In the beginning...

[A_Nony_Mouse]

Who told you that and why did you believe them?

That is a very simple question. Do you have an answer?

That is a very simple, 2 part question, but let me give you a more detailed answer.

When a child, my dad told me that.
When an adolescent, my pastor told me that.
When a high schooler, I told me that.
Now, God has been telling me that all along.

I believed my father because he desires to cultivate excellence in me.
I believed my pastor because he desired the excellent itself.
I believed myself because I understood many sound logical conclusions.
Now I believe God because I'm very slowly becoming more humble.

Slowly. It needs to be faster. Then again, maybe I need some patience too...

And the next question. Who told told your father and pastor and why did they believe the people who told them?

If you want it faster I keep asking those questions until we arrive at a point where you do not know OR the people in question did not know.

Also let me ask exactly what belief has to do with "excellence" but first define excellence as you are using it as I am unaware of any definition which could possibly apply. Believing in what you are told is merely believing. It does not do a thing for you.

As to logical conclusions, they cannot be made without evidenciary premises. But if you think otherwise, run me through your logical process.

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This explains how presuppositions restrict our ability to know, but it does not explain where the idea came from in the first place.

Which is where I was headed hoping he would see it for himself. Ultimately the Christian BELIEF is that the first people believed because they were told it by possibly known persons (apostles) of unknown character and unknown motivation and unknown powers of observation and reasoning. IOW something no one would accept in any other matter.

I completely support the idea that the unexamined life is not worth living, but this actually works both ways. The theist and non-theist both rely upon presuppositions. For the large majority of the populous, it is excruciatingly difficult to separate presuppositions in the argument/debate, largely because of the lack of training. However, it can be done, which is why there is possibility for debate. If Christians alone cannot, there shouldn't ever be a debate. If Atheists alone cannot, there shouldn't ever be a debate. I'd like to believe that we're all people and have the potential to remove presuppositions from discussions, thereby changing beliefs.

Of course everyone has to make assumptions but if questioned one has to confirm or abandon them and "don't know" is a perfectly legitimate answer. NEVER is the original assumption true until shown false. The original assumption is false until shown true.