Hello atheistforum

[J.D.]

(2nd February 2012 22:18)brotherlylove Wrote:  Hello atheists, agnostics and other nonbelievers,

I'll just give you a short testimony:

Why I believe

A few years back I decided to give Christianity a try, to see if its claims were true. I answered an alter call and gave my life to Jesus Christ, confessing that I am a sinner, and pledging my life to Him.

After I was baptized, I received the Holy Spirit. I would contrast this as the difference between 110v and 220v. When I went into the water I was 110v, and when I came out of it I had been switched to 220v.

After receiving the Holy Spirit, several lifelong addictions were dropped within a few months, without any real effort on my part. I simply had no desire for them anymore. I also felt joy for the first time since I was a child.

This continues on to this day, with many positive changes in my life and inner life. I am at peace.

The internal witness of the Holy Spirit, and the changes that have happened in my life, internally and externally, validate my belief in God, and prove this scripture to be true:

John 16:7

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Jesus promised when He ascended into Heaven that He would send the Holy Spirit to everyone who believed in Him. This proves that He is in Heaven, at the right hand of power, which proves Jesus is God, which proves the rest of the bible.

Why I didn't believe

I used to be a nonbeliever and thought and said many of the same things I see people saying on this website. I used to think Christianity was utterly ridiculous. I had many intellectual reasons I believed it was untrue, but I can say the real reason I rejected it, at least subconsciously, was that I didn't want to give up what I would need to give up to become a Christian (at least an honest one). I didn't want to be told what to do. The intellectual reasons were merely justifying the underlying rejection of Gods authority over my life.

What I can tell you is that, no matter how certain you are, no matter how bitterly opposed you are to it, your beliefs would change instaneously if you were to receive evidence it was true. What I didn't understand, and what many of you probably don't understand, is that God does provide evidence of His existence. He gave us instructions on how to receive this evidence, and you refuse to follow those instructions, you can't expect to get any results.

So, that is my experience in a nutshell, and my thoughts about unbelief. I look forward to getting to know you better. God bless.

This is bullshit and you know it.