Theist Posters: Why do you believe your God exists?

[Mister Agenda]

I'll take a shot as a former theist: It never occurred to me that God in some form or another might not be real until I was well into my twenties and I didn't start considering myself an atheist until I was in my mid-thirties. I'll be 70 before I'll have not believed in God for as long as I believed.

My parents believed in God. Everyone I knew believed in God. God's reality was matter-of-fact, taken for granted as a given. I don't recall being exposed to any thought at all that the reality of God might be in doubt. In my mid-teens I read the Bible cover-to-cover twice, which put me off Abrahamic religion, but it still didn't occur to me that there was no God, just that the Bible was clearly written by humans. I was raised in a literalist faith, which I think is more likely to break given a close study of actual scripture rather than a spoon-fed diet of selected readings doled out by preachers and Sunday School teachers.

I still thought the universe required a creator as an explanation. My journey to atheism was roundabout, I became disenchanted with some other weird beliefs I had (pretty much all of them: ghosts, ESP, Nessie, ancient astronauts, etc.). I began to come to an understanding of how to apply skepticism. By the time I was in my thirties, I'd stopped believing in every weird, unevidenced thing except God. After an astronomy class where I was first exposed to naturalistic theories for the origin of the universe, I was down to keeping a space in my head for God because I didn't want to be close-mindedly dogmatically sure there was no God like those atheists. I did consider myself agnostic.

I took a couple of classes in logic, learned about the burden of proof at the same time my Intro to Religion prof was claiming he wouldn't cover atheism because it was illogical, and based his reasoning on fallacious logic. If he had just said he wasn't covering it because it's not a religion, I might have stayed agnostic. So I read George Smith's 'The Case Against God' to find out what it was my prof was so keen to avoid covering for bad reasons. And there went my last little corner reserved for God and I realized soon after that I had become an atheist.

Short answer: I believed because I was raised to believe and was sheltered from any idea that might undermine that belief.

[SteveII]

1. I, like most people in the world, have no trouble believing that the supernatural exists. 
2. I believe the events of the NT happened basically as described. 
3. The person and teachings of Jesus are compelling and my personal experience affirms the truth of many of his teachings. 
4. While I grew up in a Christian home and don't have a "drastic change" story, I have directly heard hundreds (if not more) testimonies how God has changed people's lives in drastic ways. 
5. There are no successful arguments that show that believing in God is irrational, so I can't see myself changing my mind.

Belief in God is irrational by definition. It requires faith, and faith is the antithesis of reason.

Boru

No, I think belief in God may have irrational components (those beliefs that are entirely faith-based) but overall is rationale. This is further evidenced by a systematic theology that makes sure that everything (within the religious framework and in the natural world) in the belief system is coherent. 

Here is an example: Jesus forgives the crippled man of his sins. The pharisees grumble. Jesus said, "what is easier, to say to a man your sins are forgiven or to tell him to take up his bed and walk?" When the man gets up and walks, it is perfectly reasonable to infer a supernatural power is at work. Further it is rational to believe the explanation of that supernatural power given my the person doing it (especially in the context of multiple miracles and the overall ministry of Jesus).

[Harry Nevis]

Belief in God is irrational by definition. It requires faith, and faith is the antithesis of reason.

Boru

No, I think belief in God may have irrational components (those beliefs that are entirely faith-based) but overall is rationale. This is further evidenced by a systematic theology that makes sure that everything (within the religious framework and in the natural world) in the belief system is coherent. 

Here is an example: Jesus forgives the crippled man of his sins. The pharisees grumble. Jesus said, "what is easier, to say to a man your sins are forgiven or to tell him to take up his bed and walk?" When the man gets up and walks, it is perfectly reasonable to infer a supernatural power is at work. Further it is rational to believe the explanation of that supernatural power given my the person doing it (especially in the context of multiple miracles and the overall ministry of Jesus).

But it's not perfectly reasonable to believe that it actually happened only from a 2000 year old book.

[SteveII]

No, I think belief in God may have irrational components (those beliefs that are entirely faith-based) but overall is rationale. This is further evidenced by a systematic theology that makes sure that everything (within the religious framework and in the natural world) in the belief system is coherent. 

Here is an example: Jesus forgives the crippled man of his sins. The pharisees grumble. Jesus said, "what is easier, to say to a man your sins are forgiven or to tell him to take up his bed and walk?" When the man gets up and walks, it is perfectly reasonable to infer a supernatural power is at work. Further it is rational to believe the explanation of that supernatural power given my the person doing it (especially in the context of multiple miracles and the overall ministry of Jesus).

But it's not perfectly reasonable to believe that it actually happened only from a 2000 year old book.

Why not? The events surrounding Jesus' life and teaching are the most attested to in ancient history (if you don't think so, name another). Why would't I believe the content of the NT? Do you have information as to why it would not contain what really happened? Why should I doubt the authors that describe Jesus performing a miracle?

[Mister Agenda]

Why not? The events surrounding Jesus' life and teaching are the most attested to in ancient history (if you don't think so, name another).

Julius Caesar

[RoadRunner79]

Belief in God is irrational by definition. It requires faith, and faith is the antithesis of reason.

Boru

Do you believe that human reason is reliable? Can you use reason to prove it?

I think he is saying he has no faith in his ability to reason!

[Cyberman]

But it's not perfectly reasonable to believe that it actually happened only from a 2000 year old book.

Why not? The events surrounding Jesus' life and teaching are the most attested to in ancient history (if you don't think so, name another).

When was he born? When did he die? What exactly were his last words? How long was his ministry? Why didn't anyone outside the story notice?

[Cyberman]

Do you believe that human reason is reliable? Can you use reason to prove it?

You're a presup now?

[Harry Nevis]

But it's not perfectly reasonable to believe that it actually happened only from a 2000 year old book.

Why not? The events surrounding Jesus' life and teaching are the most attested to in ancient history (if you don't think so, name another). Why would't I believe the content of the NT? Do you have information as to why it would not contain what really happened? Why should I doubt the authors that describe Jesus performing a miracle?

No, they're not.  Nothing about Jesus comes from outside the bible.  Does repetition count? 

Amazing.  So you're default position is to believe everything you read until proven otherwise?

[Neo-Scholastic]

Do you believe that human reason is reliable? Can you use reason to prove it?

You're a presup now?

Not in the the least. The correct term would be foundationalism. Rational inquiry requires a commit ment to the efficacy of resson that is not itself justified by reason.., I.e. faith. Boru was ridiculing the idea that faith has no place in reasoning when if fact relying on reason is itself based on trust.