Does anyone else have trouble understanding this?

Question

Does anyone else have trouble understanding how a person who shows great rationality and integretiy of thought in all other areas of life can believe in the Christian God?

Now I'm not bashing anyone. I love Christians, a lot of my very close friends are Christians, and I defend them more often than not, espcially here in R&S. But it's hard for me to comprehend how somone who is a great person, kind and compassionate, fun loving and great sense of humor, and very intelligent could believe in the God of the Old Testament and the salvation plan of the new.

Other desits, atheists, and non-Christians in general: do you ever wonder this, too?

Answer 1

People whether they are wise or not receive revelation from God. It truly isn't about how smart or not a person may be.
Some people realize their need for God and seek him and these receive a gift from God called faith. It is the beginning of a relationship with God. Through faith comes revelation where God makes himself real to you. Then a personal relationship with God. It is impossible to know God and deny him no matter how smart or not we think we are. Some people actually know God.

Answer 2

It is hard for a person to admit that everything they were taught about God since birth is a lie. It's like being brainwashed in a cult--you are immersed in this way of living and thinking and it becomes necessary to train your brain to think in a different way and make new neural connections. This is easier for some than for others.

Also, there is some good stuff about Christianity--the fellowship, the dinners, the charity work, etc. Some might feel that they are being asked to give up not only their belief in BibleGod, but in all this other stuff, as well, stuff that gives them pleasure and makes them feel like they're part of a vast community of like-minded people. Since we are all social animals, this is a hard thing to deal with. I think it's important for the doubting believer to realize that just because they stop believing in the same God as all their friends and family, doesn't mean they have to disassociate themselves from everyone. Many atheists compromise and agree to attend services once in awhile as long as nobody pressures them to believe in God. Some feel that it is better to do this and keep the family peace, than to completely abandon church and cause a rift.

Answer 3

I used to believe in God, so I know how it works. Otherwise rational people believe in God by shutting off their rational thought when dealing with religion.

I had my doubts even when I was a Christian, but I silenced them or gave them a lame answer. I would feel relieved whenever I found some slogan that allowed me to stop thinking about problem areas, though the relief was always temporary. The doubt would crawl back in whenever something would remind me of the doubt.

At one point, it was so bad that I couldn't read the Bible. I opened it to Genesis and tried to read, but I couldn't get past the first chapter. I couldn't convince myself it was real, because it didn't even sound real. It sounded like all the other myths I had read.

This was why I surrounded myself with other things to do and think about. I needed to exercise my mind, so I would think critically about other issues (like mathematics, linguistics, or whether Kirk was a better captain than Picard), but I always carefully (though subconsciously) avoided applying the same level of critical thought to religion that I applied to things as mundane as Star Trek.

This is probably why I became an atheist so quickly as soon as the system supporting my theist beliefs collapsed (after roughly a year of college). If a mind is naturally inquisitive, then it takes a *lot* of work to keep the inquisitive part away from the religious ideas. The minute the two sectors interact, the religious ideas implode.



Quitting Christianity was a relief, by the way. My Christian beliefs were always hanging by a thread, I guess, so I had to invest a lot of time and energy keeping them alive. I had tons of guilt over *everything* I did, even though I never really did anything wrong. I also had to work every new thought, theory, and discovery into a view of the world that included a magical sky pixie, and that is not an easy thing to do. It didn't help that Christian arguments never seemed to hold up in the end, and scientists were constantly learning new things that contradicted the Bible.

Now, I can be happy when a scientist learns something new. I can relax when I learn a new idea. I don't have all that extra religious stress pressing me from every side.

I think, since quitting Christianity a little over half a decade ago, I've been happier than I ever was before.

Answer 4

I've had trouble understanding it myself.

As you, I also have friends whom are Christian or affiliated with other religions, we get into serious and lengthy discussions, which usually conclude with the admission that its all about faith, which as we all know, does not serve as evidence to prove anything.

My best friend is a deist, we've had our share of discussions as well, though generally, our views correspond more than those of my religious friends.

I think its a combination of factors, in particular upbringing, but there is a scientific explanation, which my best friend covered in a question I posted a short while ago.
Its has to do with something called the "god module" or "god spot" located in the brain.

You may want to check it out, its rather interesting.

Answer 5

I'm American, but that sometimes happens to me. It really depends on where you are. In my area, we don't use any esoteric phrases. The "john" (which I rarely hear) is the bathroom. Whoever said that is saying that the bathroom is not working. I'm not sure what the first example is. You must have been in the south to hear "thick accents". I myself have a hard time understanding thick southern accents. I also find them very irritating. Different regions of the nation have different accents and different phraseology.

Answer 6

First off where do you get this god of the old testament stupid from?

Mal 3:6 For I am Yahweh, I change not...........

Ecclesiastes 1:9The thing that has been--it is what will be again, and that which has been done is that which will be done again; and THERE IS NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN. (no new way of salvation. keep the laws or perish.)

Just like Satan deceived Eve, she is deceiving Christians to believe that you don't have to listen to that old mean god of the old testament. STUPIDITY!

Oh and for you Sir.........

1Cr 1:19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

Answer 7

And I have trouble understanding how a person can claim being so intelligent and capable of reasoning so much, BUT, is not able to realize that there's no way for any of us to understand completely why other people perceive absolutely everything in very different ways. That's why we like different colors, different sports, belong to different political parties, have different styles,...etc....etc,...etc., and it doesn't mean that we are wrong, it means we all are different.

Answer 8

I do wonder. I think that, having never been a believer myself, it is something I will never be able understand completely.

However, I think that alongside rationality and logic is a desire to believe. Some people really need that extra bit of hope and purpose. We can convince ourselves anything is true if we really want to believe it.

Answer 9

I do. I wonder how some of the most educated, intelligent people I know can believe in Christianity. I guess I can only attribute it to the desire for eternal life, or the fear of death, perhaps engrained belief from childhood.

Personally I used to believe but walked away when I realized if there's a god he doesn't really care.

Answer 10

I believe in the God of the O/T and the N/T. I believe He is a God of wrath, but He showed great mercy to us, when He gave His only Son to die on the cross for us. Quit trying to rationalize God and put Him in a box. He is beyond our comprehension, and always will be, until HE decides to reveal all to us.