What makes you believe something? What you read, What someone tells you?

Question

Or something you experience.

Or is it a combination of all of it? Most of what we know is what we have been taught by family, by the educational system and what we are told by other's.. What we experience is putting into effect what we have learned..

For instance we don't eat with our fingers or chew with our mouth open because we were taught that isn't good manners
so the experience we have by practicing good manners is why we continue to do it.

Isn't that the same with the Bible? If we put into effect what we are taught in the Bible then we have experienced that teaching and because it works for people who beleive it id why people
continue to seek out GOD's word and teachings..

Would it be fair to say Atheists have NEVER experienced GOD in thier lives?

Answer 1

No true atheist ever accepted Jesus.They may have grown up around religion and may have gone to church but that doesn't make someone a christian.(a saying) Going to church makes you as much a christian as going to a pet store makes you a puppy.Just going doesn't save you.What a person is taught can affect their beliefs.The great point is all atheists and anti-christians have a freewill to hear of Jesus and salvation and then to act on it by saying yes I want forgiveness of sin.
To find out how anyone needing Jesus can have forgiveness and salvation:
Jude
Acts 2:21
Romans 3:23,6:23
Matt 25
Ephesians 2:8-9
2 Tim 3
Job19
Rev 18-22
Romans 10

Answer 2

Belief is a hard system to decipher and yet its known the world over with every person no exceptions. Some are taught how to, some are told to, some are meant to, some are, some aren't, some say, some don't.
It's a long drawn out discussion that boils down to human behavior. Do you have manners, etiquette, polite speak or not? It makes beings different as it is what is taught us. Some say I am a gorilla another says I'm a wimp what they don't see is that i am human and I have my own ideas about things- Everyone Else's idea is to find out whats inside the others' minds- Daft as it might seem it really pays well - check out the governments, religious leaders and all their cohorts there is a price for information and trickery to get it is easy in the right hands. Profits galore thus. The economy runs on such things. The other question would be how o rip off the neighbor without him knowing it..will he go for it or not? At the end of the day you believe or not. If its written the truth is different to whats in your person. If its personal then its unwritten. If its anything else there's a fee to get it and private.
Do I believe? I should answer, in what? If its God -then yes - if I should read more about God? Nah!
Its a really old book and long past its sell-by date - who wants the old Jackie Collins novels?
Why are we trying to read what they read thousands of years ago? Is the modern day books not good enough? At least they are clearly written and precise and speak not in codes and numbers. I cannot see Christians selling up and going fishing or baking bread Hanna style. These days people have houses..back then there was just a bush and no toilet paper..they were filthy people smelly too..this is the 21st century isn't it? Time for a bath?

Answer 3

If it is an important subject it must be researched fully and from all aspects and points of view. Then and only then can one come anywhere near approximating an intelligent decision.

Your last sentence makes no sense to me whatever. How does one "experience" god? If you mean have I ever felt like going out and loving the whole world or something, the answer is no.

Answer 4

Many, perhaps most, atheists are former believers. So at some stage they may have "experienced" god in their lives.

What happens later is that they realize that that experience was just a delusion and that they were persuading themselves that they wanted to experience something in order to gratify some need.

So no, atheists have never experienced god in their lives. And neither have you.

Answer 5

Definitely all of it... Reading about it (the Bible), what family & friends shares about what they know (Bible Study, etc..) their experiences & of course what an individual experiences in their own lives - which in turn creates there own personal testimonial.

"Would it be fair to say Atheists have NEVER experienced GOD in thier lives? " Hmmmm... I cant say that they have NEVER experienced God in their lives(maybe they just dont know it), I think the Lord tries to work in their lives as well but because of free will - He cant make them believe in Him... They have to accept the Lord in order to appreciate what He has done for them or going to do for them... I tend to hear atheists refer to receiving "luck" instead of "blessings" its just there perception - At least thats what I think... God Bless!

Answer 6

I'm a hands-on kind of person. Experience makes me believe.
I have to have first hand experience. I'm, unfortunately, like Thomas in that regard... but here's the cool thing... once I have had personal experience, I'm convinced.

That is why I don't just believe in God... I KNOW He is there... I KNOW Jesus is His Son... I KNOW these things.

I think that those who seek Him will find Him, as He promises in His Word (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

**EDIT** I grew up in a Conservative Jewish home, so NO ONE taught me about Jesus, much less encouraged me to read about Him... nor did I go to church. In fact, I enjoyed making fun of Christians.

When I was almost 18, I decided I wanted to know whether God was really real and who this Jesus person was, and IF he was real. I SOUGHT God. I didn't read anything... I looked at an empty sky and asked, "Are you real? Because if you are, you are able to prove your reality to me by yourself... no person talking to me or thumping a Bible at me... and if you're real, is Jesus someone I need to know? Or is he a hoax? If you are who folks say you are, you are able to prove yourself to me, by your own self."

I expected nothing from that except to be able to say, "Well, I did my part. I tried."

All throughout that summer (1979) God made things happen... too long to go into here, but if you're curious, email me. All I can say is that God, Himself, proved His reality to me... and Jesus' too... I didn't start reading the Bible and going to church until AFTER I was convinced by the EXPERIENCE of God answering my agnostic prayer that night... He answered all summer long so that I am convinced beyond the shadow of all doubt.

Answer 7

My God someone go print this girl off her GED. I think she finally got something right!!

Answer 8

WTF?

I was a Christian for 20 years. What part of that was NEVER experiencing your God?

"What we experience is putting into effect what we have learned.." WRONG!!! Are you telling me that when you experience something like a carjacking, you have put into effect something that is learned? Whats that? Victim mentality?? WTF?

If your hypothesis is corrrect, then we would HAVE TO acknowledge the fact that people who experience alien abduction MUST BE telling the truth. So, aliens are real.

Answer 9

Would it be fair to say Atheists have NEVER experienced GOD in thier lives?

Screaming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Drinking>>>>>>>>>>

Queen you are too quick

Answer 10

in your case, its what someone tells you.

In a sane person case, fact that can be proven, or logic even if it can be proven but makes more sense and has a more logical sequense of events than the answer of "because god said so, because god did it, because god made it happen, because of god"