Question:
Why do you believe in God (for christians)?
*Joy*
2010-05-11 17:44:08 UTC
I've noticed that whenever I tell a christian that I am atheist they go on a tangent about wanting to save me, saying things like: "come judgment day, what will you tell God?" or "I'm going to heaven, where are you going?" Yet they insist that christianity is not a fear based religion. It never fails; christians always take it there. My question is this: deep down, when all is said and done, do you honestly believe that there is one true God? Or are you just covering your bases in case the bible and christianity and everything you were told to believe is true, and you really don't want to go to hell? And if you really do believe in God, how do you know that you have chosen the right religion? I'm not trolling; I'm really interested your answers. Thanks!
Eight answers:
Late Responder
2010-05-11 18:16:54 UTC
First of all, we have to be careful to avoid what's called the genetic fallacy. The genetic fallacy says that a belief is false due to it's origins.



For example, imagine a man, Jones, who looks at a broken clock. The broken clock reads 12:30, but Jones doesn't know that the clock is broken and, in order to discover what time it is, Jones looks at the clock. Coincidentally, it is 12:30. So Jones now believes that it is 12:30, because he looked at a broken clock that, coincidentally, read 12:30.



Now, if Jones asserted "It is 12:30" would it be valid for me to respond "It can't be 12:30 because you were looking at a broken clock!"? No, that would be committing the genetic fallacy on my part. The fact that Jones acquired the belief without very good reasons, all things considered, doesn't mean his belief is false.



Likewise, if Christians believe in God because they are afraid of going to hell, that doesn't tell us anything about whether or not God exists or hell exists.



Furthermore, *if* there is a God who sends unbelievers to hell, then why should we think there is anything wrong with being afraid of going to hell?



Think of it this way: if you try to rob a bank and I say "Don't do that, or you'll be caught and thrown in prison," would you think my morality is fear based? Would you think that going to prison is an invalid motivator as to why you should not rob a bank?



If there is a system of law that sends you to prison for bank robbing, then it seems perfectly valid to use that as a motivator to refrain from bank robbing and it seems perfectly valid for me to point that out to would-be bank robbers.



The fact that punishment exists within our society as a deterrent to crime doesn't make our society fear based. Likewise, I don't see why divine punishment makes a religion fear based. And, furthermore, I don't see why refraining from an action or believing a proposition because you are afraid of the consequences is somehow negative or invalidates the action or proposition.



So when you say "do you honestly believe that there is one true God? Or are you just covering your bases..." this looks like a false dichotomy to me. Just because someone accepts Christ because they are afraid of God's punishment doesn't mean that they don't honestly believe "that there is one true God".



Finally, you ask: "And if you really do believe in God, how do you know that you have chosen the right religion?"



This question doesn't make much sense to me. I suppose you're trying to give the Christian some sort of epistemic angst like "Oh, no! there are so many religions... maybe I've chosen the wrong one... maybe I can't know which is the right one..." etc.



But this tactic, if it works at all (it doesn't), can work just as well against your own position: If you are an atheist, how do you know that you have chosen the right form of atheism? What if idealism is true? What if penrose-platonism is true? What if materialistic naturalism is true? Should I be an instrumentalist or a realist? Should I be an epiphenomalist? etc etc.



Of course, just as there isn't one form of religion, so there isn't one form of atheism (or one form of anything for that matter). Whatever significance this fact has for religion it equally has for atheism. If you can consider for a moment why you have chosen your worldview, then you should be able to answer for yourself why Christians have chosen their own worldview: basically, because it makes sense to them.
Lea
2010-05-11 18:06:21 UTC
I'm glad you said you aren't trolling because so many are on the rampage!! I understand why you may question and as someone who is now coming to understand more about Christianity and wanting to be one I'll try my best.

I do believe there is one true God. I cannot claim to understand all there is to understand about Him but I do believe. Why? Evolution just makes no sense to me and no it's not because I'm stupid...also because it's just been a theory that so many are now coming to question even the scientists that once espoused it as fact. The other alternative...actually is there another alternative? Rationally I don't think so.

In Christianity what a lot of people don't realise is that truthfully Jesus came to save us from sin, from being held captive to sin and giving us the strength and means to overcome it by His death and resurrection. Hell is a result of sin and all men deserve it because we've gone against a Holy God who cannot tolerate and hates sin and yes there are many warnings about hell in the bible but in my opinion(and not fact) I believe it's only to show you, you don't have to go there is a way out through faith by grace in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. IN the bible it does say some will be saved by fear but others will be saved by compassion and love. So many forget that and think the only way people will ever come to God is through fear but let's get hypothetical here..say you did believe and you trusted in Jesus and became a christian: why wouldn't you want to love the one who created you, gave you family, friends and everlasting life after the physical death?

As for why I believe my religion is true? I don't do religion if I'm honest religion debases man. Well the religion most like to propagate, hence so many different denominations in Christianity alone! I just deal in faith and the bible and my bible says Jesus is the only way to heaven and the only one to follow. Not some man made laws telling me how to be a good Christian. Also the Quran also gives evidence to Jesus, Mary and there being only one God and if you question a Muslim that truly knows the Quran and isn't against sharing ALL their truth with you, you'll find they too believe that through Jesus alone is salvation for man. Judaism also believes in a messiah to come and in one God and although they're still waiting for a saviour and will not accept Jesus as such, they do acknowledge one is to come. It can also be historically proven that Jesus walked the earth, I've seen a couple documentaries on history channels and National Geographic and the like.

Look you could read the bible...even if only as a book.

I know that nothing I say will convince you if you do not want to believe and truly I couldn't save you even if I wanted to because that's the work of God alone done by the power of the Holy Spirit. I could only hope and pray that through your searching that you find faith and put your trust in Jesus who died and rose again so you would have access to all the promises He made to those who believe. Thanks again for not trolling!! :)
Moi
2010-05-11 17:48:18 UTC
Primarily because He says, "I AM." That is what started me - really. So I then read and studied the Holy Bible for many years. And in the process, I learned an amazing thing - HE IS!



2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
anonymous
2010-05-11 19:06:16 UTC
Lil' tiger, God bless you!



+++

John 14 (Contemporary English Version)



John 14

Jesus Is the Way to the Father



1Jesus said to his disciples, "Don't be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in me. [a] 2There are many rooms in my Father's house. I wouldn't tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you. 3After I have done this, I will come back and take you with me. Then we will be together. 4You know the way to where I am going." 5Thomas said, "Lord, we don't even know where you are going! How can we know the way?"



6"I am the way, the truth, and the life!" Jesus answered. "Without me, no one can go to the Father. 7If you had known me, you would have known the Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen him."



8Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need."



9Jesus replied:



Philip, I have been with you for a long time. Don't you know who I am? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. How can you ask me to show you the Father? 10Don't you believe that I am one with the Father and that the Father is one with me? What I say isn't said on my own. The Father who lives in me does these things.



11Have faith in me when I say that the Father is one with me and that I am one with the Father. Or else have faith in me simply because of the things I do. 12I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things that I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father. 13Ask me, and I will do whatever you ask. This way the Son will bring honor to the Father. 14I will do whatever you ask me to do.





The Holy Spirit Is Promised

15Jesus said to his disciples:



If you love me, you will do as I command. 16Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help [b] you and always be with you. 17The Spirit will show you what is true. The people of this world cannot accept the Spirit, because they don't see or know him. But you know the Spirit, who is with you and will keep on living in you. 18I won't leave you like orphans. I will come back to you. 19In a little while the people of this world won't be able to see me, but you will see me. And because I live, you will live. 20Then you will know that I am one with the Father. You will know that you are one with me, and I am one with you. 21If you love me, you will do what I have said, and my Father will love you. I will also love you and show you what I am like.



22The other Judas, not Judas Iscariot, [c] then spoke up and asked, "Lord, what do you mean by saying that you will show us what you are like, but you will not show the people of this world?" 23Jesus replied:



If anyone loves me, they will obey me. Then my Father will love them, and we will come to them and live in them. 24But anyone who doesn't love me, won't obey me. What they have heard me say doesn't really come from me, but from the Father who sent me.



25I have told you these things while I am still with you. 26But the Holy Spirit will come and help [d] you, because the Father will send the Spirit to take my place. The Spirit will teach you everything and will remind you of what I said while I was with you. 27I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn't like the peace that this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid.
Smile Jesus Loves You
2010-05-11 17:46:18 UTC
You know through the Holy Spirit. He makes the Truth known to you within your heart.
Catholic Philosopher
2010-05-11 17:50:31 UTC
God can be demonstrated to exist, and then that is the basis for the credibility of Revelation.











---
anonymous
2010-05-11 17:46:35 UTC
If constants of physics were even slightly different life wouldn't be possible.
anonymous
2010-05-11 17:45:32 UTC
Because otherwise he said he'd come back. With a bigger bat.


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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