Why did you choose to believe?

[SassyMummy]

Before I get going, I'll just state that I'm pretty much what you'd class as an "athiest." I actively don't believe in any "higher power" or "God" or any such thing. Thus, I don't lead my life as such. I don't have a problem with people embracing religion...but it's just not for me.

...

As a child, I seemed to attract friends who were from religious families...and thus I mingled with quite a few people of different religions. The two main religions I mixed with were Mormon and Christian. I also attended a Catholic school as a small child...but that was AGES ago so I don't remember too much about that.

I've pretty much NEVER believed in any type of God...and so I've always had people asking me WHY. They've always asked me, "If you don't believe in God, then who do you think made the World?" and stuff along those lines. My answer is always, "I don't know...and quite frankly, it's not something that occupies my mind all that much."

Neither of my parents are religious (though my mother believes in some sort of "higher being"...she doesn't follow a particular religion or anything) and I've never felt the need to believe. I don't know why...I just haven't.

My question to all of you is, WHY are you religious? It's a CHOICE to follow religion and believe, even if it doesn't really seem like a choice (and rather a path you just follow naturally).

Have you ALWAYS believed (maybe your family is religious and you just learnt about it all from an early age)?

Did something happen in your life which MADE you believe (a near death experience perhaps?)?

Did something happen which made you NEED to believe (a sick family member... you NEEDED to believe there was something for them after death)?

I'm just curious really...because I've just never felt the urge to believe or follow a religion, so it would interesting to see why people DO choose to. :)

[B-belle]

My dads catholic so Ive believed in God from an early age. Dad didnt teach us to fear God though...I dont really believe in hell and all that.

[Milliner]

I'm not religious at all, my mums is. I grew up going to church every weekend and doing every activity the church had going. I never enjoyed it, don't believe it, but thats just me.

just wanted to add my 2 cents

[BlueGin]

Well, to tell you the truth, to me it isn't a choice :)
My parents don't believe in God, so that hasn't influenced me, but I have just always known God was there.

To me it's kind of like eyesight; I can see the world, I always have, but darned if I could explain that to someone born without eyesight! :o

I hope that the way I've explained it isn't offensive to anyone, it is just the only way I can describe it!

I also hope it makes some vague sense... lol

[Mister Noodle]

SM, that's really odd - I'm not sure I know any other atheists that think belief is a choice.

Try an experiment for me:

Pull out a street directory. Open it to a random page, and mark a random spot.

Now, gird your mental loins, gather up all your free will and by sheer congnitive exertion believe that within 6 feet of that spot you will find a small lemon tree.

Then go there and actually be genuinely surprised if you don't find one.

If you can do that, I'll agree that we can choose to believe.

Because for me, the very hallmark of belief is that we are inevitably *led* to a conclusion by the weight of the evidence and the brutal, unyielding leverage of reasoning.

[BlueGin]

:laughing: eloquently and humorously put Mr N :thumbsup:

[SassyMummy]

You make a good point (as usual...:rolleyes: :laughing: ) Mr Noodle.

I still think it's a choice though - even if you don't ACTIVELY make a "choice." If that makes sense.

I've been told a bit here and there, and yet I've CHOSEN not to believe, because it just doesn't suit me. For me, it's a bit of me DECIDING not to believe, and partly just not believing because I've subconciously decided not to (using all the the things that make me, me...previous history, personal feelings, family matters...etc etc etc).

[Bellarose]

Hello,

I do believe in God !!! My mum is a christian but not my dad. I did go to Sunday school as a kid. But stopped going to church and have only returned this year.

Last couple of years my life has been going fantastic.. travelling, got married, great job.. but there was something missing for me. It didnt matter how much money I had, or what I did.. I felt lost and didnt really know what the point of life was.

So.. I thought I would pray to God ... asking 'what the'. I bought a bible and started reading it. I thought the bible was an old boring book. I was so wrong. The answers to my questions just seemed to jump off the pages. ITs just so weird.. Whatever I asked, God just seemed to point me to the right pages to read. And it was then that it really made me realise he is real and he does hear me !!

Why do I believe in god you ask... God gives me hope that there is reason why I am here, and it also makes me strive to be a better person. No matter what happens in my life, he is always there for me and he guides me. I can get stressed, but I just pray and give my worries all to him. I feel so much more peaceful and happy.

Its a very personal thing.. and if you haven't felt the urge.. that ok.. But if you do ever get the urge... Just pray and have a chat to the man upstairs about how you're feeling.

Good luck on your journey. :thumbsup:

[blessedmummy]

im a christian, and so is my parents, all my family are, and have grown up with going to church and sunday school and we all have chosen to accept christ in our lives. i agree, its a personal thing to do, and we all have free wills, so its up to us wheather we choose to or not.

[Elijahsmama]

I've always believed in a God as in a creator but it just ended there. I went to catholic schools but was noway influenced into religion, quite the opposite actually! Parents were'nt religous either.
Now, i believe in God as the bible God. My DH is a firm believer as hes had personal experiences so knows that for him it's the way. He has never pushed his faith onto me or others but if people want to know he'll say his part. He lived the church life for quite a few years but got sick of it all and from the couple of times i have been recently i can see why.
I started questioning him on things a few months back and then bought a bible and started reading. I love it. And even if it's not true (which i firmly believe it is) i have since become way less materialistic, happier, calmer, and have good principles.
I am now a christain, just not a churchy one and i feel for me im much better off.

[Nan]

You make a good point (as usual...:rolleyes: :laughing: ) Mr Noodle.

I still think it's a choice though - even if you don't ACTIVELY make a "choice." If that makes sense.

I've been told a bit here and there, and yet I've CHOSEN not to believe, because it just doesn't suit me. For me, it's a bit of me DECIDING not to believe, and partly just not believing because I've subconciously decided not to (using all the the things that make me, me...previous history, personal feelings, family matters...etc etc etc).

Hi SM! :wave:
I think what Mr. Noodle was saying was that you must think that there IS a God if you chose to not believe in Him. If He's not there, you have nothing to choose iykwim.

Me personally, I do believe. I've always been a Christian - since I was 3!! My mum helped me to see how I needed God. Then when I was a teenager I was convicted that I'd only followed God because my mum told me about Him etc so I set about finding out about God, life etc on my own. I wanted to believe what I wanted not what my parents wanted. I looked into lots of different ways of life, religions etc and what each one believed and for me Christianity, Jesus dying for me etc made the most sense.
Now that I've decided for myself I can tell you that I'm the happiest & most content I've ever been, but also I know that God loves me! So in answer to your why am I a Christian question - because God loves me & I love Him back. I know how dumb that sounds to people who don't love God, but that's how I feel.
Love,
Nan. xx

[thebas2560]

Cool. Well actually I did not choose to believe. God came crashing into my life and made it impossible not to! I was brought up Catholic (by my nanna as part of the deal of mum and I living with them) but a combination of crushing guilt and an enquiring mind soon had me pretty sure there was no God as I entered my teenage years. New Age stuff intrigued me , but in general, I thought that the Christian view of God was frankly ridiculous and childish. Like a fairytale. A few relatives became 'born again' and, whilst I kind of felt sorry for them in an intellectual sense, I did notice a substantial change in them character wise. I wondered how they could take so much criticism and still be so loving. I admired it from far off but didn't think too much of it. Through my teenage years and I had the usual dose of crushing depression and heartache and I probably had it a little tougher than most, at least in my immediate context. Things began to get better in Yr11 and I finally got to get a taste of all the usual stuff that I thought would make me happy; popularity, parties and all that. I enjoyed getting drunk every weekend and thought it was all coming together. However it did not fill the void like I thought it would. A few of my friends then became 'born-again'. I mocked them (some friend i was ;) ) and constantly asked them questions to try and stump them and make them look stupid. They were so patient with my obvious hostility. I didn't want answers, I didn't think there were any. Yet, they kept going away, finding out, and coming back with reasonable answers. Maybe not totally satisfying but more thought out than I expected. Over a period of 6 months or so they kept coming back to me with this. I attended church a few times (a little anglican church in Sydney) and heard the gospel message of salvation and something tugged at my conscience which rang of truth, and I didn't like it. All the pieces started coming together and it all began to make sense, it all fit. I got scared. The reality that it might just be true hit me. I stopped coming to church and asking questions. My memory constantly reminding me of my mothers words "if you ever become a Christian I'll kick you out of the house". and my reply "Yeah right. As if I'd become one of those" and besides, I didn't wan't to give up drinking and all that. Until finally Christmas 1998 there was a kiddie Jesus cartoon on TV. I was alone in the lounge room and cringed and got up to walk away. Suddenly, out of no where I was stopped mid stride. Within my minds eye, as real as it could have been for me without it being right in front of me, I saw an overwhelming vision of a man in white robes who I knew was Jesus. Wave upon wave of a very real physical feeling went through me and I was literally paralyzed. For one moment I experienced what I believe to be the perfect love of God. I comprehended heaven. I also comprehended the depth of my rebellion against this loving God and the depth of His grace for chasing me as far as he did. It was overwhelming. I shook it off, took a breath and felt a tear roll down my eye. I sat down shaking in shock. What was that!!! I knew what I had to do. This was not something or Someone I wanted to run away from. I knew the gospel message, but God showed Himself to me and confirmed it. I gave my life to Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and he has taught me, answered many questions and showed me so much undeserved grace and love. I just have to share it. How can I not? That's how I came to believe.

[Mister Noodle]

Hi SM! :wave:
I think what Mr. Noodle was saying was that you must think that there IS a God if you chose to not believe in Him. If He's not there, you have nothing to choose iykwim.


Erm... I think we're talking at cross purposes here.

I'm saying that will has no effect on belief - otherwise it's known as 'pretending'. And the thing about pretending is that you always know you're doing it, and you can never be surprised if it turns out not to be true.

I'm saying that thinking and believing are the same thing - it's impossible, by definition, to think that god exists and yet not believe, or vice-versa.

If I had some truly extraordinary and convincing evidence that I was simply unable to discount, and my objections were shown to be false, then I would already believe, no matter how much I hated the idea. (as thebas reports doing)

If all the evidence simply failed to convince me, then I would already disbelieve, no matter how much I might desperately want to.

By the time you can actually form an intent to change it, the belief already exists, in the form of the conclusion you've drawn.

You can choose to look for more evidence on either side, and you can choose to ask yourself what you really believe, but you can't choose what the answer will be.

[thebas2560]

I agree Mr Noodle. Though don't discount the powerful role the emotions and bias play. Just as much as you may think someone who has become a Christian has done it because they want to, someone can just as easily look at the same evidence and see it completely differently because of bad experiences, too much to lose etc. For example, a while ago I had a conversation with a friend of a relative who said "How could you possibly look at how big and complex the universe is and believe there is a God?" I asked "How can you look at that and not?" They were both value judgements neither proving or disproving the other. However, if the Bible taught specifically a simple universe then I'd be in trouble. It doesn't.
Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above[1] proclaims his handiwork."

If we looked out and said "is that all? well so what, that's no big deal" then that would fly in the face of this passage. The question is, can we prove God? Is human reason, distorted by bias emotion and vested interests, able to get to the truth? Or does God have to reveal himself, individually and uniquely to each of us a the time he chooses?

1Co 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
1Co 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1Co 1:19 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."
1Co 1:20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
1Co 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
1Co 1:22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
1Co 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
1Co 1:24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
1Co 1:25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
1Co 1:26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
1Co 1:27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
1Co 1:28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
1Co 1:29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
1Co 1:30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
1Co 1:31 Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."