Why do Christians believe what they believe?

Question

If I ask ten people if they believe Mars and Venus are real deities they just look at me funny and say something like "No, of course not. What are you, crazy?". If I ask another ten people if they believe Jesus died for their sins approximately eight of them will say they do.

Propbably, when you read this, you found this an idiotic statement. But why is it so strange? Believers tend to say " heathen religions" such as Roman and Greek mythology make no sense. But why not? What ever proved them wrong? As a matter of fact, what ever proved Buddhism wrong, or the Jewish beliefs? What proves the Quran wrong and the Bible right?

Why can't Christians see that they only believe what they want to believe? Why do they so narrow-mindedly think anything good happening is a sign from God? And why do they interpret the Bible literally, except for the parts that say the earth is flat and the earth is the center of the universe? I call that selective reading in the so called "ultimate truth".

Okay, ccc4jesus, those are some beautiful verses but that doesn't help. I want to know why you believe in a book that says it's the truth and why you don't see it as just any book, like the Da Vinci Code or something. And most of all, I want to know why you believe part of that same book while other parts have been proven to be false. If you say that's interpretation, anything else you say can be dismissed as interpretation. So why those verses but not the entire Bible?

And fire, nice dates, but do you have any idea how many adjustments have been made in calendars? Any calendar has been proven wrong and has been rewritten over the centuries. That date says nothing at all. And even if that year is correct, it could be a friggin' coïncidence. So how come 90% of the dates in the prophecy has no meaning but the remaining 10% means it's divine? Selective reading at it's best.

Caesar's wife, thanks for responding. Even though things you've experienced might be dismissed by me as a coïncidence, I'm glad you took this seriously and if that's your story I'll respect that entirely.

Wonka, you're not answering my question. You're just saying I should be glad to be able to say this. Well, I am. I'm glad I can express my opinions any way I want to but that doesn't help one bit. I want to hear a reason from you and not from myself. The ball's in your court.

Jac Tms, hereby I declare you king of fallacious arguments. I'm talking about the "four corners of the world" part. And if you say that's all interpretation, then why is there no doubt in the world about anything else?

And by the way, you're asking me to believe something so I can truly believe that what I believe is right. That makes no sense. Wear your crown with pride.

Booth, you just helped me out. Why do you believe people have been given the choice to believe? Because the book you believe in says so - exclamation mark! I want to know why you as a person have chosen to adopt the Testaments as truth instead of the Quran or the Tora or any other holy book. You didn't answer my question.

Bad experience, IAMZERG? Not in the least. Every Christian or Muslim or Jew or anyone of any other religion I've met in person has been friendly to me at any point in my life. I just want to know why someone has chosen to believe something without having them tell me it's so because the scripture says so. I want to discuss something with the person behind the beliefs. And if it takes sarcasm, that's the least I can do. I'm incredibly satisfied with the first two responses, because these people (of different religions or not) at least tell me they don't know for sure why. That's a great answer. At least that helps.

And about the "world is flat" discussion, that's all a matter of interpretation, and that's what this is partially about. The truth, people, but not THE truth, YOUR truth. I simply want to know.

Answer 1

we are here to find the companion ship of belief
man is not meant to be alone
even before god

Answer 2

First of all, I never thought it an idiotic statement. You seem to be an intelligent person as far as I can tell... I think somewhere amid all that sarcasm, you have some honest questions...

As far as the Q'ran goes, show me one place Mohammad, the prophet, meets the requirements for a prophet mentioned in his own book.

As far as the others go, I really haven't looked into them... with exception to Judaism, since I'm a Christian. The Law--the Torrah was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, so we have freedom from sins, and hence the Law is much less important to Christians than it is to the Jews.

I don't ever recall reading that the earth is flat or that the earth is the center of the Universe in the Bible. I could be wrong, though.

If I interpreted the Bible literally, I'd be in Bethel or Gilgal sinning lol (Amos 4:4).

I study the Bible exegetically, interpreting scripture in its culture, time, genre (epistle, poetry, etc.), and in light of what the rest of the Bible says.

It sounds like you've had some bad experiences. For that, I'm sorry... some of us just haven't got a clue...

Answer 3

I have some sympathy with your argument, even though I do believe in the man called Jesus. I think many religious people are nuts who do control believers through fear or superstition. However, things have happened to me that have no answer. I have had answers to prayers and I have seen a miracle which saved my son's life. To me, the fact that thee is "something there" is as concrete to me as it is ridiculous to you.
You might think I am deluded, crazy or a liar. I know I am none of these things.
And by the way, the bible doesn't say the earth is flat. And does it say it is the centre of the universe? Well, if what the bible says is true, then it is, if only because we are the chosen planet!

Answer 4

We born again Christians know the truth because we KNOW God. We were once like you, with the same type of thoughts, wondering what way was the right way. When you get "saved", its as if God opens your blind eyes and for the first time in your life, you can SEE.

We too, did not understand the Bible, or interpreted it as we wanted to, before we got saved, because the Spirit of God was not in us.

Look at these two verses:

John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

1 Corinthians 2:14
The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

We KNOW the truth because it set us free, and because we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Answer 5

I am agnosticist not atheist, because when I see all the religions,I found no satisfactory, but really, it is impossible with the human knowledge at that moment of history to say if god exist or not. It is however sure for persons knowing the history of Rome to believe at the passion of Christs. The Romes were very rough predators and it is sure that they would never ask the Jews who they prefer to put to death . they should have killed both The Christ and Barabbas. So even if Jesus had lived, his life would be completely different . It is only by ideology, that historians don't say that the bible is completely wrong

Answer 6

Christianity is based on "blind faith" - which is a powerful thing. Any idea can be when someone puts his or her faith in it and commits to it.

Key here is that ... it doesn't matter.

Religion is as an extension of oneself.

Good people will credit their goodness to their Christianity (look at the nuns who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust). Asked why they did this, their answer is "because I'm a Christian".

Then look at all the wickedness and evil perpetrated in the past by people who also credited their actions to their being Christians.

Bottom line is that: God is more concerned with what people DO in the world than what they "believe".

Answer 7

Can you please quote; where in the Bible it writen the earth is flat.

If you read the book of Genisis Ch 1 you can see that earth is called as the dry land, other than the sea; and the water surrounds the dry land, earth, as sea.

So the mistake happend to people like you and not for the Bible and God.

Become a real Christian then you will know why do we believe what we believe.

Answer 8

to simply answer your question without a lot of detail is the bible /Hebrew scriptures and Greek scriptures, have prophecies that have come true without a doubt. Consider, King Cyrus, the prophecy of the 70 weeks of years of Daniel and the occurrence of 1914 which it leads to ( 607 BC the destruction of Israel temple to 1914 or WWI ). but again it is the prophecy and its accuracy that proves it is divine and

Answer 9

Here's a little pearl for you.
If it tweren't for the mass acceptance of plurality, fostered by Christianity, do you think you would be allowed to post this.

Some one would have cut off your hands.
Some one else would be censoring every thing on line.
Some one else would be killing your family.

So think what you will. This one's on me.

Answer 10

It is a question I cannot find an answer to either..