Why do you believe?

[BlackDove]

It's a simple question I like to ask a lot of people, both believers and non-believers (and honestly, not necessarily having anything to do with religion).

Why do you believe what you do?

Do you have good reason to believe what you do?

Do you have good reason to not believe what you don't?

Is your belief based on facts, or on feelings?

These are all very important questions, as scripture tells us in 1 Peter 3:15 "... always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you."

So what is that reason? Do you even have a reason? Is it well founded?

That's the challenge I present to everyone here, regardless of what you believe. Why is it you believe what you do?

(I'll throw my hat into the ring once we get a few answers here).

 

[joint-heir]

It's a simple question I like to ask a lot of people, both believers and non-believers (and honestly, not necessarily having anything to do with religion).

Why do you believe what you do?

Do you have good reason to believe what you do?

Do you have good reason to not believe what you don't?

Is your belief based on facts, or on feelings?

These are all very important questions, as scripture tells us in 1 Peter 3:15 "... always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you."

So what is that reason? Do you even have a reason? Is it well founded?

That's the challenge I present to everyone here, regardless of what you believe. Why is it you believe what you do?

(I'll throw my hat into the ring once we get a few answers here).

READ MY TESTIMONY
UNLESS
YOUR GONNA ALLOW ME THE NEXT
2 PAGES ALONE JUST FOR MYSELF

 

[loveschild]

Because God lives in my heart. I've believed since I was a lil kid. God wrote in my heart his love for me. I always knew he was real. Although most of my life I didn't know who he really was. Thank God I searched him to know him better.

 

[Just_Ducky312]

I believe the way I do because I believe God for all His promises, have Faith in ALL his abilities and remain confident that there is NO GOD greater than the Lord Almighty.

AND also because the bible tells me so

AMEN!!! SHOUT OUT FOR JESUS!!! HE ROCKS!!! Did I mention he ROCKS!! (those are my feelings)

 

[BlackDove]

Because God lives in my heart. I've believed since I was a lil kid. God wrote in my heart his love for me. I always knew he was real. Although most of my life I didn't know who he really was. Thank God I searched him to know him better.

So how would you "defend" yourself against someone who attacked your beliefs?

One could say that feelings are not actual evidence of God's existence. They're good for us on a personal level up until a certain point, but how would you actually prove to someone that the same God you feel is in your heart actually exists in reality?

 

[BlackDove]

I believe the way I do because I believe God for all His promises, have Faith in ALL his abilities and remain confident that there is NO GOD greater than the Lord Almighty.

AND also because the bible tells me so

AMEN!!! SHOUT OUT FOR JESUS!!! HE ROCKS!!! Did I mention he ROCKS!! (those are my feelings)

He does rock indeed! : D

So why do you believe in God for all His promises? Your answer seems to state something like "I believe because I believe...", which is just kind of going in circles.

Furthermore then, why do you believe the Bible? What is it about it that shows you it's factual and worthy of your trust?

(btw I'm not attacking you or anyone here, this is merely a thinking-exercise )

 

[charisenexcelcis]

I believe in what I do because of the convincing weight of scripture. My surest beliefs have the greatest weight of scripture. I believe in the inspiration of scripture. I believe that such inspiration is divine, unique, living, complete, and verbal. I believe in the surety of God's preservation of the word of God. I follow the literal method of interpretation. I believe that the canon was completed in frist century A.D. I believe that not only is scripture the sole guide to the faith and its practice, but also is the judge of all our words, natural and prophetic.

 

[loveschild]

I get attacked all the time. Mostly by so called Christians. God is my protector. I pray for them. I've seen Jesus. I've seen the Holy Spirit. There is no proof to someone who doesn't know my Lord. I know some other people who see like me. The proof is in God. By my prayers they can come to know my Lord. I will never give up. The proof is in the word. But if one doesn't believe the word then I keep praying.

 

[Just_Ducky312]

Its all about LOVE my brother.

Jesus needs no defense, He is the Son of God.(Its just what it is)

God has given each of us a testimony of HIS love to share.

So you ask...why do I beliieve? Well why not?

When the miraculous hands of Jesus has touched your life, why would you accept anything less?

The testimony of Gods love is revealed to each of us through the sacrafice of our Savior when light has transformed darkness.

Today we share in the priviledged opportuniity to carry the torch and shine the light of LOVE that brings hope to those
who feel desolate and alone.

God is faithful to his word and you can take his promises to the BANK, I guarantee you will get a return.

Why do I know this, because its true. What makes it true? Experiencing a relationship with God and surrendering your liife to the Banker and receiving returns faithfully makes it true. That personal relationship with God makes it true.

My challenge to someone would be to BRING it ON, take the challenge and take it to GOD and see if he is up to showing you how faithful he is about His promises.

WOOT for JESUS!!!

 

[Just_Ducky312]

BTW why do I believe in the Bible?

Its is a reflection of the character of God, its the most beautiful book in the world.

Reading the Bible you learn who God is and what He is like, how deeply he loves and what lengths he will go to show that love.
He is amazing, it is an amazing book.



What can ever be that amazing?

 

[BlackDove]

Jesus needs no defense, He is the Son of God.(Its just what it is)

If Jesus is attacked (and He is), then He does need defending. 1 Peter 3:15 says so!

Why do I know this, because its true. What makes it true? Experiencing a relationship with God and surrendering your liife to the Banker and receiving returns faithfully makes it true. That personal relationship with God makes it true.

Take a look at this scenario then:

For the sake of example, let's say I'm a Mormon: I claim to have a personal relationship with God, and I "feel it in my heart". I believe the Book of Mormon is inspired by God because "It's so beautiful and displays God's love for us", or "I've prayed to God and He told me the book of Mormon is true."

I don't know if you see what I'm getting at here, but the train of thought you're expressing (and others here as well) just DOES NOT carry any weight as far as defending God or "the hope that is in you" goes, because I could just as easily claim the same things about something completely different than your belief system. The feelings you feel in your heart of hearts about God and the Bible are the same things Mormons feel about their spin on God and their spin on holy scriptures. These are feelings that all humans can experience regardless of belief system, and therefore are NOT evidence that the One True God really exists and that His scriptures are truly inspired.

Again, I'm not attacking you or anyone here, but this is a thought-exercise to get people thinking. I'll be explaining why I continue to believe and serve God in a little bit to give an idea of what I'm trying to get at with this thread.

 

[sunshine_debbie]

I come from a family that values intellect above most everything else. So when you say this is not personal, but merely an intellectual exercise, I know where you are coming from, truly I do. That being said.

Believing in God is about faith, and trust, and grace. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) I love God, and he loves me. I know it. Yes it is a feeling, but it is also a knowledge, an inner knowledge that I was given when I accepted Jesus into my heart.

Its good to be intellectual, but sometimes, you have to believe without your brain and with your heart.

Debbie

 

[BlackDove]

Yes it is a feeling, but it is also a knowledge, an inner knowledge that I was given when I accepted Jesus into my heart.

So if I were Mormon and had that same feeling, it would also be knowledge, and therefore true? I'm assuming your answer to this would be "no", because truth is not relativistic. So why is a Mormon wrong and you are correct?

Here's another interesting question for you:

Did the church fathers believe with "blind faith", or did they actually have substance to base their beliefs on? With that said, were they even "beliefs" at all, or were they factual knowledge?

 

[wattie]

'Doesn't matter what you believe, it is the believing that counts'

I've heard this quite a bit. The big problem with it:
...
Christianity is meant to have an object of belief that real.. so it is the object of the belief, rather than the believing itself which is most important.

Paul knew this.. basically sayin if there is no resurrection we are all gonners

So Jesus-

Historically verified as a real person
The same evidence that Jesus was a real being is equally strong that He rose from the grave.

Why?

Some think Jesus swooned on the cross only- well this flies in the face of the manner of execution the Romans did. Altho it was not exact science - it was brutal and barbaric.. the knew how to kill a man.

Some say Jesus just hypnotized people to think He was risen before He was crucified. Well.. hypnotism only works on susceptible people.. and their were many many people were pretty anti Jesus.. plus.. how could he hypnotise entire groups of people. So that is out of the question

Some say the disciples stole His body.. but that couldn't work because of the guards at Jesus tomb and the fact that the disciples were scattered.. afraid running scared and hiding.. not interested in getting Jesus' body.

So you can go on like this eliminating possibilities until all you are left with is

Resurrection!

 

[wattie]

Same goes for believing the bible is the Word of God- things like-

*fulfilled prophecy
* internal consistency
* knowledge coming to people they could not have previously known
* supernatural acts
* mutilple authors from different places and times with different jobs all revealing things about the same subject
*archeology supporting biblical references

and more

 

[BlackDove]

'Doesn't matter what you believe, it is the believing that counts'

I've heard this quite a bit. The big problem with it:
...
Christianity is meant to have an object of belief that real.. so it is the object of the belief, rather than the believing itself which is most important.

Paul knew this.. basically sayin if there is no resurrection we are all gonners

So Jesus-

Historically verified as a real person
The same evidence that Jesus was a real being is equally strong that He rose from the grave.

Why?

Some think Jesus swooned on the cross only- well this flies in the face of the manner of execution the Romans did. Altho it was not exact science - it was brutal and barbaric.. the knew how to kill a man.

Some say Jesus just hypnotized people to think He was risen before He was crucified. Well.. hypnotism only works on susceptible people.. and their were many many people were pretty anti Jesus.. plus.. how could he hypnotise entire groups of people. So that is out of the question

Some say the disciples stole His body.. but that couldn't work because of the guards at Jesus tomb and the fact that the disciples were scattered.. afraid running scared and hiding.. not interested in getting Jesus' body.

So you can go on like this eliminating possibilities until all you are left with is

Resurrection!

THANK YOU! You hit the nail of this topic exactly where I was hoping someone would, at long last!

Without the resurrection our faith is in vain.

One thing you all must understand, is that Christianity was SO utterly offensive both socially and religiously to the people of that day, that unless they had hard, verifiable evidence to show, they would have failed MISERABLY!

The church fathers NEVER intended for us to believe with feelings blindly. Such ways of thinking would have landed Christianity complete and utter failure. Therefore there is NO reason that ANY OF US should believe in such - might I say - flimsy and weak ways of thinking. The church fathers never intended this, and God certainly did not intend this.

Take a look at this article and see the amazing trails that the early church had to overcome with the irrefutable evidence of Jesus' resurrection, I guarantee you will be most edified by this:

http://www.tektonics.org/lp/nowayjose.html

 

[wattie]

Well Blackdove.. you will find many christians in here who just DON"T WANT to know. Their version of faith in Christ is blind. I also wonder if they are actuall y holding beliefs that do not stand up to scrutiny so don't want to be challenged

 

[Just_Ducky312]

As I said... its all about LOVE!

If there wasnt love there would be no need for the cross!

 

[BlackDove]

Well Blackdove.. you will find many christians in here who just DON"T WANT to know. Their version of faith in Christ is blind. I also wonder if they are actuall y holding beliefs that do not stand up to scrutiny so don't want to be challenged

I completely agree. Most people don't even know why they believe what they believe (and are typically unaware of this), so I think it's healthy to have someone come and shake their world a bit. What's great about doing it in a place like this is it's a controlled environment and not some malicious atheist or something out in the world making a spectacle of Christianity because of their lack of knowledge.

 

[BlackDove]

And I'm not just being bias here, I need it every once in a while too; everybody does. I'm sure I have opinions and things I cling to that I probably don't even know why I do, or if I do I may not know how to explain them properly thus making my belief in that thing relatively useless.