Why do you actually believe in God?

[lisah]

I know most people on this forum don't, for those who believe (or used to):

• How do you define 'God'? 
  
• Why do you (or did you) believe that this God exists? 
  

I feel like I am interrupting the flow of this thread, but I worked a long day and this is the first opportunity I have had to respond.

I don't recall actually defining 'God', as it seemed absurd to.

I believed that God existed because I was raised with that belief. Plus, as a young child (under the age of ten, I think) I had dreams about God. In fact, I became baptized because of a dream that I had about God. Although, as a teen, I began rejecting religious teachings as soon as I discovered I did not have to accept them.

I was twenty when I had a religious experience that made me consider the man/god relationship as one that was sort of symbiotic in nature. An interdependence between the existence of God depending upon the belief of man, and vice-versa.

Then, in my thirties I became interested in Matthew Fox's Creation Spirituality, which was a much better alternative.

In my forties I decided I should learn more about the Bible and scripture, so I attended more traditional classes. Again, I would have dreams and visions. While meditating one day I had an experience that began leading me away from such things. As time went on, I began to understand how my mind and body worked in conjunction to create certain ecstatic experiences. What I call the 'pleasure principle' and how addictive that can be. I've never been addicted to drugs, but the ecstatic experience can be very addictive.

In my fifties, I began embracing simplicity over complexity of ideas. Although, it is ironic that the idea of simplicity was, at the time, "inspired" through a poem that came over me. I thought it inspired by God, in fact.

I'm nearing 60 now, and I consider myself an atheist. Although, maybe I am not? I thought I was Christian at one time, that is until it was pointed out to me that I had to believe in Jesus as God; an idea that I absolutely rejected. Maybe one day, someone will point out to me that I am not an atheist. Who knows?

Anyway, that was why I believed in God for such a long time.

[Neo-Scholastic]

I'm morbidly curious about why Chad thinks atheism is ultimately absurdist and nihilistic.

Jor gave you a hint when she mentioned that reason has, in her opinion, limited application. In pure naturalism brains evolved to aid survival not evaluate truth propositions. In other words reason is unreliable.

[KevinM1]

I can follow the path to absurdity with that, but not nihilism.

[drfuzzy]

I know most people on this forum don't, for those who believe (or used to):

• How do you define 'God'? 
  
• Why do you (or did you) believe that this God exists? 
  

OK, used to.  For a long time (46 years, give or take a bit).
I believed in god because god was practically in every conversation in our house. I believed in god because my parents believed in god. I believed in god because I was told about the horrors (from a very early age) that were awaiting anyone who did not believe in god and Jesus after they died. I believed in god because I was told that Jesus was coming soon to take the true christians to heaven, and the people who were unworthy would be left behind. (The trauma that this one caused a time or two was epic.)  
   And I believed in god because I was told that Jesus loved me, loved me individually so much that he died slowly and horribly to keep me, me personally, from going to hell after I die. I believed in god because I was told, over and over, that god was the ultimate goodness and justice.
  It took decades to break this brainwashing.

[Veritas_Vincit]

Have you seen The Village? Strikes me that Religion is basically the mythology of the creatures who live in the wood.

[drfuzzy]

Have you seen The Village? Strikes me that Religion is basically the mythology of the creatures who live in the wood.

No but it sounds interesting . . . thanks!

[John V]

I know most people on this forum don't, for those who believe (or used to):

• How do you define 'God'? 
  
• Why do you (or did you) believe that this God exists? 
  

The dictionary definition is fine: the creator and ruler of the universe and source of all moral authority; the supreme being.

Reasons for believing in a god in general include:

- existence requires an eternally existing universe or a creator, and from what we can tell the universe hasn't existed eternally. you guys think theists indulge in mental gymnastics. You don't understand that you sound just the same to me when you try to address this.

- inanimate matter doesn't just come to life, so there must be a creator

Reasons for Christianity in particular:

- the Bible makes sense to me and holds up to scrutiny

- following it has made incredible improvements in my life

[Wyrd of Gawd]

OK, Zeus exists. So how did we end up with the homicidal maniac Allah of the Arabs and the Jewish God of the Bible?

[Wyrd of Gawd]

I know most people on this forum don't, for those who believe (or used to):

• How do you define 'God'? 
  
• Why do you (or did you) believe that this God exists? 
  

The dictionary definition is fine: the creator and ruler of the universe and source of all moral authority; the supreme being.

Reasons for believing in a god in general include:

- existence requires an eternally existing universe or a creator, and from what we can tell the universe hasn't existed eternally. you guys think theists indulge in mental gymnastics. You don't understand that you sound just the same to me when you try to address this.

- inanimate matter doesn't just come to life, so there must be a creator

Reasons for Christianity in particular:

- the Bible makes sense to me and holds up to scrutiny

- following it has made incredible improvements in my life

The Bible approves of eating babies.  How does that make sense to you?

[Mystic]

1. Because we are connected to God and can see him.

2. Because there is good reasons to believe in God through what we know about ourselves.

3. Through remembering a vision of God we've witnessed before.

4. Because he lives in us.