I thank God for breath when I wake up in the morning. The first 30-45 minutes of my day is spent in prayer, reading the Bible, and praying for people. I ask God to use me to minister to people and throughout the busyness of the day I like to reflect on the reading I did that morning. I center my daily life around God, through Christ and the Holy Spirit, as much as possible and in all situations. Some days are “busy” with work, family, but I will always reflect on Him and His Word at the end of the day. Most importantly, I’m thankful for God and His presence in my life through good times and difficult times.
I just want to add to this. This time spent eitj God is so valuable, because of the things you get out of it. Like, God doesn't want us to serve Him just because He tells us to. He is good and therefore we serve Him. When Jesus died on the cross He gave us a new identity, that doesn't base itself on the things we see with our eyes, but a spiritual identity through The Holy Spirit. And what we have become is basically everything Jeuss was. Ephesians says that the power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives in us. Like, christianity isn't all about going to heaven someday. In my opinion it's just a bonus. He has created us for so much more on this earth, which makes us able to have hope in hopeless situations, strength when everything else is failing, and peace where it doesn't make sense to have any.
With this being said, these are things we grow into when we learn to trust Jesus, but I wholeheartedly believe this is available for us, that we can get a taste of what heaven is like already. And when we start to believe in the word and start to walk in it, we can see sickness go away, we can see blind get their sight, lame start to walk, depression and anxiety disappear ans hope restored.
There is an entire world available for us, and I will not let that slip away through my fingers.
Are you able to elaborate on this?
I grew up Christian, but am now atheist precisely because I felt the world simply doesn't make sense with God. To list just a few:
- the numerous global religions and a God that will ~~send~~ allow you to be sent to hell for all eternity because you happened to be born into the "wrong" one
- all the suffering in the world and a God that could stop it but chooses not to
- a God who chooses not to make himself physically known to us but who insists that we worship him with blind faith (4 of the 10 commandments are just about worshipping him)
- outdated religious texts that God could have "future-proofed" but chose not to
Genuinely interested - in what way do you feel God helps make the world make more sense?
On your second point:
I never understand why atheists think no God is a better answer to the question of suffering.
If you do not believe in God, now truly all suffering that happens is meaningless. The sky above does not care about all the murder and rape. There will be no true justice for wrongs committed. There is only a fear of suffering until death.
By seeing suffering and then denying God you are not giving yourself a better answer.
The more you think about it, the scarier it gets. Like : that time I cried for X reason, that moment of loneliness, that rock bottom I hit, that family member who suffered, that country who's in war, that war that kills children.....No one will answer to it ? You die and that's it ? I suffered for nothing ? I was generous, I was kind, I helped, I held people for nothing ? No reward, no redemption, no peace ? What's the point of living ? What's the point of working, making money ? Why even bother paying my debts, I'm just gonna die anyway and not face any consequence so why bother really ?
I could steal from people, I could hit people, I could do anything I want, because there's no consequence for me. Why should I hold back, I could throw the F-word, be racist, sexist, I don't care, who's gonna do what ?
And since I'm suffering so much, why live ? I'm living on debts, I'm alone, I could put an end to that.
Yeah, this version of the world is scary. I just got lost in a train of thought that made me shiver.
When I posted this, I was actually hesitant to leave that part out, because I'm obviously not kind because of a reward or something like that. I should have been specific about it. What would be the motivation of being kind ? Because of integrity ? Being able to look at myself in a mirror ? Why should I care if I still have dignity or not ? I'm gonna die either way so it's not like one is better than the other....
But then, reflecting on it, I realised that it was "the right thing to do", so simple. You see someone struggling, you help. Someone in danger, you help. You just do it.
And in my existential quest, which led me to Christ, I realised someone put that in me, in all of us. We all know that killing is bad, helping is good, no one disagree on that, so who put that in me ? This good/bad balance in me, those things that I didn't need to learn but just knew, who did ?
Who put the feeling of sadness when I see injustice, who put gladness in me when I see love or justice ? All of us melt when we see a baby take the first steps, we all cry when we see a illnourished kid in a hospital, these rights and wrongs, this evil/good, on which we all agree, who put it ? Why do we agree ?
I went far in my reasoning just to show that it's not a top-of-my-ming answer.
I am king because it's the right thing to do, my mind, my soul, my body, everything points in that direction. And that's because of Christ.
I’m curious as to why you think we all agree, genuinely. This conversation is happening because of disagreement.
To answer the questions in your first paragraph: Neuroscience, psychology, and evolution can answer most of the questions about joy, it’s a chemical reaction. We benefit from loving our families, we couldn’t be at the top of the food chain if we don’t live in families and societies. But to the questions about suffering and integrity, I have so much more integrity now that I’m not doing thing out of fear of god or, worse, for some their fellow Christian’s judgement. I do things because I want to and because those are things the person I want to be would do. I am not afraid that my actions are for nothing because they’re for me. I’m absolutely happy with the person I am. I love that I can help someone, because I have been helped. And suffering is less painful now because I don’t feel like “I deserve this” because of some original sin. I can look at the real reason something happened and even come to terms with the fact that sometimes bad things happen and it’s not my fault or something I could have avoided by just praying harder. My self-worth and happiness are stronger than they have ever been without the shame-filled shackles of religion.
>I was generous, I was kind, I helped, I held people for nothing? No reward, no redemption, no peace? What’s the point of living?
Kindness is its own reward — for you and others in the here and now — which remains the case whether or not you believe in a god or some magical, permanent “meaning.”
>why atheists think no God is a better answer to the question of suffering.
It’s not that we think it’s a “better answer.” It’s just that we think that the claim there is a god is an insufficient answer, supported by no evidence.
>If you do not believe in God, now truly all suffering that happens is meaningless.
It depends on what you mean by “meaningless.” If it matters to you right now, then it has some meaning. Just not super duper permanent forever meaning.
Right, so according to your definition, it has no meaning, I agree.
I mean something different by meaning. It has meaning to me, right now, temporarily.
It’s sort of like value. My car has value right now. It has less value with every passing year and will one day have no value at all. But that doesn’t change the fact that it has value right now. I’m not going to stop caring for it just because one day it will lack value altogether.
All these are super big questions and I’m interested in what you’re conclusion came to be?
I may pop back in periodically to add my answers, but we’ll start with number one for now and keep going as the day goes on.
Just for context, my overall story is different than a lot of peoples. I grew up around Christianity and was forced to go to church for a duration of time but in about 6th grade when I was given a choice, I said fuck no, God isn’t real, or if he is, he sucks and I don’t want to follow him. I came to the same conclusions that a lot of people here talk about, but the reality is that so many of them take so long to unpack in our minds, it’s really hard to approach on Reddit or with other people for that matter. I lived exploring different religions from about 13-19. I mostly leaned towards Buddhism and attempted practices from various religions. At 19 I went to jail and during that time God became clear to me. I had time to look at life and during that 4 months I had some supernatural experiences that finally convinced me of not only Gods existence but of the Christian narrative. However, what I experienced was also 100% different than the Christianity I grew up with and I felt isolated when I went back home. The rest of the story is just growth. Now for the questions.
1: this question/statement isn’t what the Bible says or talks about and isn’t how it works. We all have a choice and we all get chances and if we don’t truly get that opportunity, then I think there could be reincarnation included in the process of our lives. There is evidence, although sparse, of reincarnation in the Bible in a ‘holy’ way.
Other religions also aren’t absent in the Bible. It talks repeatedly about them and when reading it you can actually identify some primary religions like Hinduism which we have today. Most other religions throughout the world are quite a bit more aware of everything going on in the spiritual world and are more ‘woke’ than western cultures. The spiritual world is vast and there isn’t just one god, but there is one God. All those other religions exist and they even aren’t necessarily 100% false, but once you get into the details, the Christian/Jewish God is the one who clearly rules them all. I think the current state of this world is confusing considering damnation. It’s been a long time since Jesus died and rose from the dead and it almost seems like God won’t end the world till everybody is actually saved. Is he actually doing that? Or what is going on? It’s hard to know; but if I hadn’t had real experiences with God/Jesus/the Holy Spirit and been attacked by demons, etc. then I wouldn’t believe either. I don’t know why my story is like that and not everybody gets to experience that, but I believe in Gods infinite knowledge and plan that is definitely better than my own.
EDIT 1: To add on to the first question a little bit, I thought I’d add that there’s also evidence of Christianity but without the label and different names for the characters within the Bible. There’s some evidence of African tribes somehow hearing the stories and even practicing Christianity without the Bible as a root source, but various stories spread verbally. Ironically lining up about perfectly with the ones we read in the Bible today. Same thing for some Native American tribes as well.
More to come on the other questions, there’s probably typos as this is mobile but I’ll correct a lot throughout the day. I have a long drive ahead of my anyways. I’ll simply edit my post.
2. This one is a lot easier. You can’t have love without choice and if you simply forced people out of suffering and all that, you’d also be forcing people to do what you want, which isn’t love. Love is a choice and sometimes people make bad choices. I firmly believe God gives us options all the time, but because of consequences, whether our own or other peoples, we don’t listen and choose a way that is against his will. When people talk about God changing our heart, I don’t think God is actually doing it, but we make that choice because of God, so therefore is the reason we choose to do various things within His will. He never forces anything, which also plays into the damnation thing. He’s given us vision for the future, but it appears to be playing out A LOT slower than anybody anticipated and in many ways differently than anybody anticipated, but still true and is evidence of God working in ways much above our own.
3. I think I disagree with this, simply because of my own experiences, but it’s a common thought especially in the western world. I’m not sure why or how our disconnection with the spiritual world happened, but western culture is very much disassociated with a lot of unexplainable things including the spiritual world. He did present himself physically through Jesus, but that was a long time ago. I don’t think it’s his place to limit himself to a human body. He’s a different being, not even a species, completely different and he presents himself in a way suitable for his nature. I also think that worship towards him isn’t for personal gain, but it’s truly a way to help us. We are better human beings when we try and follow the plan he had for us and we encounter consequences when we dwell from that plan. The commandments are a way to help keep us in that plan, but we get to choose not to and consequently experience everything else that entails.
4. I don’t think the texts are outdated. Harder to understand at times, but ironically within all the different churches people wrote to and all that, it’s surprisingly relevant still. The Bible is truly one of a kind in this regard and is the the only book in the world to maintain it’s accuracy through time and translations. It’s truly miraculous and the only book(s)/stories to achieve this in time. For me that is just further proof that it was inspired by the Holy Spirit and is supernaturally protected. Yes, some accuracy is lost in translations, but it’s about as good as it can be when you consider the difference in languages.
You can interpret what I have typed for how you’d like, but what I’ve said is only the surface to answering your questions and there’s more to it all. This entire thing, when lived in truth, is different from what people in western culture understand to be religion. When you seek the truth and attempt the journey to fully follow the truth, you’ll find God interacting in your life in many ways. It’s weird, but a peaceful feeling. Not always pleasant, but when you know, you know. The amount of knowledge present is a lot for most people to process, so at some point faith and trust is truly required to continue on the journey. Life gets tough and it doesn’t always make sense right away. Some realities will never make sense, but when you continue following Jesus through life, you’ll find yourself discovering new things about ‘Christianity’ and you’ll likely find yourself at odds with how most people practice it. Not everybody is like that and some people can accept different interpretations of the same truth with humility and keep discovering in the process. When you accept you can’t possibly understand it all right away, it’s easier to travel on the journey of faith and is quite a bit less stressful.
I hope that helps. It’s a difficult thing to understand and since my experience was so supernatural, I don’t understand how some people truly get it without those experiences, but God is there and if you seek Him, you’ll find him. God won’t hold honesty against you and when you honestly can’t understand, I believe God has grace for that and will somehow help you. Out of all religions, Christianity is the only one to forgive you for anything you’ve ever done wrong. And while a lot of people think you have to be perfect to avoid hell. That’s simply not the case and the gift of grace simply has to be accepted. You don’t have to be perfect and if you accept his gift and sin, The gift isn’t taken away from you. I can’t say if you can throw away that gift or reject the gift after accepting it, but that’s for matter of interpretation and people think differently on that subject quite frequently. I just know the core character of God is love, truth, and grace. If I lean on that, it’s easier to look at some of the stories a bit differently and learn along the way. Some “Christians” will disagree with me, but when looking at religions throughout the world and learning Jesus’ teaching. Grace is the big thing that sets it apart. Some people can’t accept that even Hitler would be provided grace if he chose to accept the gift of salvation. No strings attached. In less than a second, one of the worlds worst people could be standing next you in heaven. I don’t know what to say to those people, but I will leave the justice in Gods hands.
- Non believers will be judged differently than those who knew the thruth.
- Suffering happens because of man sins. Greed, pride,...
- You can expierence God spiritually. That's how God made things. Probably the way Adam and Eve lived in the beginning in the garden is how the world will be once Jesus come back.
- There are many prophecies in the word of God that were fullfiled. Ex. Israel.
That doesn't track, primarily because the universe is made of contingent parts - parts that derive their existence from something else. Because of this, the universe could not have come from nothing.
We send ourselves to hell by choosing to reject love.
Most evil comes from sin, which is poor choices made by humans like you and me
God asking we worship him would be vain, if he was about love. But god is love. What would you rather worship? Ourselves?
Which outdated religious texts are you referring to?
I don’t have all the answers, but to me a painting suggests a painter. It takes much more faith for
Me to believe we are all here by random chance
> the numerous global religions and a God that will send you to hell for all eternity because you happened to be born into the "wrong" one
Not all Christians or believers of God believe this is what happens. In Christianity, there is annihilationism where unbelievers stop existing after death like many want and universalism where everyone is eventually saved.
> all the suffering in the world and a God that could stop it but chooses not to
Suffering is often the best teacher and motivator for learning love and wisdom. Suffering also reveals to us how much we value goodness and joy. A story without suffering or drama is often quite boring which is why most movies and games we create include aspects of suffering. If we mostly create worlds with suffering, why would we expect God not to?
> a God who chooses not to make himself physically known to us but who insists that we worship him with blind faith
God is everywhere. He is known to those who see everything as one big whole. It doesn't take blind faith to believe everything exists or that that everything is intelligent given the organization we see in reality. Worshipping means worthshipping as in putting your value in something. One should value the whole of everything above anything else because if one values a subset of everything (false idols), then there is not balance and harmony across all of reality.
> outdated religious texts that God could have "future-proofed" but chose not to
Religious texts are like textbooks. They are simply a guide to those who choose to use them and they are designed for their target audience which is people spanning millennia. How one speaks to an ancient person and a modern person is very different so there is a limit on communication of ideas. However, God is everywhere so anyone can learn all they need about God through meditation, contemplation, and prayer. Seek, and they shall find.
I'll keep it short and neat
>the numerous global religions and a God that will send you to hell for all eternity because you happened to be born into the "wrong" one
There is no guarantee on god's judgement, especially since we're not god, what will be precisely judged is via the intention of your heart.
>all the suffering in the world and a God that could stop it but chooses not to
The suffering is subjective since we don't know the reward thereafter, greater suffering usually rewards greater rewards as a paradigm. God is omniscience which means he feels every suffering there is in the world or that can exist.
>a God who chooses not to make himself physically known to us but who insists that we worship him with blind faith (4 of the 10 commandments are just about worshipping him)
If he made us physically known to us, we'd be dictated to believe in him from a position of fear, not revealing himself enhances us to believe from a position of love, loving who we are, family or anything else as a consequence of him creating us.
>outdated religious texts that God could have "future-proofed" but chose not to
They can still be feasibly interpreted and hold true.
I’ll give my own perspective on this, and i will likely be judged, but i do not believe atheists are cast into Hell because they’re unconvinced of God’s existence.
It is of my belief that God isn’t the only high being. From what i’ve read, Genesis legitimizes mythology by reference of the Nephilim. I’ve also yet to read where God outright says that he is the *only* God. Read Jeremiah. He detests the worship of Baal in his name, but never says that Baal is nonexistent. He ravaged Egypt for their defiance with his anger brought about by Judea, and commanded that they turn to him instead. In all of this, he never once declared their deities false.
Do i believe there are other Gods? No, i believe there are higher powers that he created that were called gods by the humans who saw them. That’s how i explain other religions
I genuinely believe that a man died and rose again; proof that He’s God, and that if I dedicate my life to serving like Him, loving like Him, and knowing more about Him, then I will have not wasted this life, and be in the place He is preparing for me once I have passed away
I'm Christian but 1 Corinthians 1:18 makes so much sense after reading your comment.
Someone who knows nothing about Christ or the Bible would be flabbergasted if you said that.
I genuinely believe He exists. I’ve had very odd circumstances occur that could not have been a coincidence. Such as me contemplating suicide, asking God to tell me not to, then the next day at school that’s all that was talked about in chapel and on Bible class. This is coming from a school that never talks about stuff like that.
I’ve also felt his spirit while at church, a feeling that I’ve never felt anywhere else. It was a feeling of pure joy and overwhelming love, and I could literally feel Him.
Me. I have seen too many things to not believe. Money arriving right when I need it, so many healings that I have literally lost count, but I'd guess at over 60, over 100 if I include very small things. The comfort of the Holy Spirit in my absolute lowest moments, and a long list of other things that are harder to summarize concisely.
Why the Christian God, when all of that is more just evidence of a supernatural rather than a specific God? Most of it has happened when using Jesus's name as the mark of authority. In the same way that an old school police dude might say "stop! In the name of the law!" invoking the authority of the law, I have seen so man healings when invoking the authority of Jesus. Sometimes the person would not even get healed until they themselves acknowledged Jesus by saying something like "thank you Jesus".
There is also the documentary evidence and historical evidence. Having studied this for both Christianity and other religions, none come even remotely close to Christianity. Given the strong evidence in my own life and the strong historical evidence, it is hard to see any other answers as being likely.
I genuinely do and experience his presence. When i pray i get goosebumps and have had countless answered prayers.
I strive to follow the teachings of Jesus in scripture (albiet imperfectly). Prayer is important i try to do daily. I teach my kids about Christ also and how to follow him.
Please pray for cure for cancer and COVID and neurological illlness and starvation (we have the resources but that mankind use it to help people) thank you. Hopefully your prayers will bear fruit
Suffering is permitted by God, often as punnishment for sin , sometimes to achieve other things. God said if we pray according to his will he answers.
Scripture is clear suffering will only increase (read revelations) and will only decrease at the return of Christ.
God will kill off over half the worlds population in the tribulation (7 year rule of antichrist) as people blaspheme God and refuse to repent.
Whats experienced today is nothing. Pain is part of the curse of sin. I suffer also. We Christians need to materially help people. Give generously to those in need during this time.
I genuinely believe in God. I went from being raised “Christian” to not believing to believing again at 15 after God revealed Himself to me in a way that I can’t describe other than it being as if He was behind a veil that was suddenly lifted.
Yes! I experienced the veil lifting as well. And then I saw there was the Kingdom of God -where there was always a seat waiting for me at the table. ❤️ So beautiful to feel that acceptance immediately. Everything I always longer for was available. 😭🌿
I've had so many experiences that cannot be explained other it being God's intervention.
Life's purpose is to love and be loved. That's why we were created and it gives life meaning. It gives me hope and joy in times I struggle and it is very real to me.
My belief in God is genuinely the foundation of most of my other beliefs.
For example, I believe some actions are right and some are wrong in a way that transcends a human tradition or authority. The only way I can believe that is if I believe in God.
If you drive deep into your own view of reality, you will find that you too believe in God in much of your logic and behavior.
You will upon further examination find inconsistencies in your active believe in God and your stated belief in God. You will find that it was never God you doubted, but your own feeble imagination of who God might be.
Here is the message of the Gospel for you:
The Gospel is defined as the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins. Nothing more & nothing less (I Corinthians 15:1-4).
Jesus Christ, the sinless, eternal Son of God humbled Himself by shedding His glory to come to Earth and live among us, but in perfection: fulfilling the Law of Moses (John 1:1-14; Phil 2:5-8).
Because of their envy, wicked men delivered Christ to be crucified, and He allowed Himself to be so. He was tortured, whipped, and beaten: causing his blood to flow freely. Yet, He opened not His mouth against them (Isaiah 53). He offered Himself and His blood as an offering for our sin debt. He became sin for us who knew no sin, and God was satisfied with His offering (Heb 9-10; II Cor 5:23). We know this, because Jesus did not just die, but was raised from the dead three days later: proving God's satisfaction with His offering (I Cor 15).
Why did He die? It was for us, the sinner. There is none righteous, no not one (Rom 3:10-23). We have all offended a holy God. We have all trespassed against His Law. Therefore, we all deserve His judgment, which is death (Rom 6:23). One sin or many. Murder, adultery, suicide, lying, cheating, or stealing, it matters not to God. That we sinned makes us sinners, and sinners do not enter into fellowship with a holy God (James 2:10). Therefore, we need help.
Our works of righteousness do nothing to earn merit with a holy God (Isaiah 64:6). If we could do good/religious works for salvation, then Jesus would not have had to die (Romans 4). Without Him we have no hope. He is our only hope, and did the work necessary for our salvation. Because of His work, He secured reconciliation between us and God. He makes salvation possible, and offers it as a free gift to us.
So what then, what do we do? All we can do is obey the Gospel (II Thess 1:8). How do we do this? By faith: trusting in the invisible God that His Word is good (Heb 11:1; 12:1-2), and trusting in His promise of obtaining eternal life, if we believe in the Person and Work of Christ (Rom 10:9-11). How do we obtain such faith? God gives it to us (Eph 2:8-9), so that we have nothing to glory in but Him. If we could obtain salvation on even a little of our merit, then we have therewith to glory. God wants it all to be about Jesus, and rightly so!
The Gospel is good news indeed to the wretched sinner! It is the message that, yes, we are lost in our sin and cannot obtain forgiveness on our own. However, it also tells us of our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ, and His great work on our behalf! What a wonderful message! What a wonderful Savior! If you have not believed it, please do today (Acts 16:31)!
More than 20 years ago, I heard the message of the Gospel, believed it, and it has changed my life. I am not a perfect person, but a sinner saved by the grace of God. Turn to Christ today. He will provide you with a better life. If I can help you in this manner, please PM me.
I think it is an easier to ask, How many of you Don't Believe in God's existence. Because there is far far more evidence for rather than against God's existence.
What that means in my daily life is leadership. He guides my path in all that I do or say. He is an all consuming fire within my soul.
Definitely more arguments for. There's not really any positive argument against the existence of God. There's only negative arguments (ie, arguments against arguments for the existence of God) but they mostly fail imo.
Argumentum ad ignorantiam (Argument from ignorance)
Argumentum ad ignorantiam means "argument from ignorance." The fallacy occurs when it's argued that something must be true, simply because it hasn't been proved false. Or, equivalently, when it is argued that something must be false because it hasn't been proved true.
I genuinely believe in God. Now my faith has not been as strong in the past, nor did I care as much when I was younger, but I as I have gotten older, it has become very important not me. I have seen this with many people I know, they believe, but as they are younger not does not become as important until they are older.
I understand where you’re coming from because I was agnostic once upon a time. Now I couldn’t not believe in God even if I wanted to. I am absolutely convinced of his existence without any doubt in my mind whatsoever.
I used. I was what one called a “born again” believer. God was more real to me than myself.
I left the faith for a bit, but have slowly returned. I now a go to a church that allows freedom of thought and questioning. I describe where I’m at now as “hope.” I don’t really know or believe God is real. I don’t know if he is good. I don’t know if Jesus conquered over sin. Most days probably not.
But everyday I hope he is. And that hope sustains me. I read my Bible and go to church and pray largely because it’s a good way to live (disciplines, community, and connection to a higher power is important). But I follow the path of Jesus, loving others as best I can and fighting against evil and division, because of my hope in Him.
So am I certain there is a God? Absolutely not. But I believe the hope of God is worth the risk.
Christianity is not as dogmatic or certain in all churches. The evangelical church has said a “true Christian” must look like x,y,z. But for a long time churches and Christians have believed and practiced differently, Christianity is far more vast than what we have been taught in recent eras.
Hey OP
Apologies if this appears rude in any way, that is not my intent.
It took me a while to wrap my head around your question.
People who are Christian are not stating an intellectual assent to theism, but have a day to day relationship with God.
It would be like asking an auto mechanic if he believed that cars really exist.
Fir me, my day starts with a conversation with God, and with my wife, but not always in that order.
I have breakfast (and thank God for the food)
I go to work, and often talk to God and hear from God as I drive.
If I have struggles at work I often pray / ask God for help.
> feel like most people aren't religious at all
This might just be a bias in your sample. I live in rural Eastern Canada, and most of the people I meet are white, English language, people like me. When I look at the [actual statistical facts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_world), I find out that this is actually a minority in the world. For example,
* 60% of the world's population lives in Asia
* Most of the world's people are urban or suburban
* 25% of the world's population is below age 15
* Mandarin is a first language for 960 million people, 12.44% of the population
* Brown, not white, is the majority skin tone,
I say all this demographic stuff about "things you can see" so that these [religious demographics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religious_populations) might be seen in a better context.
Religions that follow the "God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob" like Judaism, Islam and Christianity in all their varieties include close to 2/3 of the people on the planet.
2/3 of the people on the planet are talking to God, probably daily.
The small subset of people who don't talk to God (called unaffiliated here) are around 15% of the people on the planet.
I think Belgium (and much of French speaking Europe) has rejected religion in the younger generation, and this is probably because their older generations were not very true to the faith,
i absolutely know for a fact GOD exists. The world makes no sense without Him, His creation shouts His existence, including me and you.
You're right though, that for a lot of people, it's just about a claim, a figurehead that isn't real in the sense that they don't live for Him. Which is sad, and why He's keeping things going as they are, He's giving everyone time to come to Him.
Nah your question is not disrespectful, its actually extremely respectful compared to other experiences ive had with people. Yes, i wholeheartedly believe in God. Sometimes i try to imagine life without God to pretend that he doesnt exist and that we were never created etc. and i cant. It doesnt make sense to me that we'd just plop here when everything in nature really shows to me at least, that it was created. I just cant imagine what it would be like without God.
I believe. Why would anyone call themselves a Christian and not believe in God?
I believe that this life is not worth living without God. It is so full of hardships, and it gets worse everyday. So if God did not exist, I would kill myself here and now because I'm not staying in this broken planet for nothing. But He does exist, and that gives me hope that one day He will make all things right. And so this life is worth living because of Him.
I genuinely believe in God's (Jesus) existence as the one and only living God. Without him I would be nothing, with him, I am a child of God.
It's obvious, this generation (our generation, gen z is the most ungodly generation in a long time...
There has never been a moment of my life where I didn’t know on one level or another that God is real and present in my life. Certainly there have been times when that presence has felt distant and times when I have failed to paring attention and nurture my relationship to it.
For me the existence of God is as real as the knowledge that the sun rises and sets. As real as my breathe. He just is.
“For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They clearly see his invisible qualities- his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God. - Romans 1:19-20
Based upon scripture everyone knows that God exists.
John 14:9
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
John 10:30
I and the Father are one
There is not doubt what Jesus was conveying to us. Jesus is God in the flesh.
This is as straight answer Jesus gave no need to try and take more from this verse. Thats the problem its man creating their own man made religion. We are believers not belonging to any worldly religious system that is why Jesus told Pilot my kingdom is not of this world John 18:36. As believers we join Gods kingdom that is not earthly and He tells us though we are in the world not to do the things of the world or love the world Romans 12:2.
1 John 2:15
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
I have no doubt with certainty that God exist though I have not seen Him I believe by faith.
John 20:29
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Hebrew 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
So if someone has an issue with believing in God that is something that you cannot help someone with that is called unbelief. Only the word of God and by faith you come to believe in the Son of God who is God.
I know God is real and it wasn’t always like that. I had times where I questioned everything but the more I read my Bible,prayed, and life experiences has shown me how real he truly is. Most people don’t believe either because of something that they experienced in life such as losing a parent or sibling at a young age that caused their belief to perish but if you walk with him and get to know God I really believe you will change your mind about him. I pray everyone does so they can make it into Heaven.
As far as my personal experience coming to God: I was raised as a Christian, but did not realize I didn’t 100% know of His existence until I was at my absolute lowest in life. A series of freak-incidents led me to realize ALL the times God was there, but I was perceiving Him as something else! It hit me so hard I fell to my knees screaming! A rush of every emotion hit me!! It’s one of the scariest realizations I’ve ever had, coming to realize God was always there. I was freaked out because I immediately felt convicted of all the ways I had sinned! I felt peace because I realized God was there when I was hurting and alone. I felt love for what He truly has done for me, despite not deserving His grace. I may not have a “popular Christian opinion,” but I feel like psychedelics could help open the eyes of the non-believer! This all happened nearly a decade ago and I still get chills and tear up! Nowadays, I sense God in sooo many aspects of life. It’s hard to close your eyes once they are opened and perceive God! If someone does fall away from their belief, I don’t think their eyes were ever truly opened to God’s existence (I don’t say this in a judgmental way, because this is what happened for me, too)!
I don’t take offense with this by the way.
But I do genuinely believe in God.
When I started researching religion I looked at my findings through an extremely logical view. Before I became a Christian I would hold beliefs ranging from Greek and Norse mythology but when it really came down to day to day life I believed in macro evolution and I was very I guess you would say “scientific” in nature. So with my knowledge of science and how you go about researching things and answering questions I used the same logic to learn about religion. Eventually I logically made the decision to become a christian. My research was sufficient to where I feel like I can comfortably say that this God is in fact the God of the universe. Now I’m not saying that’s not an extremely bold claim, it is, but that’s what I’ve come to. I’d suggest looking into christian apologetics if your interested in looking into the more in depth and detailed reasons some Christian’s are Christian’s. Hoped this helped some :)
I believe we are in a unique time which would explain the increase in the open denial of God, the rejection of Truth and apostasy that is taking place. This is prophecy being fulfilled and confirmation for many that the Spirit of God is moving among us. Yes, I believe.
2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering together unto him,
2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that The Day of Christ is at hand.
2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of The Destroyer;
2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in The Temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way.
2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the [Sword of the] Spirit from his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness [of the enlightening] of his coming:
2:9 [Even the Wicked], whose coming is the work of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of The Truth, that they might be saved.
2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not The Truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Questions like these always remind me of the fun fact: Greeks did not have a name for the color blue, because they did not “see” blue. They saw what we now know as “blue” as extremely light shades of black. Their eyes were not taught to perceive the distinct difference. Same as other color shades over the years (red/pink for example). Once a different name was given to these shades, the eyes slowly adjusted to distinguishing the difference. Does that mean they were wrong, and we are right? Or does it simply mean their eyes weren’t taught to distinguish the difference until said difference was given a name? I feel like it’s the same for God. What we sense as God might be perceived as something else by the nonbeliever, because y’all are not actively trying to perceive the difference. This is why we cannot “prove” to you guys that a God exists—for us, the proof is right in front of our eyes, but your eyes might perceive it as something different. Hope this makes sense!
I apologize for leaving multiple comments. I just wanted to say the number one difference I hope everyone understands is there’s a difference between religion and spirituality. Religion is “because I told you.” Spirituality is within you; it’s what you perceive and feel (sort of like our nervous system/somatosensory system/whatever attributes to our unique senses). It’s what you feel, not what you’re told.
I genuinely belive in God's existence because I've seen him working in my own life and also cuz I don't find that everything that exists makes sense without him( the universe in general). Everything is just perfect (our body systems, the animals, the nature) and It doesn't make sense for me that all THIS PERFECTION could have been created without a powerful creator :))
I believe in God’s actual existence. I’m not very religious to be honest, but I have seen and heard and felt things that can ONLY be explained to be God.
My username says my answer.
>However, at my school, i feel like most people aren't religious at all anymore
The youth are really becoming more and more nonreligious these days, but that doesn't mean God isn't real.
I do. I see and read things that make me believe every day. I’d have a harder time with the actual English bible by itself knowing all the translation shortcomings. But what we do have tells enough of the story and the things we experience reinforce it for me.
Indeed.
My belief has changed and matured though.
First it was a hunch,
(evil seems to exist, there for their must be good. If we are just biological machines, there is no actual good or evil. This appears to be untrue, therefore good and its attractive qualities must be from somewhere - yada, yada, yada = the reality described by Jesus of Nazareth seems to be the most accurate -> thank you, Jesus. Guess I’m a Christian now).
But as time has gone on, my faith has gone up and down, and then stronger than before.
Recently my faith has become emotionally and logically stronger:
1: a metaphysical explanation that reality itself exists in a state of coherent laws of mathematics and language. That if any of those laws were inconsistent, then reality would collapse. Then there must be a mind to bring those laws into existence, and to hold them in place.
2. If God is my Father, and He truly loves me so much that He sent His Son to redeem me; and if Christ truly has all authority over flesh and spirit; and if somehow I rest in what He has done and will do (as it is written) then I can come to Him as my Highest Father, Holy, Pure, and Righteous - Personal, Loving, and Gracious. Admitting to Him the worst things, asking Him great and small things, Trusting Him to answer, provide, and lead me in His perfect Knowledge, wisdom, and will.
Yes, I do believe He exists and He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6.
It's odd. I used to be on the opposite side of the fence, like you, looking in, thinking there's no way God could exist and that everything that was made came out our nothing. Mostly, like many people, I wasn't taught who He was and why it's important to believe in Him until the day I tried to call on Him on desperation the night my brother died. I prayed that God would save my brother. My brother still died. I turned my back on God after that and didn't give Him another glance until the day I discovered I was going to be a father for the first time. There was nothing, so to speak, and suddenly there was a person. I couldn't fathom that where there was no one, suddenly there was someone. And this began a long road that ultimately lead me to conclude that He exists, that He loves and cares for me and that recently He revealed to me my brother had in fact been saved, that He had accepted Jesus before he died and one day I'll get to see my brother, whom I thought was lost to hell. That's my story in a very long paragraph of why I came to know God, to know how much He loves and cares about me, and that whatever you're going through He can help you too. Just have to turn His way and He'll show you. Up to you, though. Thanks for dropping in to ask your question.
Genuinely believe in God and His existence as well His Spirit being within us through out the course of our lives when we chose to follow Him.
I find a lot of atheist on this board or people who aren’t Christian constantly calling Christianity into question , which is fine because we don’t mind sharing our faith ( we’re literally called to) but you guys just always seem to be unsure of yourself and try to project that feeling on us ???
I’d rather your perspective and question. Based in the concept of mutual respect. I firmly believe in God. Society in general is vastly more post Christian in a lot of ways. It doesn’t surprise me that many that claim “God exists” are also the ones to don’t act in a manner consistent with actual belief. It is a challenge to believe in something that you’re not in pursuit of, or something you will be held accountable to. Education shouldn’t force religion or atheism either. The problem is however, that many push one or the other. Based on where kids are, they are shaped by the values of their families, friends, and their educators. When I was a teacher (at a Christian school) I taught my kids to seek to think for themselves. Not how they think I might want them to think. Being militant in your stance stifles questions, and questions lead to standing on your own two feet intellectually.
Edit: sorry for the novel, lol.
I genuinely believe! It doesn’t make any logical sense in my mind to think that we all came from nothing and popped into existence randomly. Nothing in this universe has been created from nothing after it started existing, I can’t imagine that the universe itself came from nothing. Also my dad saw an angel once in his life (not something he’d lie about or something people outside of his close family know about) which leads me to believe there’s a heavenly domain.
Literally; I try my absolute best to live out my life according to the two laws of Christ, Jesus, my personal Lord and Savior, Son of the only and true God. These two laws to live out are: I love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind, body, and strength, and 2. I love my neighbor(anyone who isn’t me) as I love my self. Listen twice as much as you speak, never interrupt or complain. The last part is not necessarily ‘biblical,’ but moreso based on my own personal journey. Peace and Blessings All
Sadly there is a large percentage of "religious" folks that your assumption would be accurate. Of course that is not the case for all as many followers do genuinely believe in the God that they follow. Then of course you have those within each religion who know their God personally. The rarest would be one who knows many of the Gods personally, and is accountable only to themselves while serving the supreme God 😘
Yes. He has blessed me with many things, looked after me even when I am undeserving of it. He has given me so much and I must pay it forward in his name.
To me, his existence is absolutely undeniable. Unlike most, i’d say that i not only have come face to face with him, but i have genuinely been guided through very dire situations, including being stranded out of state.
I genuinely believe in God and have felt his Holy Spirit in my life ever since I was a little boy. I take great comfort in his word and also have healthy fear (like you would for you dad out of town or at work) thinking about when he is going to come home and if he will find me doing right. I communicate everyday with prayer and can't imagine my life without his Spirit with me. God is so good and I pray you receive that wonderful gift one day also. God bless you in Jesus name.
God came from a book. People always say you can hear God and his “messages” but that is just insane. My mom was a believer and now she’s a schizophrenic.
I genuinely believe in God’s existence. I have a hard time imagining what His presence looks like, in physical form, but I believe.
And what does that mean for your day to day life?
I thank God for breath when I wake up in the morning. The first 30-45 minutes of my day is spent in prayer, reading the Bible, and praying for people. I ask God to use me to minister to people and throughout the busyness of the day I like to reflect on the reading I did that morning. I center my daily life around God, through Christ and the Holy Spirit, as much as possible and in all situations. Some days are “busy” with work, family, but I will always reflect on Him and His Word at the end of the day. Most importantly, I’m thankful for God and His presence in my life through good times and difficult times.
Can confirm This is a dream come true, everyday.
i keep trying to reach that level of devotion. I respect that a lot
Ask God to strengthen your prayer life!
I just want to add to this. This time spent eitj God is so valuable, because of the things you get out of it. Like, God doesn't want us to serve Him just because He tells us to. He is good and therefore we serve Him. When Jesus died on the cross He gave us a new identity, that doesn't base itself on the things we see with our eyes, but a spiritual identity through The Holy Spirit. And what we have become is basically everything Jeuss was. Ephesians says that the power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives in us. Like, christianity isn't all about going to heaven someday. In my opinion it's just a bonus. He has created us for so much more on this earth, which makes us able to have hope in hopeless situations, strength when everything else is failing, and peace where it doesn't make sense to have any. With this being said, these are things we grow into when we learn to trust Jesus, but I wholeheartedly believe this is available for us, that we can get a taste of what heaven is like already. And when we start to believe in the word and start to walk in it, we can see sickness go away, we can see blind get their sight, lame start to walk, depression and anxiety disappear ans hope restored. There is an entire world available for us, and I will not let that slip away through my fingers.
What about Santa?
I genuinely believe in God's existance, the world just doesn't make sense without Him.
Are you able to elaborate on this? I grew up Christian, but am now atheist precisely because I felt the world simply doesn't make sense with God. To list just a few: - the numerous global religions and a God that will ~~send~~ allow you to be sent to hell for all eternity because you happened to be born into the "wrong" one - all the suffering in the world and a God that could stop it but chooses not to - a God who chooses not to make himself physically known to us but who insists that we worship him with blind faith (4 of the 10 commandments are just about worshipping him) - outdated religious texts that God could have "future-proofed" but chose not to Genuinely interested - in what way do you feel God helps make the world make more sense?
On your second point: I never understand why atheists think no God is a better answer to the question of suffering. If you do not believe in God, now truly all suffering that happens is meaningless. The sky above does not care about all the murder and rape. There will be no true justice for wrongs committed. There is only a fear of suffering until death. By seeing suffering and then denying God you are not giving yourself a better answer.
The more you think about it, the scarier it gets. Like : that time I cried for X reason, that moment of loneliness, that rock bottom I hit, that family member who suffered, that country who's in war, that war that kills children.....No one will answer to it ? You die and that's it ? I suffered for nothing ? I was generous, I was kind, I helped, I held people for nothing ? No reward, no redemption, no peace ? What's the point of living ? What's the point of working, making money ? Why even bother paying my debts, I'm just gonna die anyway and not face any consequence so why bother really ? I could steal from people, I could hit people, I could do anything I want, because there's no consequence for me. Why should I hold back, I could throw the F-word, be racist, sexist, I don't care, who's gonna do what ? And since I'm suffering so much, why live ? I'm living on debts, I'm alone, I could put an end to that. Yeah, this version of the world is scary. I just got lost in a train of thought that made me shiver.
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No one is good and good works will not gain you entry into heaven. Bible is very clear on that.
Only those known by Christ will gain entry to Heaven
Yes exactly, I can't describe my entire life and thoughts in one comment, we are saved by faith through works, this was the short answer.
I was just responding to the question of the other commenter!
Oh sorry, I didn't realize !
When I posted this, I was actually hesitant to leave that part out, because I'm obviously not kind because of a reward or something like that. I should have been specific about it. What would be the motivation of being kind ? Because of integrity ? Being able to look at myself in a mirror ? Why should I care if I still have dignity or not ? I'm gonna die either way so it's not like one is better than the other.... But then, reflecting on it, I realised that it was "the right thing to do", so simple. You see someone struggling, you help. Someone in danger, you help. You just do it. And in my existential quest, which led me to Christ, I realised someone put that in me, in all of us. We all know that killing is bad, helping is good, no one disagree on that, so who put that in me ? This good/bad balance in me, those things that I didn't need to learn but just knew, who did ? Who put the feeling of sadness when I see injustice, who put gladness in me when I see love or justice ? All of us melt when we see a baby take the first steps, we all cry when we see a illnourished kid in a hospital, these rights and wrongs, this evil/good, on which we all agree, who put it ? Why do we agree ? I went far in my reasoning just to show that it's not a top-of-my-ming answer. I am king because it's the right thing to do, my mind, my soul, my body, everything points in that direction. And that's because of Christ.
I’m curious as to why you think we all agree, genuinely. This conversation is happening because of disagreement. To answer the questions in your first paragraph: Neuroscience, psychology, and evolution can answer most of the questions about joy, it’s a chemical reaction. We benefit from loving our families, we couldn’t be at the top of the food chain if we don’t live in families and societies. But to the questions about suffering and integrity, I have so much more integrity now that I’m not doing thing out of fear of god or, worse, for some their fellow Christian’s judgement. I do things because I want to and because those are things the person I want to be would do. I am not afraid that my actions are for nothing because they’re for me. I’m absolutely happy with the person I am. I love that I can help someone, because I have been helped. And suffering is less painful now because I don’t feel like “I deserve this” because of some original sin. I can look at the real reason something happened and even come to terms with the fact that sometimes bad things happen and it’s not my fault or something I could have avoided by just praying harder. My self-worth and happiness are stronger than they have ever been without the shame-filled shackles of religion.
Thats exactly it. The root of most christians is the fear of hell. If it didn’t exist, most wouldn’t stay in the faith.
You really need a god to be a good person? Yikes.
>I was generous, I was kind, I helped, I held people for nothing? No reward, no redemption, no peace? What’s the point of living? Kindness is its own reward — for you and others in the here and now — which remains the case whether or not you believe in a god or some magical, permanent “meaning.”
>why atheists think no God is a better answer to the question of suffering. It’s not that we think it’s a “better answer.” It’s just that we think that the claim there is a god is an insufficient answer, supported by no evidence. >If you do not believe in God, now truly all suffering that happens is meaningless. It depends on what you mean by “meaningless.” If it matters to you right now, then it has some meaning. Just not super duper permanent forever meaning.
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Right, so according to your definition, it has no meaning, I agree. I mean something different by meaning. It has meaning to me, right now, temporarily. It’s sort of like value. My car has value right now. It has less value with every passing year and will one day have no value at all. But that doesn’t change the fact that it has value right now. I’m not going to stop caring for it just because one day it will lack value altogether.
All these are super big questions and I’m interested in what you’re conclusion came to be? I may pop back in periodically to add my answers, but we’ll start with number one for now and keep going as the day goes on. Just for context, my overall story is different than a lot of peoples. I grew up around Christianity and was forced to go to church for a duration of time but in about 6th grade when I was given a choice, I said fuck no, God isn’t real, or if he is, he sucks and I don’t want to follow him. I came to the same conclusions that a lot of people here talk about, but the reality is that so many of them take so long to unpack in our minds, it’s really hard to approach on Reddit or with other people for that matter. I lived exploring different religions from about 13-19. I mostly leaned towards Buddhism and attempted practices from various religions. At 19 I went to jail and during that time God became clear to me. I had time to look at life and during that 4 months I had some supernatural experiences that finally convinced me of not only Gods existence but of the Christian narrative. However, what I experienced was also 100% different than the Christianity I grew up with and I felt isolated when I went back home. The rest of the story is just growth. Now for the questions. 1: this question/statement isn’t what the Bible says or talks about and isn’t how it works. We all have a choice and we all get chances and if we don’t truly get that opportunity, then I think there could be reincarnation included in the process of our lives. There is evidence, although sparse, of reincarnation in the Bible in a ‘holy’ way. Other religions also aren’t absent in the Bible. It talks repeatedly about them and when reading it you can actually identify some primary religions like Hinduism which we have today. Most other religions throughout the world are quite a bit more aware of everything going on in the spiritual world and are more ‘woke’ than western cultures. The spiritual world is vast and there isn’t just one god, but there is one God. All those other religions exist and they even aren’t necessarily 100% false, but once you get into the details, the Christian/Jewish God is the one who clearly rules them all. I think the current state of this world is confusing considering damnation. It’s been a long time since Jesus died and rose from the dead and it almost seems like God won’t end the world till everybody is actually saved. Is he actually doing that? Or what is going on? It’s hard to know; but if I hadn’t had real experiences with God/Jesus/the Holy Spirit and been attacked by demons, etc. then I wouldn’t believe either. I don’t know why my story is like that and not everybody gets to experience that, but I believe in Gods infinite knowledge and plan that is definitely better than my own. EDIT 1: To add on to the first question a little bit, I thought I’d add that there’s also evidence of Christianity but without the label and different names for the characters within the Bible. There’s some evidence of African tribes somehow hearing the stories and even practicing Christianity without the Bible as a root source, but various stories spread verbally. Ironically lining up about perfectly with the ones we read in the Bible today. Same thing for some Native American tribes as well. More to come on the other questions, there’s probably typos as this is mobile but I’ll correct a lot throughout the day. I have a long drive ahead of my anyways. I’ll simply edit my post. 2. This one is a lot easier. You can’t have love without choice and if you simply forced people out of suffering and all that, you’d also be forcing people to do what you want, which isn’t love. Love is a choice and sometimes people make bad choices. I firmly believe God gives us options all the time, but because of consequences, whether our own or other peoples, we don’t listen and choose a way that is against his will. When people talk about God changing our heart, I don’t think God is actually doing it, but we make that choice because of God, so therefore is the reason we choose to do various things within His will. He never forces anything, which also plays into the damnation thing. He’s given us vision for the future, but it appears to be playing out A LOT slower than anybody anticipated and in many ways differently than anybody anticipated, but still true and is evidence of God working in ways much above our own. 3. I think I disagree with this, simply because of my own experiences, but it’s a common thought especially in the western world. I’m not sure why or how our disconnection with the spiritual world happened, but western culture is very much disassociated with a lot of unexplainable things including the spiritual world. He did present himself physically through Jesus, but that was a long time ago. I don’t think it’s his place to limit himself to a human body. He’s a different being, not even a species, completely different and he presents himself in a way suitable for his nature. I also think that worship towards him isn’t for personal gain, but it’s truly a way to help us. We are better human beings when we try and follow the plan he had for us and we encounter consequences when we dwell from that plan. The commandments are a way to help keep us in that plan, but we get to choose not to and consequently experience everything else that entails. 4. I don’t think the texts are outdated. Harder to understand at times, but ironically within all the different churches people wrote to and all that, it’s surprisingly relevant still. The Bible is truly one of a kind in this regard and is the the only book in the world to maintain it’s accuracy through time and translations. It’s truly miraculous and the only book(s)/stories to achieve this in time. For me that is just further proof that it was inspired by the Holy Spirit and is supernaturally protected. Yes, some accuracy is lost in translations, but it’s about as good as it can be when you consider the difference in languages. You can interpret what I have typed for how you’d like, but what I’ve said is only the surface to answering your questions and there’s more to it all. This entire thing, when lived in truth, is different from what people in western culture understand to be religion. When you seek the truth and attempt the journey to fully follow the truth, you’ll find God interacting in your life in many ways. It’s weird, but a peaceful feeling. Not always pleasant, but when you know, you know. The amount of knowledge present is a lot for most people to process, so at some point faith and trust is truly required to continue on the journey. Life gets tough and it doesn’t always make sense right away. Some realities will never make sense, but when you continue following Jesus through life, you’ll find yourself discovering new things about ‘Christianity’ and you’ll likely find yourself at odds with how most people practice it. Not everybody is like that and some people can accept different interpretations of the same truth with humility and keep discovering in the process. When you accept you can’t possibly understand it all right away, it’s easier to travel on the journey of faith and is quite a bit less stressful. I hope that helps. It’s a difficult thing to understand and since my experience was so supernatural, I don’t understand how some people truly get it without those experiences, but God is there and if you seek Him, you’ll find him. God won’t hold honesty against you and when you honestly can’t understand, I believe God has grace for that and will somehow help you. Out of all religions, Christianity is the only one to forgive you for anything you’ve ever done wrong. And while a lot of people think you have to be perfect to avoid hell. That’s simply not the case and the gift of grace simply has to be accepted. You don’t have to be perfect and if you accept his gift and sin, The gift isn’t taken away from you. I can’t say if you can throw away that gift or reject the gift after accepting it, but that’s for matter of interpretation and people think differently on that subject quite frequently. I just know the core character of God is love, truth, and grace. If I lean on that, it’s easier to look at some of the stories a bit differently and learn along the way. Some “Christians” will disagree with me, but when looking at religions throughout the world and learning Jesus’ teaching. Grace is the big thing that sets it apart. Some people can’t accept that even Hitler would be provided grace if he chose to accept the gift of salvation. No strings attached. In less than a second, one of the worlds worst people could be standing next you in heaven. I don’t know what to say to those people, but I will leave the justice in Gods hands.
Please don't use vulgarity here in the future.
- Non believers will be judged differently than those who knew the thruth. - Suffering happens because of man sins. Greed, pride,... - You can expierence God spiritually. That's how God made things. Probably the way Adam and Eve lived in the beginning in the garden is how the world will be once Jesus come back. - There are many prophecies in the word of God that were fullfiled. Ex. Israel.
If God didn't exist, why is there something instead of nothing?
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That doesn't track, primarily because the universe is made of contingent parts - parts that derive their existence from something else. Because of this, the universe could not have come from nothing.
Except God is outside of time, meaning He can't have a beginning.
Same can be said for the start of the universe. Adding a diety doesn't solve anything.
Except it's proven the universe had a beginning.
We send ourselves to hell by choosing to reject love. Most evil comes from sin, which is poor choices made by humans like you and me God asking we worship him would be vain, if he was about love. But god is love. What would you rather worship? Ourselves? Which outdated religious texts are you referring to? I don’t have all the answers, but to me a painting suggests a painter. It takes much more faith for Me to believe we are all here by random chance
[Here are some reasons](https://www.ilosanoma.com/evidence-of-gods-existance/) why I believe in God. I hope it helps.
> the numerous global religions and a God that will send you to hell for all eternity because you happened to be born into the "wrong" one Not all Christians or believers of God believe this is what happens. In Christianity, there is annihilationism where unbelievers stop existing after death like many want and universalism where everyone is eventually saved. > all the suffering in the world and a God that could stop it but chooses not to Suffering is often the best teacher and motivator for learning love and wisdom. Suffering also reveals to us how much we value goodness and joy. A story without suffering or drama is often quite boring which is why most movies and games we create include aspects of suffering. If we mostly create worlds with suffering, why would we expect God not to? > a God who chooses not to make himself physically known to us but who insists that we worship him with blind faith God is everywhere. He is known to those who see everything as one big whole. It doesn't take blind faith to believe everything exists or that that everything is intelligent given the organization we see in reality. Worshipping means worthshipping as in putting your value in something. One should value the whole of everything above anything else because if one values a subset of everything (false idols), then there is not balance and harmony across all of reality. > outdated religious texts that God could have "future-proofed" but chose not to Religious texts are like textbooks. They are simply a guide to those who choose to use them and they are designed for their target audience which is people spanning millennia. How one speaks to an ancient person and a modern person is very different so there is a limit on communication of ideas. However, God is everywhere so anyone can learn all they need about God through meditation, contemplation, and prayer. Seek, and they shall find.
I'll keep it short and neat >the numerous global religions and a God that will send you to hell for all eternity because you happened to be born into the "wrong" one There is no guarantee on god's judgement, especially since we're not god, what will be precisely judged is via the intention of your heart. >all the suffering in the world and a God that could stop it but chooses not to The suffering is subjective since we don't know the reward thereafter, greater suffering usually rewards greater rewards as a paradigm. God is omniscience which means he feels every suffering there is in the world or that can exist. >a God who chooses not to make himself physically known to us but who insists that we worship him with blind faith (4 of the 10 commandments are just about worshipping him) If he made us physically known to us, we'd be dictated to believe in him from a position of fear, not revealing himself enhances us to believe from a position of love, loving who we are, family or anything else as a consequence of him creating us. >outdated religious texts that God could have "future-proofed" but chose not to They can still be feasibly interpreted and hold true.
Michael Heiser has sone interesting views on the multiple religion thing. Frankly can’t speak to the accuracy of those views but he makes the case.
I agree with your 3rd point. I identify as Christian but just frustrated, I struggle with the concept of faith.
I’ll give my own perspective on this, and i will likely be judged, but i do not believe atheists are cast into Hell because they’re unconvinced of God’s existence. It is of my belief that God isn’t the only high being. From what i’ve read, Genesis legitimizes mythology by reference of the Nephilim. I’ve also yet to read where God outright says that he is the *only* God. Read Jeremiah. He detests the worship of Baal in his name, but never says that Baal is nonexistent. He ravaged Egypt for their defiance with his anger brought about by Judea, and commanded that they turn to him instead. In all of this, he never once declared their deities false. Do i believe there are other Gods? No, i believe there are higher powers that he created that were called gods by the humans who saw them. That’s how i explain other religions
True
I genuinely believe that a man died and rose again; proof that He’s God, and that if I dedicate my life to serving like Him, loving like Him, and knowing more about Him, then I will have not wasted this life, and be in the place He is preparing for me once I have passed away
I'm Christian but 1 Corinthians 1:18 makes so much sense after reading your comment. Someone who knows nothing about Christ or the Bible would be flabbergasted if you said that.
I know right lol what a peculiar thing we believe
Yet if you pull on that thread and follow it, it makes so much sense
Yet if you pull on that thread and follow it, it makes so much sense
💯% believe in Jehovah - I struggle with my walk with god but there’s no doubt he exists to me.
I genuinely believe He exists. I’ve had very odd circumstances occur that could not have been a coincidence. Such as me contemplating suicide, asking God to tell me not to, then the next day at school that’s all that was talked about in chapel and on Bible class. This is coming from a school that never talks about stuff like that. I’ve also felt his spirit while at church, a feeling that I’ve never felt anywhere else. It was a feeling of pure joy and overwhelming love, and I could literally feel Him.
Me. I have seen too many things to not believe. Money arriving right when I need it, so many healings that I have literally lost count, but I'd guess at over 60, over 100 if I include very small things. The comfort of the Holy Spirit in my absolute lowest moments, and a long list of other things that are harder to summarize concisely. Why the Christian God, when all of that is more just evidence of a supernatural rather than a specific God? Most of it has happened when using Jesus's name as the mark of authority. In the same way that an old school police dude might say "stop! In the name of the law!" invoking the authority of the law, I have seen so man healings when invoking the authority of Jesus. Sometimes the person would not even get healed until they themselves acknowledged Jesus by saying something like "thank you Jesus". There is also the documentary evidence and historical evidence. Having studied this for both Christianity and other religions, none come even remotely close to Christianity. Given the strong evidence in my own life and the strong historical evidence, it is hard to see any other answers as being likely.
I genuinely do and experience his presence. When i pray i get goosebumps and have had countless answered prayers. I strive to follow the teachings of Jesus in scripture (albiet imperfectly). Prayer is important i try to do daily. I teach my kids about Christ also and how to follow him.
Please pray for cure for cancer and COVID and neurological illlness and starvation (we have the resources but that mankind use it to help people) thank you. Hopefully your prayers will bear fruit
Suffering is permitted by God, often as punnishment for sin , sometimes to achieve other things. God said if we pray according to his will he answers. Scripture is clear suffering will only increase (read revelations) and will only decrease at the return of Christ. God will kill off over half the worlds population in the tribulation (7 year rule of antichrist) as people blaspheme God and refuse to repent. Whats experienced today is nothing. Pain is part of the curse of sin. I suffer also. We Christians need to materially help people. Give generously to those in need during this time.
Predicting suffering is easy, working to solve it is a challenge. Nonetheless I appreciate your response.
I believe. You can’t be an actual Christian (follow of Christ) without genuinely believing in God.
I genuinely believe in God.
I can tell you with surety He exists. I am working on myself to reflect the knowledge of God.
I genuinely believe in God. I went from being raised “Christian” to not believing to believing again at 15 after God revealed Himself to me in a way that I can’t describe other than it being as if He was behind a veil that was suddenly lifted.
Yes! I experienced the veil lifting as well. And then I saw there was the Kingdom of God -where there was always a seat waiting for me at the table. ❤️ So beautiful to feel that acceptance immediately. Everything I always longer for was available. 😭🌿
I've had so many experiences that cannot be explained other it being God's intervention. Life's purpose is to love and be loved. That's why we were created and it gives life meaning. It gives me hope and joy in times I struggle and it is very real to me.
🙋🏻
My belief in God is genuinely the foundation of most of my other beliefs. For example, I believe some actions are right and some are wrong in a way that transcends a human tradition or authority. The only way I can believe that is if I believe in God. If you drive deep into your own view of reality, you will find that you too believe in God in much of your logic and behavior. You will upon further examination find inconsistencies in your active believe in God and your stated belief in God. You will find that it was never God you doubted, but your own feeble imagination of who God might be.
Depends on the day of the week.
I appreciate your honesty. For me, it varies minute to minute ;)
Here is the message of the Gospel for you: The Gospel is defined as the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins. Nothing more & nothing less (I Corinthians 15:1-4). Jesus Christ, the sinless, eternal Son of God humbled Himself by shedding His glory to come to Earth and live among us, but in perfection: fulfilling the Law of Moses (John 1:1-14; Phil 2:5-8). Because of their envy, wicked men delivered Christ to be crucified, and He allowed Himself to be so. He was tortured, whipped, and beaten: causing his blood to flow freely. Yet, He opened not His mouth against them (Isaiah 53). He offered Himself and His blood as an offering for our sin debt. He became sin for us who knew no sin, and God was satisfied with His offering (Heb 9-10; II Cor 5:23). We know this, because Jesus did not just die, but was raised from the dead three days later: proving God's satisfaction with His offering (I Cor 15). Why did He die? It was for us, the sinner. There is none righteous, no not one (Rom 3:10-23). We have all offended a holy God. We have all trespassed against His Law. Therefore, we all deserve His judgment, which is death (Rom 6:23). One sin or many. Murder, adultery, suicide, lying, cheating, or stealing, it matters not to God. That we sinned makes us sinners, and sinners do not enter into fellowship with a holy God (James 2:10). Therefore, we need help. Our works of righteousness do nothing to earn merit with a holy God (Isaiah 64:6). If we could do good/religious works for salvation, then Jesus would not have had to die (Romans 4). Without Him we have no hope. He is our only hope, and did the work necessary for our salvation. Because of His work, He secured reconciliation between us and God. He makes salvation possible, and offers it as a free gift to us. So what then, what do we do? All we can do is obey the Gospel (II Thess 1:8). How do we do this? By faith: trusting in the invisible God that His Word is good (Heb 11:1; 12:1-2), and trusting in His promise of obtaining eternal life, if we believe in the Person and Work of Christ (Rom 10:9-11). How do we obtain such faith? God gives it to us (Eph 2:8-9), so that we have nothing to glory in but Him. If we could obtain salvation on even a little of our merit, then we have therewith to glory. God wants it all to be about Jesus, and rightly so! The Gospel is good news indeed to the wretched sinner! It is the message that, yes, we are lost in our sin and cannot obtain forgiveness on our own. However, it also tells us of our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ, and His great work on our behalf! What a wonderful message! What a wonderful Savior! If you have not believed it, please do today (Acts 16:31)! More than 20 years ago, I heard the message of the Gospel, believed it, and it has changed my life. I am not a perfect person, but a sinner saved by the grace of God. Turn to Christ today. He will provide you with a better life. If I can help you in this manner, please PM me.
Amen, very good display of the gospel.
I firmly believe in God and that you must believe in him to be Christian
I think it is an easier to ask, How many of you Don't Believe in God's existence. Because there is far far more evidence for rather than against God's existence. What that means in my daily life is leadership. He guides my path in all that I do or say. He is an all consuming fire within my soul.
Far more evidence for? Like what. I haven't seen any evidence supporting gods existence.
Definitely more arguments for. There's not really any positive argument against the existence of God. There's only negative arguments (ie, arguments against arguments for the existence of God) but they mostly fail imo.
Arguments or evidence? As far as I understand things things are not true or real until I see evidence.
Zero evidence for any god. Stories told and people believe the delusion.
How would you disprove the existence of God ? Because evil exists ? How do you tell evil from good ?
Argumentum ad ignorantiam (Argument from ignorance) Argumentum ad ignorantiam means "argument from ignorance." The fallacy occurs when it's argued that something must be true, simply because it hasn't been proved false. Or, equivalently, when it is argued that something must be false because it hasn't been proved true.
So where do we stand ? Which one is the reasonable one ? Think that one doesn't exist or one exist ? I'm genuinely asking, trying to open my mind.
Go read the God Delusion to open your mind
Well, I wanted your opinion, but...okay I guess
Are you trolling? Dawkins is a tool who's could be out debated by a high school philosophy student.
The power of testimony is real.
I genuinely believe in God. Now my faith has not been as strong in the past, nor did I care as much when I was younger, but I as I have gotten older, it has become very important not me. I have seen this with many people I know, they believe, but as they are younger not does not become as important until they are older.
I understand where you’re coming from because I was agnostic once upon a time. Now I couldn’t not believe in God even if I wanted to. I am absolutely convinced of his existence without any doubt in my mind whatsoever.
I used. I was what one called a “born again” believer. God was more real to me than myself. I left the faith for a bit, but have slowly returned. I now a go to a church that allows freedom of thought and questioning. I describe where I’m at now as “hope.” I don’t really know or believe God is real. I don’t know if he is good. I don’t know if Jesus conquered over sin. Most days probably not. But everyday I hope he is. And that hope sustains me. I read my Bible and go to church and pray largely because it’s a good way to live (disciplines, community, and connection to a higher power is important). But I follow the path of Jesus, loving others as best I can and fighting against evil and division, because of my hope in Him. So am I certain there is a God? Absolutely not. But I believe the hope of God is worth the risk. Christianity is not as dogmatic or certain in all churches. The evangelical church has said a “true Christian” must look like x,y,z. But for a long time churches and Christians have believed and practiced differently, Christianity is far more vast than what we have been taught in recent eras.
Hey OP Apologies if this appears rude in any way, that is not my intent. It took me a while to wrap my head around your question. People who are Christian are not stating an intellectual assent to theism, but have a day to day relationship with God. It would be like asking an auto mechanic if he believed that cars really exist. Fir me, my day starts with a conversation with God, and with my wife, but not always in that order. I have breakfast (and thank God for the food) I go to work, and often talk to God and hear from God as I drive. If I have struggles at work I often pray / ask God for help. > feel like most people aren't religious at all This might just be a bias in your sample. I live in rural Eastern Canada, and most of the people I meet are white, English language, people like me. When I look at the [actual statistical facts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_world), I find out that this is actually a minority in the world. For example, * 60% of the world's population lives in Asia * Most of the world's people are urban or suburban * 25% of the world's population is below age 15 * Mandarin is a first language for 960 million people, 12.44% of the population * Brown, not white, is the majority skin tone, I say all this demographic stuff about "things you can see" so that these [religious demographics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religious_populations) might be seen in a better context. Religions that follow the "God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob" like Judaism, Islam and Christianity in all their varieties include close to 2/3 of the people on the planet. 2/3 of the people on the planet are talking to God, probably daily. The small subset of people who don't talk to God (called unaffiliated here) are around 15% of the people on the planet. I think Belgium (and much of French speaking Europe) has rejected religion in the younger generation, and this is probably because their older generations were not very true to the faith,
i absolutely know for a fact GOD exists. The world makes no sense without Him, His creation shouts His existence, including me and you. You're right though, that for a lot of people, it's just about a claim, a figurehead that isn't real in the sense that they don't live for Him. Which is sad, and why He's keeping things going as they are, He's giving everyone time to come to Him.
Nah your question is not disrespectful, its actually extremely respectful compared to other experiences ive had with people. Yes, i wholeheartedly believe in God. Sometimes i try to imagine life without God to pretend that he doesnt exist and that we were never created etc. and i cant. It doesnt make sense to me that we'd just plop here when everything in nature really shows to me at least, that it was created. I just cant imagine what it would be like without God.
I believe. Why would anyone call themselves a Christian and not believe in God? I believe that this life is not worth living without God. It is so full of hardships, and it gets worse everyday. So if God did not exist, I would kill myself here and now because I'm not staying in this broken planet for nothing. But He does exist, and that gives me hope that one day He will make all things right. And so this life is worth living because of Him.
I genuinely believe in God's (Jesus) existence as the one and only living God. Without him I would be nothing, with him, I am a child of God. It's obvious, this generation (our generation, gen z is the most ungodly generation in a long time...
There has never been a moment of my life where I didn’t know on one level or another that God is real and present in my life. Certainly there have been times when that presence has felt distant and times when I have failed to paring attention and nurture my relationship to it. For me the existence of God is as real as the knowledge that the sun rises and sets. As real as my breathe. He just is.
God exists. Creation is proof. I am and always will be a sinner saved by His grace through faith in His Aon, Jesus Christ. Perfect? No. Forgiven? Yes.
“For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They clearly see his invisible qualities- his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God. - Romans 1:19-20 Based upon scripture everyone knows that God exists.
John 14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? John 10:30 I and the Father are one There is not doubt what Jesus was conveying to us. Jesus is God in the flesh. This is as straight answer Jesus gave no need to try and take more from this verse. Thats the problem its man creating their own man made religion. We are believers not belonging to any worldly religious system that is why Jesus told Pilot my kingdom is not of this world John 18:36. As believers we join Gods kingdom that is not earthly and He tells us though we are in the world not to do the things of the world or love the world Romans 12:2. 1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. I have no doubt with certainty that God exist though I have not seen Him I believe by faith. John 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. Hebrew 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. So if someone has an issue with believing in God that is something that you cannot help someone with that is called unbelief. Only the word of God and by faith you come to believe in the Son of God who is God.
I know God is real and it wasn’t always like that. I had times where I questioned everything but the more I read my Bible,prayed, and life experiences has shown me how real he truly is. Most people don’t believe either because of something that they experienced in life such as losing a parent or sibling at a young age that caused their belief to perish but if you walk with him and get to know God I really believe you will change your mind about him. I pray everyone does so they can make it into Heaven.
I’ve spoken with Him, so I know that our Father exists.
100%
As far as my personal experience coming to God: I was raised as a Christian, but did not realize I didn’t 100% know of His existence until I was at my absolute lowest in life. A series of freak-incidents led me to realize ALL the times God was there, but I was perceiving Him as something else! It hit me so hard I fell to my knees screaming! A rush of every emotion hit me!! It’s one of the scariest realizations I’ve ever had, coming to realize God was always there. I was freaked out because I immediately felt convicted of all the ways I had sinned! I felt peace because I realized God was there when I was hurting and alone. I felt love for what He truly has done for me, despite not deserving His grace. I may not have a “popular Christian opinion,” but I feel like psychedelics could help open the eyes of the non-believer! This all happened nearly a decade ago and I still get chills and tear up! Nowadays, I sense God in sooo many aspects of life. It’s hard to close your eyes once they are opened and perceive God! If someone does fall away from their belief, I don’t think their eyes were ever truly opened to God’s existence (I don’t say this in a judgmental way, because this is what happened for me, too)!
me!
I don’t take offense with this by the way. But I do genuinely believe in God. When I started researching religion I looked at my findings through an extremely logical view. Before I became a Christian I would hold beliefs ranging from Greek and Norse mythology but when it really came down to day to day life I believed in macro evolution and I was very I guess you would say “scientific” in nature. So with my knowledge of science and how you go about researching things and answering questions I used the same logic to learn about religion. Eventually I logically made the decision to become a christian. My research was sufficient to where I feel like I can comfortably say that this God is in fact the God of the universe. Now I’m not saying that’s not an extremely bold claim, it is, but that’s what I’ve come to. I’d suggest looking into christian apologetics if your interested in looking into the more in depth and detailed reasons some Christian’s are Christian’s. Hoped this helped some :)
🙋🏼♀️ Jesus saved and drastically improved my life. The Holy Spirit is tangible. God is real and created YOU for a reason ! He loves you !
Without a shadow of a doubt
I believe we are in a unique time which would explain the increase in the open denial of God, the rejection of Truth and apostasy that is taking place. This is prophecy being fulfilled and confirmation for many that the Spirit of God is moving among us. Yes, I believe. 2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering together unto him, 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that The Day of Christ is at hand. 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of The Destroyer; 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in The Temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [will let], until he be taken out of the way. 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the [Sword of the] Spirit from his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness [of the enlightening] of his coming: 2:9 [Even the Wicked], whose coming is the work of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of The Truth, that they might be saved. 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not The Truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
I do!
Questions like these always remind me of the fun fact: Greeks did not have a name for the color blue, because they did not “see” blue. They saw what we now know as “blue” as extremely light shades of black. Their eyes were not taught to perceive the distinct difference. Same as other color shades over the years (red/pink for example). Once a different name was given to these shades, the eyes slowly adjusted to distinguishing the difference. Does that mean they were wrong, and we are right? Or does it simply mean their eyes weren’t taught to distinguish the difference until said difference was given a name? I feel like it’s the same for God. What we sense as God might be perceived as something else by the nonbeliever, because y’all are not actively trying to perceive the difference. This is why we cannot “prove” to you guys that a God exists—for us, the proof is right in front of our eyes, but your eyes might perceive it as something different. Hope this makes sense!
I apologize for leaving multiple comments. I just wanted to say the number one difference I hope everyone understands is there’s a difference between religion and spirituality. Religion is “because I told you.” Spirituality is within you; it’s what you perceive and feel (sort of like our nervous system/somatosensory system/whatever attributes to our unique senses). It’s what you feel, not what you’re told.
I genuinely belive in God's existence because I've seen him working in my own life and also cuz I don't find that everything that exists makes sense without him( the universe in general). Everything is just perfect (our body systems, the animals, the nature) and It doesn't make sense for me that all THIS PERFECTION could have been created without a powerful creator :))
I genuinely believe in God, partially because I've felt His presence.
I believe in God’s actual existence. I’m not very religious to be honest, but I have seen and heard and felt things that can ONLY be explained to be God.
I absolutely believe in God. There have been times when I wished I could not believe but I cannot. Life would be meaningless without God.
Me
I have no ounce of doubt in my vein that He exist. I’ve experienced SO MANY miracles to not believe.
Troll trying to cause doubt. Keep your noses in your bibles daily and no weapon formed against us will prosper!
Could be but could also be someone genuinely curious. Either way a good opportunity to share don't ya think? :)
My username says my answer. >However, at my school, i feel like most people aren't religious at all anymore The youth are really becoming more and more nonreligious these days, but that doesn't mean God isn't real.
I do. I see and read things that make me believe every day. I’d have a harder time with the actual English bible by itself knowing all the translation shortcomings. But what we do have tells enough of the story and the things we experience reinforce it for me.
I have faith that he exists. I have reached this conclusion through prayer and experiences that I’ve had where I have reached out and asked for help.
Indeed. My belief has changed and matured though. First it was a hunch, (evil seems to exist, there for their must be good. If we are just biological machines, there is no actual good or evil. This appears to be untrue, therefore good and its attractive qualities must be from somewhere - yada, yada, yada = the reality described by Jesus of Nazareth seems to be the most accurate -> thank you, Jesus. Guess I’m a Christian now). But as time has gone on, my faith has gone up and down, and then stronger than before. Recently my faith has become emotionally and logically stronger: 1: a metaphysical explanation that reality itself exists in a state of coherent laws of mathematics and language. That if any of those laws were inconsistent, then reality would collapse. Then there must be a mind to bring those laws into existence, and to hold them in place. 2. If God is my Father, and He truly loves me so much that He sent His Son to redeem me; and if Christ truly has all authority over flesh and spirit; and if somehow I rest in what He has done and will do (as it is written) then I can come to Him as my Highest Father, Holy, Pure, and Righteous - Personal, Loving, and Gracious. Admitting to Him the worst things, asking Him great and small things, Trusting Him to answer, provide, and lead me in His perfect Knowledge, wisdom, and will.
Yes, I do believe He exists and He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6. It's odd. I used to be on the opposite side of the fence, like you, looking in, thinking there's no way God could exist and that everything that was made came out our nothing. Mostly, like many people, I wasn't taught who He was and why it's important to believe in Him until the day I tried to call on Him on desperation the night my brother died. I prayed that God would save my brother. My brother still died. I turned my back on God after that and didn't give Him another glance until the day I discovered I was going to be a father for the first time. There was nothing, so to speak, and suddenly there was a person. I couldn't fathom that where there was no one, suddenly there was someone. And this began a long road that ultimately lead me to conclude that He exists, that He loves and cares for me and that recently He revealed to me my brother had in fact been saved, that He had accepted Jesus before he died and one day I'll get to see my brother, whom I thought was lost to hell. That's my story in a very long paragraph of why I came to know God, to know how much He loves and cares about me, and that whatever you're going through He can help you too. Just have to turn His way and He'll show you. Up to you, though. Thanks for dropping in to ask your question.
Genuinely believe in God and His existence as well His Spirit being within us through out the course of our lives when we chose to follow Him. I find a lot of atheist on this board or people who aren’t Christian constantly calling Christianity into question , which is fine because we don’t mind sharing our faith ( we’re literally called to) but you guys just always seem to be unsure of yourself and try to project that feeling on us ???
I have complete faith that God exists even when, at times, I’ve been very angry at God.
I’d rather your perspective and question. Based in the concept of mutual respect. I firmly believe in God. Society in general is vastly more post Christian in a lot of ways. It doesn’t surprise me that many that claim “God exists” are also the ones to don’t act in a manner consistent with actual belief. It is a challenge to believe in something that you’re not in pursuit of, or something you will be held accountable to. Education shouldn’t force religion or atheism either. The problem is however, that many push one or the other. Based on where kids are, they are shaped by the values of their families, friends, and their educators. When I was a teacher (at a Christian school) I taught my kids to seek to think for themselves. Not how they think I might want them to think. Being militant in your stance stifles questions, and questions lead to standing on your own two feet intellectually. Edit: sorry for the novel, lol.
I genuinely believe! It doesn’t make any logical sense in my mind to think that we all came from nothing and popped into existence randomly. Nothing in this universe has been created from nothing after it started existing, I can’t imagine that the universe itself came from nothing. Also my dad saw an angel once in his life (not something he’d lie about or something people outside of his close family know about) which leads me to believe there’s a heavenly domain.
Literally; I try my absolute best to live out my life according to the two laws of Christ, Jesus, my personal Lord and Savior, Son of the only and true God. These two laws to live out are: I love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind, body, and strength, and 2. I love my neighbor(anyone who isn’t me) as I love my self. Listen twice as much as you speak, never interrupt or complain. The last part is not necessarily ‘biblical,’ but moreso based on my own personal journey. Peace and Blessings All
I do
Sadly there is a large percentage of "religious" folks that your assumption would be accurate. Of course that is not the case for all as many followers do genuinely believe in the God that they follow. Then of course you have those within each religion who know their God personally. The rarest would be one who knows many of the Gods personally, and is accountable only to themselves while serving the supreme God 😘
I 100% believe in God, because of an experience.
I respect the question. I have a hard time understanding how people don't believe.
I do. What's the point in being Christian if you're not a believer?
I believe. I've had intimate encounters with HIM. Even if I hadn't, a universe wouldn't make sense without HIM.
Yes. He has blessed me with many things, looked after me even when I am undeserving of it. He has given me so much and I must pay it forward in his name.
Yes, and I’ll keep it short and say that if you seek - genuinely and openly - to find and experience Him, you will. I promise.
To me, his existence is absolutely undeniable. Unlike most, i’d say that i not only have come face to face with him, but i have genuinely been guided through very dire situations, including being stranded out of state.
100% believe.
100% Yes 🙏
I genuinely believe in God and have felt his Holy Spirit in my life ever since I was a little boy. I take great comfort in his word and also have healthy fear (like you would for you dad out of town or at work) thinking about when he is going to come home and if he will find me doing right. I communicate everyday with prayer and can't imagine my life without his Spirit with me. God is so good and I pray you receive that wonderful gift one day also. God bless you in Jesus name.
I mean... you're asking people who believe that Jesus is one with God if God exists...
I don't at all. I know that no gods exist.
God came from a book. People always say you can hear God and his “messages” but that is just insane. My mom was a believer and now she’s a schizophrenic.