Can one come to believe in God by means of thinking alone?

Answer 1

Well Plato did! And he is known to be the greatest thinker that ever lived. He came to the conculsion that there must be a God through pure thought

Answer 2

Yes.

Human logic works in a very simple fashion.

Every human has looked around and asked him/her self...where did all this come from? why is there a sun to warm us? why do we have a moon to light our nights? why do animals all coexist in harmony and only eat as much as they need, without distrupting the fragile ecosystem?

I believe that given the right circumstance, and without interference from anyone, the human mind can come to the conclusion that there MUST be a God.

A God we cannot see due to our own limitations, a God we can feel. A God we should worship without interference or medium of any kind.

In Islamic teaching, the pure nature of man is called 'FTRAH'.

And each human is born with the FTRAH that dictates the logic of a single Creator.

People, in their ignorance might chose to associate other creatures with this Creator, like the american indians who believe in a Spirit but also ask the help of animal spirits in their daily life.

Peace

Answer 3

Thinking alone need not necessarily result in coming to believe in God, it should lead you in the direction of any one of a number of conclusions that may or may not include belief in a deity. The most important thing is that your conclusions are your own, reached after consulting your own instincts and emotions, as well as any useful moral of philosophical guidance you can find. Belief in God is not compulsory - however thinking for yourself is essential.

Answer 4

No. Truth can only come from rational observation. Anything else is unfounded conjecture. We're surrounded by propositions, that there are spirits around us, UFOs, near-death experiences, the Loch Ness Monster and so on. I think you're on firmer ground when you say give me the evidence and I'll believe.

Answer 5

One must have faith, the ability to believe in something that cannot be seen with the physical eye, to be able to believe in God.

But, yes there is thinking involved with it, too.

Answer 6

Please read C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity" or Lee Strobel's "The Case for Christ". Lewis was formerly an atheist who used reasoning and philosophy in a large part to come to God. Strobel interviewed various people to learn more of the facts surrounding Christianity. He came to the conclusion that Christ rising from the dead can be proved beyond a reasonable doubt as in a court of law, but one must still take that leap of faith to surrender his life to this Christ. yes, you can be convinced in your head and not in your heart. So you can't get away from the necessity for faith!

Answer 7

one can believe in anything. there is great strength in one.
who do you expect an answer from when you have great need to do the right thing, make the right choice, move the right way, go the right direction?
your heart, mind, and soul are bound together as one. that is a powerful source of strength. that is the life force within.
who gives the life?

Answer 8

That's the only way to do it, really. You have to think, wonder, ask yourself, and be open to God showing Himself to you through His creation, His Word, other believers, etc. Meditating on these things is really what makes God real to us, and allows Him to intervene in our lives.
Ask Him to make Himself real to you. I guarantee He will. Maybe not right the moment you ask (there may not be a flash of lightning etc.) but He will.

Answer 9

Not really. You would need to get a start like a seed of the idea and maybe you could expand on it by thinking alone.

Answer 10

Sure. The mind is a spiritual tool. Use it well. Remain open minded, tolerant, curious and willing to learn. Only when you begin to close down your mind with absolute truths that become rigid and fearful do you slip off the path to God.