For Christians: Why Christianity?

Question

As an atheist, I have a hard time understanding why someone would be religious. I have a harder time understanding how somebody picks a particular religion. How do you know it's more true than any other religion? How do you know you're right? I ask only to understand.

Answer 1

A better question would be, "Why Jesus?"

He saved me. He loves me. He wants me to live a happy life. He has a plan for me better than anything I could ever come up with.

"Christianity is the best friend of government because Christianity is the only religion that changes the heart."

-Thomas Jefferson.

Christ changed my heart, and NO ONE can prove he didn't but ME!

Praise God!

You can be raised in Church for your entire live and never have a relationship with God.

It's a condition of the heart, not the mind.

Answer 2

Can Leviathan explain why someone with no religious upbringing can turn to the lord and forsake the world?It's not that hard to understand.I'm not the authority on the subject per say,but what I can tell you is there is a reason why Christianity and the Holy Bible has sustained and overcome brutal attacks over the centuries.If you indeed have your mind made up then nothing I say will make a difference.Remember though the bible explains more about all of us than one would like to believe.Case in point:

The fool hath said in his heart,there is no God.The bible clearly says that there have been and will always be people who don't believe.Even when Jesus was doing miracles right before their eyes,people were thinking of ways to explain it away.Atheism is nothing new.Atheists have been here since the beginning of time,and Christians and Jews have been saying the same thing for the same amount of time.The clear and concise way to ever make an atheist believe there is a God is through the second coming,but I hope it never comes to that.To find out after one has died is too late.To die without salvation is a great tragedy,but I suppose some atheist feel it's belittling them when in fact it would empower them physically,mentally,and spiritually.

God bless,and peace unto you.

Answer 3

I was an atheist and later an agnostic Mike. To be honest, lots of time goes into picking a particular religion. And to be truthful, if one of those religions didn't fit historically, accurately or more importantly morally, I pushed it aside. There is a reason that there are two huge religions in this world, those being Islam and Christinity. Those two religions can be traced and found fundamental roots for.

However, when you read through the Koran and the Bible (specifically reading the New Testament first, and then finding the support of the New Testament in the Old Testament) it is hard to argue with the findings. I went through history books, listened to the skeptics, tried to find out where science was fighting the issues, but the one thing that I could never disprove was the existence of Christ (too much evidence) and the story of the resurrection.

I guess the next thing is defining religious... I am a Christian, but I am not religious. A religion requires certain repetative actions and rituals. My belief is a relationship. I am not mandated to do anything. When I finally accepted Christ 3 years ago, I had no clue what to expect... but I chose to make that committment. I flat out said, I have no clue what I'm doing, but I will follow if you will lead.

Upon accepting him, my entire life changed. I was addicted to pornography, addicted to computer games, probably one of the most liberal people I knew. That change was almost instantaneous for me. I cannot explain in words the change, nor could my family.

My own experience, testifies that no matter what anyone ever says to discount my faith, my willingness to search for answers allowed God to come within reach of me (instead of my selfish and egotistical pride that seperated me from Him). And I truly feel that if anyone takes a sincere quest of heart to find God (not a simple try it and like it scenerio), they will find Him.

afterthought-

As an additional note, I read some of the books after accepting Christ that mark777 mentioned above. After reading through those further, I wish I had known about them way earlier. And while they are Christian based, they are unbiased in their writing styles, as I know at least 2 of those men did not become Christians until later in life.

Strobel and McDowell - both in fact were set out to write articles and books against the bible - that also shows how someone can pick a religion. Try to seriously read through and research the data, try proving it wrong (based on what a court of law would assume). Not hearsay, not speculation, cold hard facts. Come up with your own verdict. Don't assume because other people have told you something, that they know it all.

Answer 4

> For Christians: Why Christianity?
Low cost, great (alleged) benefits.

> I have a hard time understanding why someone would be religious.
Go to wikipedia.com and read Pascal's Wager. The alleged benefits sound pretty good... and Protestantism isn't very expensive. Think of it as "afterlife insurance." You buy auto insurance even though you're not planning on getting into a wreck.

> how somebody picks a particular religion.
Pick the one your parents or grandparents picked. Always good. Check it out for cost vs. (alleged) benefit.

> How do you know it's more true than any other religion?
I don't. I have a considerable measure of wishful thinking. I mean, a billion people can't be wrong... oh. If they're right, that means five billion people are wrong. Never mind.

Answer 5

The majority of Christians begin their indoctrination into the Christian Religion as a lap child. That's all they had driven into their head while they were under the care of their Christian parents. It is natural that most of them would continue to be brain washed. On rare occasions there is one such as me who breaks out into the light. They normally stay wrapped in that cocoon of ignorance the Church has wrapped them in all their lives. Desperately afraid they will loose the little piece of la la land of eternity they have been promised. They are so in fear that their fantasy Boogie man Satan will jump up and take a bite of their butt if they dare to think. They just stay close as they can to their Church.
BB, Boop Oop A Doop!

Answer 6

While Atheist claim the Bible contradicts itself i believe it doesnt, It took thousands of years to write and by many many authors If you study and accept the dates as fact there is fullfilled prhrophecy. But ultimately it comes down to the teachings of Christ which are love and peace for all. There are hypocritical Christians, but i see people who live according to Gods word, who truely try to live it and how it does change a person.

Answer 7

There are many evidences that point toward the validity of Christianity. The Bible has been shown to be reliable. If it is true, then the only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. If you are really interested, there are books that you can read that will help in your understanding:

The Case for Christ - Lee Strobel
I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist - Norman Geisler
Evidence that Demands a Verdict - Josh McDowell

Answer 8

Can I answer, as a bible-pounding, creationist, soul-winning EX-fundy?

I was christian because my parents taught me to be. Then I was one because I "knew" deep-down that it was true. (I "knew" this because I had been told this for hundreds of hours.) I also kept believing because it felt better to live in a world where god was in control, had a plan for my life and let me live forever in Super Happy Funland when I died.

Answer 9

i personally chose Christianity as my religion of choice, because it makes the most sense to me. i dont believe the earth poofed out of nowhere, and after accepting Jesus as my Savior, i've experienced so much to reassure me that ive made the right choice. once u experience a changed life, and u feel the presence of Jesus around u, u can never go back.

Answer 10

They don't choose very often, they follow the religion of their parents because they're never taught how to think for themselves.