How are you able to devote your souls and your entire being to the existence of a higher deity who you are unable to prove exists, what is so convincing about a god who weilds the power to create eternity. Do you believe because you were raised with those beilefs and from an early age, or is it because you need to believe in somthing to satisfy your need for being. Christians for one make me really angry, I hate how they criticise other religons no one has any right to do that, and also they have no answers for anyone seeking spiritual guidance, other then to put blind faith into god, I am unable to do that, I think that would be difficult for many people, to devote there entire lives and existences to a being they dont even know exists,if how you are able to sacrifice your soul blindly, I must ask you a question, has god ever spoken to you, has he appeared to you in a dream, or have you ever had any kind of experience which suports your belief?

I dont really see why anyone would put their whole life into a certain religion... I did though,for a while. I dont know what the hell was wrong with me.. but I dont really know how we got here, nor do i give a shit, im here now, so thats all that matters. sometimes though, it does make me wonder... specially when i get into astronomy, one of my big interests.. its just so awesome out there i cant help but think some'thing' made it. but thats just me. errrrrr..

I believe in a higher being, but I believe it's the natural evolution of all beings. The future configuration of my being perfected, will eventually be now.

I believe in the one true God ( yes, I am somewhat dogamatic), the Christian God that is. I do not believe in him because I was raised to belive in him, it is by own choice.

"How are you able to devote your souls and your entire being to the existence of a higher deity who you are unable to prove exists,"

Christians can prove God exists using the Bible, however, many people (non-Christians) do not take the Bible to be valid. Ergo His existance cannot be proven.

^^^So you believe in God because you believe the Bible is the truth, therefore you have added to the question... now comes why do you believe the Bible is the truth.

I grew up in a house hold where my parents were hippies and dont believe in a God. I guess you could say it is pantheism. I never saw anything of a higher power or supernatural being so I guess you could say I was an atheist. I was into drugs and alcohol and fell into a bout of severe depression where I didn't want to live anymore. So I decided to take my own life by jumping off of a building. 67 feet to be exact. I should have died and in fact I was dead for about an hour and a half before I woke up on the ground with one last yell for help. After two weeks or so I can start to remember what was going on and that was about when I knew that something had saved me because I knew that I shouldnt be alive. Some of my friends gave me a Bible to read which meant basically nothing ot me at the time because I still didnt really believe. I started to go to church to see what it was all about and as I was there or reading the Bible I would get a little streak of light just beyond my periferal vision in my left eye. I didnt think anything of it at the time and quit going to church and focused more on my rehab. and stuff like that and for about 2 months I didnt see it anymore. Then i started to get depressed again and since my friends told me to turn to the Bible in times like that I did. It didnt help so I turned to prayer and just asked the Lord to to help me and to guide me and to tell me where to turn. I continued to talk to Him and told him that I dont care about myself anymore and that I was going to help other people and out of nowhere I just blurted out that I was a Christian. Then as soon as I laid my head down on the pillow that little certain streak of light returned as if to say that I was in the right place with God. Since then I got baptized and became a Christian and a lot of the time when I read the Bible, pray, attend church, or just act in a Christ-like way towards people it returns as if to reassure me that He is there and Im doing the right thing. You might say that its always there so how can you give credit to God? Well, its not there when I get angry at someone, or acting in certain ways that arent Christ-like. I dont know what this means to you but to me, its a sign that God does exist and that he does love me. To me this is my evidence to there being a God and that is why I believe in a God.

yay for egocentric narcisissim!

seriously, though, it's highly doubtful that anyone who really believes in god will be able to explain their reasons in a reasonable way. there's this lil' thing called "faith" that sorta screws up the whole logic thing.

quote:Originally posted by Froonhed:

^^^So you believe in God because you believe the Bible is the truth, therefore you have added to the question... now comes why do you believe the Bible is the truth.

I accepted God, then the Bible. So why did I accept the Christian God? Well, for alot of reasons. Mainly through observation of their actions. But what really "set the hook" was seeing an answer to someone's prayer that no one could deny.

quote:Originally posted by bluntman457:

But what really "set the hook" was seeing an answer to someone's prayer that no one could deny.

So what?

So god answered a prayer, but why should that mean that christianity is THE way to god. God will listen no matter what religeon you belong to.

Experience.

quote:Originally posted by hand_made_attrocity:

Christians for one make me really angry, I hate how they criticise other religons no one has any right to do that,

it sounds as though you are criticising the christian religion...the very religion that angers you FOR criticism. you are also critising the other religions that have a god. it is quite important to some people. no, i dont belive in god myself, but i dont look down upon other people for having a different beleif. you are doing the very thing sadaam and hitler were so hated for. you're making yourself sound like a moron.

quote:Originally posted by ---Beany---:

So what?

So god answered a prayer, but why should that mean that christianity is THE way to god. God will listen no matter what religeon you belong to.

He will listen no matter to anyone, no matter what religion, so long as they reconize him as God and have faith in Him. However, it is quite apparent in the Bible that the only way to recieve his ultimate gift, salvation, is to:

1 Be baptized in the name of God.

2 Have faith in God.

3 Have works to show for your faith.*

* James 2:14-26 clearly says faith without works is dead. DOn't be confused though, "works" in this case means your actions derived from reading the Bible; not just doing ordinary community service.

Ergo the only way to recieve Christ is to follow in a path identical to that of Christianity.

quote:Originally posted by bluntman457:

He will listen no matter to anyone, no matter what religion, so long as they reconize him as God and have faith in Him. However, it is quite apparent in the Bible that the only way to recieve his ultimate gift, salvation, is to:

1 Be baptized in the name of God.

2 Have faith in God.

3 Have works to show for your faith.*

* James 2:14-26 clearly says faith without works is dead. DOn't be confused though, "works" in this case means your actions derived from reading the Bible; not just doing ordinary community service.

Ergo the only way to recieve Christ is to follow in a path identical to that of Christianity.

I am an atheist converted from christianity, and fyi your above statement is flawed in respect to what the bible teaches. In steps 1-3 according to the bible it must include recognition and acceptance of JESUS as the Son of God sent to die for your sins, not just the broad God that exists in many religons. But maybe your denomination interprets the book differently. what denomination are you?

well heres an answer for u aithiest who dont see how ppl can beleive in God.

lawst_kos's expirence convinced him that God exists and i know of many other ppl who had simular experiences.

a few years ago, i meet a former Luftwaffer piolot who flew bombing missions over England. his plane was shot down and i think he was the only person to survive. he was raised up to believe in Hitler and was a true Nazi. when he was captured by the Brits and confined, the guard that was watching him gave him a Bible written in German. he read it and his eyes were opened to what the world was like back in the 1940's and he saw how the Jews were being persicuted as predicted in the Bible and how many of them were being executed. shortly after the war when the Jews became thier own nation again (also predicted in the Bible) this guy seen more of how the world is going according to how the Bible planned it out. now this man has a large boat with a hospital on it and goes around the world providing medicine and care for ppl.

i see how God changed his life and that of many others. i also have a strong feeling that God exist. another thing that convinces me that God exist is that my prayer r answered. one time when i was little and my favorite show was the ninja turtles, i prayed that it would come on an hour later so that i didnt miss half of it when i got home from school (this may sound funny but its true), two days later the television listings changed and it was on exactly one hour later and i was very little so i didnt really understand the tv guide papers and stuff and i dont think i would have had the intellegence back then to fabricate something to make my self think God existed even if somehow i did know that the listings would have changed.

i have also wittnessed witchcraft first hand when i was alittle older and a witch put a spells on me and sure enough they happened. i got both money the next day and a girl friend and i did not know this lady b4 my friend took me to see her(btw this lady was a witch that claimed to be christian and practiced pagan stuff and had some very unique and interesting beliefs that only now i am beginning to understand)

well thats it hope this may clear things up for ppl in question. btw i do not go to any churches and i do not follow the teachings of any man, i just follow the teachings which i feel God leads me to find in his word and in life.

quote:Originally posted by SkepticHack:

it sounds as though you are criticising the christian religion...the very religion that angers you FOR criticism. you are also critising the other religions that have a god. it is quite important to some people. no, i dont belive in god myself, but i dont look down upon other people for having a different beleif. you are doing the very

thing sadaam and hitler were so hated for. you're making yourself sound like a moron.

... "Faggotsaiswhat"

What if you were god and we asked you why you believed in us, what would you say?

quote:Originally posted by ilbastardoh:

What if you were god and we asked you why you believed in us, what would you say?

The same thing I would say if someone asked if I believed in playdo.

now what if you were the playdoh factory

I belive God would believe in us because He loves us.

Morons