Q: do you, Christian, claim that God exists, rather than you believe that he exists?

[Esquilax]

I say belief has to be based on the non empirical. Rational thought, produces belief, which produces our understanding of the world. Not the other way around.

I think you're missing a step, though, and that step is testing those beliefs to see if they match up to the external reality. After all, you can't just think something into existence; stopping at the "having beliefs" stage puts you on the same footing as any old crazy person with a fantasy in their head. In fact, it puts you in the position of considering multiple, mutually contradictory beliefs rational at the same time, where they come up.

That's where empiricism comes in. Without it, you're living in a bizarre, solipsistic world, or you're engaging in special pleading.