... and please dont give me the "God is great" speech.

I if you could categorise the reason you believe, then what would it be?

Is it, for example, because it was because your parents were that religion

or

Is it because most people have a urge to conform, and go along with what everyone else thinks or does. Many people go to church just for for the social aspect of getting together with others, and don't really believe what their churches preach.

So what physically makes you believe?

i 'believe' in something but no 1 named or claimed 'god'

why do you believe?

more of a think than believe
and more of a hope than a think
..and i could keep this goin all the way back to believe

ok ...

What do you believe?

^^^that
and might i add barely
i dont think on religion to much, by which i mean at all =/

i beleive because of the way i was raised and i've experienced the "holy spirit: in my life..i truly beleive if u "let go, let god" he will take care of u more than u can imagine. He wants u to keep "him" first in your life..thats what i beleive anyways

WHAT PHYSICALLY MAKES ME BELIEVE IS GOD. HE MAKES ME BELIEVE. I don't believe because everyone else believes because at the time I was saved none of my family or any of my friends believed. Only my dad believed but I had to forsake all else. It's not easy following Christ. You must die daily to yourself and the things you enjoy in order to serve Him and others. So it's not out of comfort I believe.

I believe because no matter how hard I try I always fail, I am a sinner, I was born one, and I will die one, I do the best I can, but I cannot seem to give up the fun things I like, that I know are sins, like sex out of marriage, and sometimes getting high, I know that these are wrong, but I still believe that I am not that bad, and still worth salvation. I believe God will save me, that is what it says..that is what I feel in my heart, and I believe he will, I believe and pray every day...I believe he will rescue me from this hell we call earth...and the hell below...he is always ready to lead us home...we just need to put all our faith in him...

Belushi, I feel that you are genuinely interested in peoples responses to the question and it is an important question which will see many different answers. I am VERY late for my first customer this morning so I will post later. My reason is too long to post this moment. Great question. Thanks!

My mother was raised in an extremely organized religious setting. My father was an atheist and was headstrong that his children not be raised in a flock. But to comply with my mothers wishes and because we had to learn to read sometime anyway, we had 4 hour Bible readings every Sunday morning without fail. So at this point it was drilled into me and I knew no alternative, save my fathers disbelief.

The attraction of doing as my mother did, was very strong, but the knowlege of my fathers convictions made it clear that I could not just follow her and be true in my heart. I searched and studied until I discovered what was true for me, and my faith is the result of that effort.

Therefore, I would say the reason I believe what I do is that it's what's true to my heart, what feeds my soul and maybe most of all because it was won hard in battle and not handed me lightly.

I believe because it keeps me going

In what way and why?

You said something here that really intrigued me and I hope I can get you to explain a little more in depth. Please understand I am not trying to ridicule or judge but this is the first time I have ever seen it explained this way.

You said, "You must die daily to yourself and the things you enjoy in order to serve him and others. So it's not out of comfort I believe"

I would be very interested in what exactly that means. The way I am reading that it seems like you almost see worshipping christ as a chore or something that you don't necessarily like doing but feel that you have too. If I am interpreting that wrong please let me know. I just always thought that most people that believe in christ because the belief brings them comfort and peace of mind. Although you state the reason you believe is not out of comfort. Very interesting statement.

It's things that my flesh enjoys. Sin is fun to do and it feels good it is an enjoyment. I serve the Lord because it brings me joy to make Him happy, it brings me joy to glorify His name. It is not a big sacrifice to sacrifice the things my flesh enjoys, maybe I should have put flesh there. But think about it, sex out of wedlock is sin and abomination against God. It's brings a great level of enjoyment and satisfaction. It's sinfully wonderful, I had to sacrifice it, not as a chore but out of the love that God put in me. God put that love there when He made me to believe. Also, to me not to everyone, drukeness was a blast getting high smoking pot, I loved all of those things my flesh desires them. I had to put them down leave them behind for that sake of following christ I must turn from those things. And to my shame some of these things do seem like a chore sometimes, but that is wrong I should be excited to serve my God. But I serve Him from compassion. But it's definatly not comfort, He gives me peace, and comfort in Him (everlasting comfort) but in this moment the here and now the world is not comforting it is war, sin wars at my flesh, my flesh wars with my spirit. I must constantly be on guard and work and labor in the scriptures so that I am not overtaken by my own lust. Lust for pride, lust for worldly treasures, lust for women. God comforts me in tribulation, but if I was only doing it out of comfort I would have fallen away long ago.

1 John 5:3
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

It is not a chore to serve my God but in the world it is not comforting. My friends have turned from me because I will no longer follow after their ways, my grandmother has cursed me for speaking truth, not against her just speaking it. She simply tells me to shut up now. But what does God tell me. Let your light shine before men. No one puts a lamp under a basket, they put it on the lampstand and it gives light to the whole house. I must witness for the Lord because He tells me to. Why do I do it? Because I love Him and want to see Him glorified and be made much of, because He has made much of undeserveing me Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we (I) were yet sinners, Christ died for us (me)."

Mark 8:34-35
"And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.'"

Deny who? "yourself" Why? Because YOURself is sinful, it is, before salvation,dead! Christ makes us alive in Him and dead to ourselves! But we must still die to ourselves daily in order to glorify Him. Because OURselves cannot glorify Him. We need to shun OURselves in order to be able to glorify Him. How? repent and trust in Christ. Then Christ will become the propititation for our sins and we can glorify Him according to who He is, not according to who we are.

But it is a great enjoyment to serve Christ, but I would not have known that enjoyment if I continued to find joy in worldly things. Does this answer it better?

Also I enjoy playing paintball, not a sin nothing wrong at all with it. But say a friend wants my help with something and I had planned to play paintball that weekend, that's my weekend. It wouldn't necessarily be WRONG of me to go play paintball but it would bring joy to my Lord and I would be serving someone else and I would be DIEING TO MYSELF!

I believe because I know without some outside force I would be dead by now.

Interesting...
I believe because Christ Jesus is very real.
I think he reveals himself to us in so many ways.
God, the Holy Spirit, and Christ Jesus are real.
Jesus is the author of our fate.

As for me... I started by reading a children's bible. The Lord revealed himself by his voice & Holy Spirit. Later I experienced various events a near death experience, his wisdom, visions, dreams, his love, compassion, & comfort. I'm not a bible thump-er, but a sinner saved by his love, & grace. For me I can't help but believe.....

John 3:16

its an interesting question.. I dont believe, because that is how I was raised, yet I was also raised as a jew..not a religious, "god-fearing" one, but as a person, a jewish person, with a culture, history, and connection to a very ancient past...that connection is enough for me...I do not believe in God because I do not feel a need to...but I do believe in a higher conciousness because it seems to make sense to me. There are many mysteries as yet unsolved "out there" as well as "in me".

I Believe


in one who sets me free

I believe

in one who heals me

I believe

in one who comforts me

I believe

in one who gives me joy

I believe

in one who softens my heart

I believe

in one who gives me everything

I believe

in one who leads me

I believe

in one who speaks to me

I believe

in one who gives me life

I believe

in one who shows me mercy

I believe

in one who prays for me

I believe

in one who is wonderful

I believe

in one who died for me

Now who do you believe in?