In your opinion what causes christians to believe in Jesus

[John 6IX Breezy]

The difference is that girlfriends are real things. To put them on a par with a non-existent thing is just silly. It’s like saying someone has a ‘relationship’ with the Invisible Pink Unicorn.

A pink unicorn is different in that it is rather impersonal, it doesn't quite have the social relational aspect. But with Santa Claus I would predict that children with good relational experiences would believe for longer than those with bad or neutral ones. Put coal in a kids stocking and you got yourself a skeptical scrooge.

With religion, I think the effect is so strong it even spills over from the pulpit to the pews. I think people are also more or less likely to believe based on their interaction and relationship with other followers. A person treated badly by christians is more likely to not believe God exists, and a person treated well is more likely to believe he does.