Is it possible to CHOOSE to believe in God? (keep reading before you answer)?

Question

This is one thing I have never understood. A person either believes in God or doesn't believe in God, it's that simple. With everything I see in the world and all of the research I have done I come to the conclusion that there is no God. I gaurantee I could go to chuch the rest of my life and pray and tell God that I'm accepting him into my life and what ever else I need to do to get to heaven, but in your heart of hearts you can't make yourself believe anything. I can lie to myself, God, and the world, but does that get me into heaven? There are millions of people in the world that do this everyday. They want to believe inorder to get to heaven so they do everything right. Since God can read minds he must know that people like this truly don't believe right? My point is that if it is true that (Truly) believing is needed to get to heaven then it isn't a choice that one can make.

Answer 1

Good point. Religious belief isn't a choice. That's why it's called a belief. I didn't choose to not believe in God. After a lot of thinking it was the only possibility for me.

Answer 2

I'll tell you this much. Most Christians never had proof that God was real. Instead they had faith. If you look for proof you will never find it. God said we can't please him without faith. After becoming a Christian God reveals Him to the person in many various ways. At this point God is so real to the Christian there is no doubt in his heart. You say you can't make yourself believe in anything. We didn't have that problem as children. Things that are impossible to make ourselves believe like that car has wings or my friend is really a robot are things we know for sure aren't true. However the same can't be said about God. God has never been proven to not exist.

Answer 3

Sure you can choose! Look at it this way. You can chew over logic and question the answers and come to a conclusion and you can choose to understand it as "truth" very easily BUT stick your head in the sand, instead deny deny deny. People do it all the time!

People choose to grasp onto a concept of "heaven" and "bliss" like that because for whatever reason (i.e. choice, ignorance, etc.) they can't/won't accept the reality of things through logical progression of thought. It's more comfortable for many to just fall back, shrug their shoulders and sit down on faith alone without really digging any deeper... sometimes they're just afraid of what they THINK they will find if they do. So your point is incorrect thinking, you're just falling back on faith without logically disassembling the realities of the world and looking any DEEPER.

Answer 4

We cant choose to believe and just start believing any more than a believer can just choose to not believe and stop. But wanting to, or not wanting to, is going to be a big factor. If you dont want to believe, you might never believe, if I do want to believe, I probably will.

In my opinion I find the best place to start is as an agnostic, someone who admitts they're unsure. And then look at the evidence from both sides and make an educated choice. It isnt likely for you to look at evidence in favor of God because you have already made up your mind, but you could decide (choose) to clean the slate, admitt that even though you dont believe in God, you dont KNOW there isnt one, and start fresh. That would be your choice.

Answer 5

You pose an interesting question.

I do not believe that we choose God, but that God chooses us. I do not claim to understand it, because I am having trouble in my own faith. I do believe that God has chosen you, for the simple fact that you where willing to ask this question.

Let me give you a challenge. ( acceptance is totally up to you) Read the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. (don't just read, but study the contents of these books)
As you do pray that God will reveal Himself to you.

God is real, and alive today. He knows all the things that going on, all the while loving you for who you are. Its not about doing everything right. Its about following His commands.

He is aware that we are flawed, and that we will not always to what is right.

God bless, I hope you find the answer you are looking for.

Answer 6

The scriptures say that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. People who are just going through the motions are not doing that. If a person is truly looking for God, and looking for the right reasons than God will show up.

Answer 7

You make a valid argument, I see your point. And yes, an all knowing God would know if you were just going through the motions. But... Belief is different than faith. God promises that if you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him (seek in the Bible and through prayer). Once you find Him, your belief will be solidified as your faith in any other tangible thing. If He has not yet revealed Himself to you, you can only have faith. My belief in God is based on experience. I know that God has spoken to me and affected events in my life. There is no pretending.

Faith is in what is unseen / unproven as of yet. Faith grows stronger as belief grows. Ex: God came through last time, so therefore, He will probably come through this time. The more positive outcomes, the stronger your faith gets for the next time. Faith is what He requires for heaven, not belief. The devil believes in God, but He isn't going to heaven. Faith is our ability to obey and trust God.

Answer 8

Very well put my friend but there is something that you don't quite yet know.

We strive to have faith.
Faith is not something that we can see or hold, it comes from deep within.

Faith is rarely ever perfect. Faith fights with doubt.
Faith is always a battle against what your carnal or physical and logical mind tell you is wrong.
A spiritually minded person can have an understanding of faith.
But using pure logic it is impossible to grasp faith.

Faith cannot be put in a box, cannot be expressed in writing and cannot be held in our hands.

It's for that reason that the more faith we have, the more we are able to please GOD.

In order to understand faith you must first have some. It's a risk that you will have to take in order to understand.
Blessings,
Dahlia

Answer 9

I have come to believe that the "God" that we call this divine entity lives within each one of us and that we are all part of ONE whole. I don't believe in heaven or hell. I do believe that we are all here with lessons and roles to play out in order for us All to be united as a one whole.

Answer 10

~~~ 52,,,, You, us, Human Beings,,,,have been "given" an Intellect and the power of Freewill to deduce and arrive at a Conclusion so that we may CHOOSE to believe IF The Pope, George Bush, Muhammed, L. Ron Hubbard, Richard Nixon, Adolph Hitler, Buddha,,,etc, ad infinitum, are telling us The Truth,,,Your question is founded in The Dogma of the church which Dictates this Prerequisite to your Soul's Salvation and your devotion to their POV, via "faith" and abandondment of your Intellect to draw your OWN Spiritual Conclusions.