothing more than humans attempting to run away from reality, an excuse to avoid thinking and evaluating evidence. Is faith not just an emotional escape and really just a substitute for opening your eyes to reason?

Believers talk about God creating man in his own image. It’s in the Bible so it’s fact – get a grip, get real. The facts suggest the exact opposite. Man created God in his own image. I’m sure humanity will disregard this God, as they have disregarded all previous Gods, it’s just a matter of time before humanity creates another God that better serves their emotions and image.

Answer 3

There are however many proofs of God based on scientific theory. However, all belief is ultimately a decision based on Faith between God and the individual.

God is real regardless of our personal decision.

Newton's Law of Actions: For every action there is a reaction. God is the originator of THE first action in the history of the universe.

Answer 4

God's working in my life keeps me believing. Also, the evidence of the Creator in the beauty of creation. Faith is the evidence of things that are not seen. Because I accepted Jesus as my Savior, the Holy Spirit lives inside me. It's not hard to believe with God so close!

Answer 5

The bible says Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Look around.. you are living proof that God exists. Without a creator, there would be no creation. If you look at a building, you know theres a builder because you see the building... you know theres a Creator because you see creation. You are His creation. Don't lose faith....! :) Keep seeking Him, and you WILL find Him.

Answer 6

Well, look up some historical facts about the Bible, and about Jesus. Also, look up some scientific facts about 'creationism' or 'creation science.' Then look up some stuff about evolution. If you want to keep going, look up topics to see if there's any evidence for an earth about 7000 years old, which the Bible supports, and then that for a really really old earth, which evolution supports.

In short... the Bible is historically accurate and divine in nature (humans did write it, but they were divinely inspired by God, because they made predictions that came true in the future), there's historical evidence that points to Jesus' life happening exactly the way it says in the Bible, even pointing to Him rising from the dead, there's scientific evidence for a young earth and for life being created by a divine being (God), and evolution, when closely looked at, completely falls apart.

However, you should make up your own mind and look it up yourself. Go for it. After reading everything, you should feel much more faithful in God and believe that God does exist.

Answer 7

The proof is here and the need to be with God is here. Have you ever looked at a painting? I'm sure you have. Now when you look at a painting you know there is a painter. You don't need to hear him, talk to him, see him, smell him, meet him, etc. You know there is a painter by looking at a painting. The painting provides 100% proof for a painting. Same way with creation. We see creation all around us and only a fool would say there is no creator or demand to see a creator before accepting that there is one. Have you ever told a lie before? I'm sure you have. Telling a lie makes you a liar and liars deserve to go to hell. We need God's forgiveness.

Answer 8

You need to find truth. You obviously haven't found anyone or thing that has shown you how incredible the bible is in teaching and fixing every problem known to mankind. Satisfying answers are in there. What happens to us when we die? Is this world what god intended for us? Why do we suffer? What does the future hold? All these questions can be answered in the bible and you can have the most incredible peace in your heart because you don't have to wonder about all these things. If you would like to know more e-mail me. I would love to talk with you. You seem to be open-minded and wanting satisfying answers. Best wishes.

Answer 9

There's lots of proof..just look around you. If you can't believe in a God then worship the Sun because without it, you won't exist. Understand?

Answer 10

www.islam-guide.com and www.harunyahya.com will help you. What keeps me believing is that God definitely exists as proved by the Quran, God's Word. The Quran has miracles in it that would turn even the staunchest atheist into a believer. Get a copy from your library and read it and you will have no doubt that God exists

Answer 11

It's called faith. It's kind of like a friend standing behind you. If you fall will they catch you or not? You have to have faith and trust that they will catch you. I know how you feel. I don't believe in God but "you" have to find it within yourself to choose what "you" believe in.