Why are you (still) a Christian?

[Bucky Ball]

I forgot to mention the most important reason I would still be a Christian.

Donut Sunday.

[Gwaithmir]

1. There are plenty of independent surviving texts as sources for Jesus being a living person in the past, that He was Jewish and Baptized, and that He was crucified. I believe there is no logical reason or benefit to the resurrection and tomb story. I have personal experience and what I consider reliable subjective external experiences, along with studies that indicate brain activity doesn't necessarily stop at death and that it is a uniquely human response to death to have NDE, indicating the possibility of consciousness surviving death is not 0% , IMO.

Citations needed.

[Bucky Ball]

The neurologists and neurosurgeons of the planet will be very interested hear about dead people that have brain activity,
especially in light of the fact that "brain death" is defined as the lack of brain activity, and used every day to define death in every hospital in the entire world.

[Neo-Scholastic]

It seems to me that in most times and in most places, religion is more about ritual and performance than about assent to propositions. It's something people DO.

I believe what distinguishes "spiritual" from "religious" is communal participation in worship of the Divine, through practices, such as ritual and prayer, that connect us with other believers through the Divine.

[The Grand Nudger]

Not so much communal participation itself as the opportunity -for- communal participation. That is, after all, one of the basic factors between some collection of things a person believes...and a religion. OTOH, you could be the only christian on an alien planet, you would still be religious, and you could be surrounded by other people who also believe in spirits and -not- have a community to interact with, religiously, because no one else believes what you do about those spirits or that divine or what they mean.

Fucking messy, if you ask me.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

... "brain death" is defined as the lack of brain activity, and used every day to define death in every hospital in the entire world.

And most of the bars I used to hit when I was in the USN.

[ronedee]

[Data]

I can understand the various reasons that someone may convert, but I'm curious as to why someone would retain their belief after years of being a Christian and having spent time studying the bible and theology, looking at arguments for/against, and so on.

So, for those who have been a believing adult for more than 5 years, and who are feel they're conversant on the various arguments for/against, what is it that keeps you believing?  

Any particular philosophical positions, or specific events that happened, or a particular inner feeling or intuition, etc?

No particular philosophical position, specific events or inner feelings or intuition. I was an unbeliever for 27 years, and became a believer 30 years ago. To me it makes the most sense. I can see the ration and logic in a purely atheistic position but I can't see the sense in militant fundamentalist atheism.

[LinuxGal]

No particular philosophical position, specific events or inner feelings or intuition. I was an unbeliever for 27 years, and became a believer 30 years ago. To me it makes the most sense. I can see the ration and logic in a purely atheistic position but I can't see the sense in militant fundamentalist atheism.

Theist: "The first thing that existed in the universe was an intelligent, powerful being who created everything else by speaking it into existence."

Atheist: "I don't believe you."

Militant Fundamentalist Atheist: "No, seriously, I don't believe you."

[Data]

No particular philosophical position, specific events or inner feelings or intuition. I was an unbeliever for 27 years, and became a believer 30 years ago. To me it makes the most sense. I can see the ration and logic in a purely atheistic position but I can't see the sense in militant fundamentalist atheism.

Theist: "The first thing that existed in the universe was an intelligent, powerful being who created everything else by speaking it into existence."

Atheist: "I don't believe you."

Militant Fundamentalist Atheist: "No, seriously, I don't believe you."

Good call for the militant fundamentalist atheist. The creator of the universe doesn't exist, nor has ever appeared in the universe. He can't.