In your opinion what causes christians to believe in Jesus

[Angrboda]

Faith in the Bible is an action, which makes it consistent with trust and inconsistent with belief. A belief is something like a proposition that one thinks is true, and nothing more. Even the devils are said to believe, so clearly that's not the source of virtue. In the Bible, every example of faith requires someone to do something: Noah has to build a boat before there's a sign of rain, Peter has to step out into the water, and so on. Every story requires the protagonist to do something in the face of uncertainty, and that something is trusting God.

I think you're talking about works, more properly. Faith is a mental attitude which can be expected, or maybe should be expected, to result in acts. The ancients had rather simplistic ideas about mind and body relationships.

[Angrboda]

Conversation is always productive, some more than others, of course. I would type faster, but I'm not at my computer. I'm having my piano tuned by someone so my attention is divided in two.

For some values of productive....

[John 6IX Breezy]

I think you're talking about works, more properly. Faith is a mental attitude which can be expected, or maybe should be expected, to result in acts.

Yeah, I can agree with this. Perhaps a better framing is to say that faith is actionable, whether or not it actually results in an action. If you're a skydiver, your trust in your parachute can be observed when you jump. But in a marriage, trusting your spouse's loyalty is more of a mental attitude. There isn't much for you to do, beyond staying married. Although, the locus of action might then shift to the spouse: Your trust is well placed to the extent that they behave faithfully.

In such cognitive cases of trust, I would still argue that faith becomes meaningless if God doesn't exist, in much the same way that trusting your spouse is meaningless if your spouse doesn't exist. Faith is not the means by which God comes into existence, or the means by which you come to believe he exists. He has to exist before you can have faith in him.

[Alan V]

Faith is not the means by which God comes into existence, or the means by which you come to believe he exists. He has to exist before you can have faith in him.

That's one of the funniest assertions I have read lately.

Of course people have faith in God without knowing he exists. Perhaps you meant something else by that.

[John 6IX Breezy]

Of course people have faith in God without knowing he exists.  Perhaps you meant something else by that.

You personally might not be convinced he exists, but clearly others are. And even if you're right and they're wrong, the point still stands: Faith is not the means by which that belief comes about. You have to already believe in his existence before you can have faith.

[Alan V]

Of course people have faith in God without knowing he exists.  Perhaps you meant something else by that.

You personally might not be convinced he exists, but clearly others are. And even if you're right and they're wrong, the point still stands: Faith is not the means by which that belief comes about. You have to already believe in his existence before you can have faith.

Then what you meant was "You have to believe he exists before you can have faith in him," not "He has to exist before you can have faith in him."

[John 6IX Breezy]

Then what you meant was "You have to believe he exists before you can have faith in him," not "He has to exist before you can have faith in him."

Both are equal preconditions for faith. It doesn't mean much if you believe he exists, but he doesn't; or if he does exist but you don't believe. The point of my argument is that faith comes after, not before.

[The Grand Nudger]

I think you're talking about works, more properly.  Faith is a mental attitude which can be expected, or maybe should be expected, to result in acts.  

Yeah, I can agree with this. Perhaps a better framing is to say that faith is actionable, whether or not it actually results in an action. If you're a skydiver, your trust in your parachute can be observed when you jump. But in a marriage, trusting your spouse's loyalty is more of a mental attitude. There isn't much for you to do, beyond staying married. Although, the locus of action might then shift to the spouse: Your trust is well placed to the extent that they behave faithfully.

Your poor fuckin spouse, lol.

In such cognitive cases of trust, I would still argue that faith becomes meaningless if God doesn't exist, in much the same way that trusting your spouse is meaningless if your spouse doesn't exist. Faith is not the means by which God comes into existence, or the means by which you come to believe he exists. He has to exist before you can have faith in him.

You argue all sorts of silly shit.  You argued above about nonsense, and now strip faith of exactly what you argued for...on the event that the locus of ones faith turns out to be incorrect.  You don't believe in allah, or brahma, or thor...but you probably realize that their gods not existing doesn't actually mean their respective faiths are meaningless any more than your own is, as your god is also imaginary.

Gods don't have to exist for a person to have faith in them, that's ridiculous, and you don't believe it for a second.

[John 6IX Breezy]

Gods don't have to exist for a person to have faith in them, that's ridiculous, and you don't believe it for a second.

Sure, and I suppose people could also jump out of planes trusting a nonexistent parachute. But clearly, their trust won't help much with the landing.

[Sheldon]

Faith in the Bible is an action, which makes it consistent with trust and inconsistent with belief. 

Again you are conflating religious faith, with the primary definition, and they differ as described. 

1. Faith (religious) is defined as a belief. 
2. Trust is in the primary definition of faith, but not in the religious definition. 
3. All beliefs are the affirmation of a claim. 

A belief is something like a proposition that one thinks is true, and nothing more. 

Thus by definition, belief in the doctrines of religion (religious faith), cannot be inconsistent with belief, it is defined as a belief. 

Even the devils are said to believe, so clearly that's not the source of virtue. In the Bible, every example of faith requires someone to do something: Noah has to build a boat before there's a sign of rain, Peter has to step out into the water, and so on. Every story requires the protagonist to do something in the face of uncertainty, and that something is trusting God.

All those claims are beliefs you hold, and they are beliefs based on faith in that doctrine, not on objective evidence or "proof".