What makes someone believe?

Question

Evolution is a great theory despite holes, and I can understand how the universe began. How come you can't come up with your own way of thinking, your own answer to the questions? Why would you support a position with no physical evidence? Please leave your emphasis on the first question if you are one of the people who uses "faith" as your magical word to answer these questions.

Answer 1

Smacking someone in the head with the King James Bible enough times until they start believing it.

Answer 2

I want to live in a universe that was created by a just, loving God. And if I end up living my life to the best of my ability according to the Bible's principles and it ends up not being true, what's the harm? Why does everything have to be explained with logic by you people? Have you ever heard of atomic glue? That's a great example of scientist's inability to admit they can't explain something. In that spirit: "The model is based on the idea that our hot Big Bang universe was created from the collision of two three-dimensional worlds moving along a hidden, extra dimension." What makes someone believe that?

Answer 3

The knowing you sense deep with in you sometimes you want to ignore it, but you can't.

Oh and by the way "Faith" is the first thing that plays in. Either you use faith to believe in good or bad.
oh stop cringing you know its the truth. You believe in love right? GOOD.(by the way the world is only a few thousand years old not billions)

Answer 4

First, let me thank you for asking the question in an intelligent way. Most of the atheist posters here post in a manner which says they're not really interested in what their opponents say or in a reasoned discussion.

I am a Christian. I believe Christianity is true for many reasons. I could fill pages and pages of them, but there's not room for that here (though I'm happy to discuss them in depth offline with anyone).

1. Evolution has a lot of holes - a lot more than many people are willing to admit. As our science grows, and we're able to look in depth at the human body, I see many systems and processes which are so complex they just don't seem to be adequately explained by evolution. I see systems and processes which are highly complicated, and require many other systems or processes to be in place before they perform any purpose. Without serving any purpose, evolutin says they would have been weeded out in the next generation. I just can't see how they could have evolved.

For example, Duchesne Muscular Dystrophy is one of 9 types of Muscular Dystrophy. It is caused when the body lacks the protein dystrophin. This protein helps keep muscle cells intact, and when it's missing the muscles waste away which eventually affects all voluntary muscles, the heart, and the breathing muscles. There are around 100,000 proteins in the human body, and this is what happens when you're missing just one. How did all those creatures survive while dystrophin was evolving?

When I look at the extreme complexity of the human body, of DNA, etc., some sort of creator makes more sense than some accidental process.

With billions of years, and millions and millions of species, we should see billions of fossils clearly showing transitions from one species to another. Instead, what we see are a few equivocal examples. We should also be able to look in nature and see millions of examples of creatures evolving from one type of creature to another.

BTW - I'm not sure if I am an 'old earther' or 'new earther'. I've heard interesting evidence for both points of view and have not come to a conclusion yet.

2. I believe the Bible historically accurate. That is to say, I believe that the parts of the Bible which were meant by the authors to be taken literally should be taken literally, those parts which are historical are historically accurate, etc. I don't believe those parts which are obviously poetic should be taken literally.

There have been thousands and thousands of archeological sites related to Biblical events. Time and time again they confirm events in the Bible, but they never contradict Biblical events. Many things in the Bible have been questioned by skeptics; many of those things have been proven to be true by archeological evidence.

3. Jesus said he was God, and proved it by the resurrection. The resurrection was confirmed by many eye witness accounts, and the original manuscripts were written very early, at a time when many of the eye witnesses were still alive and could have refuted them at the time.

The resurrection event is very significant. Before the resurrection the disciples were afraid and hiding. Peter denied Christ three times the night before his crucifixion. But something happened to transform these frightened cowards into bold men. Most of whom were martyred, and all of whom led very physically uncomfortable lives from then on.

Many men have been martyred for a variety of beliefs. Men will allow themselves to be martyred for something they believe to be true, but very few will live uncomfortable lives and be martyred for something they know to be false. The disciples were in a position to know whether or not Jesus had actually been resurrected. If he had not, the expected result would have been for them to disband. Instead of disbanding they were transformed into bold ambassadors for Christ who gave up everything to spread the good news.

There's more, but that's long enough for a forum like this.

Again, thank you for asking an honest question.

Answer 5

i lived in the world and I was both loved and hated by it. It is not just faith which I stand, it is the love which fills me, it is the peace which surpasses all understanding, and it is the voice of my beloved father and lord Jesus Christ which leads me to believe.
I do this because without a doubt I know he is alive for the lord my god lives in me, it is how i endure the pains and miseries of this life.

Answer 6

thats a paradox in itself!

what makes you believe in evolution despite the evidence being flawed look at it from a christian point of view.

you would rather believe in the non existence of a superior being than think yourself inferior and having to comply with rules and principles that go against what you believe.

its easier to believe that we evolved despite the fact that its unproveable (why the apes)

TAKE A READ OF THIS

The Dating of Dinosaurs

Dinosaur bones are regularly found in lower earth layers than are human bones, leading many to conclude that they belong to an earlier time period. Geologists call this time the Mesozoic period and subdivide it into the Cretaceous, Jurassic, and Triassic periods. The time frames used for these periods are on the order of tens of millions of years. But has this been established with any certainty?

One method being used to measure the age of fossils is called radiocarbon dating. This dating system measures the rate of decay of radioactive carbon from the point of death of the organism. “Once an organism dies, it no longer absorbs new carbon dioxide from its environment, and the proportion of the isotope falls off over time as it undergoes radioactive decay,” states Science and Technology Illustrated.

However, there are severe problems with the system. First, when the fossil is considered to be about 50,000 years old, its level of radioactivity has fallen so low that it can be detected only with great difficulty. Second, even in more recent specimens, this level has fallen so low that it is still extremely difficult to measure accurately. Third, scientists can measure the present-day rate of radioactive carbon formation but have no way of measuring carbon concentrations in the distant past.

So whether they use the radiocarbon method for dating fossils or other methods, such as employing radioactive potassium, uranium, or thorium, for dating rocks, scientists are unable to establish the original levels of those elements through ages of time. Thus, professor of metallurgy Melvin A. Cook observes: “One may only guess these concentrations [of radioactive materials], and the age results thus obtained can be no better than this guess.” That would especially be so when we consider that the Flood of Noah’s day over 4,300 years ago brought enormous changes in the atmosphere and on earth.

Dartmouth College geologists Charles Officer and Charles Drake further add doubt to the accuracy of radioactive dating. They state: “We conclude that iridium and other associated elements were not deposited instantaneously . . . but rather that there was an intense and variable influx of these constituents during a relatively short geologic time interval on the order of 10,000 to 100,000 years.” They argue that the breakup and movement of the continents disrupted the entire globe, causing volcanic eruptions, blocking sunlight and fouling the atmosphere. Certainly, such disruptive events could change radioactivity levels, thus distorting results from modern-day radioactive clocks.

The Genesis Account and Dinosaurs

While the radioactive dating method is innovative, it is still based on speculation and assumption. In contrast, the Bible account in the first chapter of Genesis simply states the general order of creation. It allows for possibly thousands of millions of years for the formation of the earth and many millenniums in six creative eras, or “days,” to prepare the earth for human habitation.

Some dinosaurs (and pterosaurs) may indeed have been created in the fifth era listed in Genesis, when the Bible says that God made “flying creatures” and “great sea monsters.” Perhaps other types of dinosaurs were created in the sixth epoch. The vast array of dinosaurs with their huge appetites would have been appropriate considering the abundant vegetation that evidently existed in their time.—Genesis 1:20-24.

When the dinosaurs had fulfilled their purpose, God ended their life. But the Bible is silent on how he did that or when. We can be sure that dinosaurs were created by Jehovah for a purpose, even if we do not fully understand that purpose at this time. They were no mistake, no product of evolution. That they suddenly appear in the fossil record unconnected to any fossil ancestors, and also disappear without leaving connecting fossil links, is evidence against the view that such animals gradually evolved over millions of years of time. Thus, the fossil record does not support the evolution theory. Instead, it harmonizes with the Bible’s view of creative acts of God.

Answer 7

It weighs heavily on the individual's constant need for hope

Answer 8

Gods holy spirit...He opens up the eyes of the unbeliever...

Answer 9

Usually fear of the unknown.

Answer 10

people are stupid and believe what their parents tell them to... if you grew up around no one that spoke of god, you wouldn't believe