Religious persons, what makes you believe?

Question

I am atheist only because I can find no reason to believe. Why do you believe? Convice me.

Answer 1

i can not Convince you that God is there, you have to believe, all i can tell you is why i do..i was hurt very badly, and someone sweet and kind whispered in my ear, Child i am hear and i will never leave you, and i will take your pain,

and i believe with all my heart that it was God. he got my out, the men that had me let me go. they where not going to.. i started praying out loud and one guy felt bad and when the other left he let let me go. God did that,, he gave me the strength to go on,, and i thank him for that... so very much...

No one can Convince you, you believe are not, one day everyone will get a chance. to see him face to face, then you make your mind up for yourself...

take care and wish you the best:)))))))))))))))

Answer 2

I have to ask, are you sincerely looking for a reason to believe, or just looking to sharpen your arguments against believers?

If it's the former, then I can't help ya. :-)

As opposed to the first answerer, I am becoming more and more atheist the more I experience life. He makes two mistakes: first, attributing the wonder he feels and sees around him to a divine source. Second, attributing it to a very specific one, his particular brand of xtianity.

Every day science fills in more and more of the gaps in our knowledge. The world does not have a lot of mystery left in it. But that does not mean there is no room for wonder or awe. If anything, knowing the natural processes that created the world around me only heightens it, because with knowledge and comprehension of the world comes a closeness to it. The "god of the gaps" is shrinking ever smaller, and shows no sign of stopping.

If you're really an atheist only because you can find no reason to believe, that kinda sounds like you're looking for one. The believers will tell you that you'll be happier if you join their flock. Admittedly, I think you'd be happier remaining an atheist. That just goes to show that each one of us has to find happiness in their own way.

I hope no one brings up Pascal's wager as a reason why you should believe. In case they do, check out the refutations of it in the Wiki link below. I threw in a few more links as well; the Robert Ingersoll podcasts are quite good, if you're into that.

Answer 3

I wouldn't consider myself to be a religious person. Religion has more to do with following prescribed rules and regulations. It's more of a formula than I am comfortable with. I would say that I am a believer in the person of Jesus Christ and I have accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. Why? It began with my initial orientation. I was oriented to believe in God from childhood. My family believed, so I grew up in an environment that nurtured my ability to believe also. But that's not why I believe. I believe because I have experienced -- on so many levels and in so many different ways -- the truths expressed in the Bible, in my own life. Personal experience is difficult to refute, and in my experience, I have been "touched" by what I know could only be Divine. Will this convince you? Probably not. If the beauty of the sky, the blowing of the wind, the majesty of mountain ranges, the delicate petals on the flowers, a blade of grass, etc. doesn't convince you... I don't know what will.

Answer 4

You are alive and unless you are an solipsist you can't recall or rationalize willing yourself into existence. If you say, "My Mother and Father created me and their Mothers and Fathers etc," that leads into an infinite regress. I can't for the life of me imagine infinity or nothingness so I am bound to conclude there had to be something conscious that started everything even though I can't imagine that being.That is my reason to believe but I know it is all dependent on a faith that something good is bigger than all that I am and can perceive.

There is nothing wrong with faith because without it there is no hope. And without hope what is life? In its absence It would soon become a life with no desire even no desire for life itself. (witness Buddhism) I don't believe there is anyone without hope and thus without faith.

Good luck with your faith, good mental health, peace and Love!