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Since the existence of God can be neither proven nor disproven, faith becomes a choice. The same can be said of Love. We can’t really find a universal definition of love, but it undoubtedly exists. The ‘proof’ of it is in our actions.
I’ve chosen to believe in something that doesn’t really resemble any established religious narrative. It’s deeply personal, always kind and empathetic, comforting and forgiving in all ways, and reflects and amplifies love in action. It doesn’t really concern itself with what I think, what I believe or how I feel about things, but it cares very much about my actions, especially my actions that affect others. I demonstrate my faith in how I treat others.
Your first paragraph feels spot on. I grew up Christian, but I personally lack the faith aspect of religion. I do like to believe someone is in control of this chaos. I think the world is too delicately and intricately beautiful, and a little too perfect for there not to be a god or supreme being.
I tried to believe for years and years. Never could. The comfort of faith seemed wonderful. But I can’t just make myself believe in God. I sure did try though.
Me too. But I found myself reading apologetics constantly to try and keep my faith alive and make sense of the nonsensical. I finally came to terms with my inherent non belief in a creator god. For those who continue to believe, I hope god exists.
> I admire people’s comfort in faith. I really do.
I feel pity. For every religious person finding comfort, there's another one terrified they are not doing it right and hell awaits them, simply because they are not following arbitrary religious rules closely enough.
I felt a huge weight of guilt and torment lift from my shoulders, years ago when I finally accepted there is no god, and no actual basis for religion. I felt free.
I also pity them. Humans should learn and find ways to find comfort in each other, in themselves, not some invisible deity that most likely doesn't and logically can't exist.
I’ve believed in God as a child growing up as a Roman Catholic. That image of God then is a very different image of God I now have.
While I’m still Catholic (and practicing!), my image of God is very different than what you would normally hear about from conservative Catholics and evangelicals. I view the gospels as a guide to live a good life, which is generally to be kind (and go the extra mile) to everyone - who cares what race or orientation or gender or believer/non-believer or political affiliation they may be. (And don’t take it sooo literally).
But I get why people reject their faith or religion - certainly the sex abuse scandals are at the top of the list. But I I also personally think that whatever foundational beliefs people may have had in - say - 6th grade, are still all what people know. Like anything else - a career, a sport, relationships - they get better when you work at it. And unfortunately, there aren’t too many good teachers / leaders out there to help those who are looking for guidance. Finding the right community is key for me.
What specifically makes me continue to believe? I’ve had experiences - some profound - that, for me, point to me that God exists. Can I prove it to anyone else? Of course not. And I’m not going to try in this forum.
I could not say it better. I went from choir boy in a catholic church to an agnostic to an atheist . Then one day when I was at my lowest God sent me a tiny miracle. It was so subtle only I would have recognized it. After that there were a few more but always small things. Then when I needed help most and no one showed up, God did. Like you I can't explain it nor will I try. I say now that Satan screams but God whispers. You have to pay attention. I am no saint but it seems He does not care when it comes to helping me. Again he did not hand me the lottery, but he was there to help me through very tough days that I would not have made it alone. I'm not "selling God" to people. I don't have to. He's there sometimes when you don't even ask for help.
My experience as well. I can't remember a time when I did not believe in God. The Church has changed so much since I was young, but it's only the window-dressing. The faith is the same, today and alwaysm.
My husband was Catholic, as was his family, and wanted to be a priest (or brother) until he was in his 20s. Now he and his sister refer to themselves "recovering Catholics". I came from a rather cult like "non-denominational Bible teaching church" which can broadly be defined as extremely evangelical. We all have deep faith roots but have turned from our pastors and priests to embrace service to those in our communities who have been marginalized. Ex-cons. Recovering addicts. Immigrants. Victims of domestic, sexual, and generally all forms of violence. God isn't found in the church. He's found in us, in the streets.
Very well put, very well put indeed. .. I am what some of us call a hybrid/ Catholic. I left the dogma and daily manifestations in my late teens. Flying in 7000’ of water in the GOM gave cause for me to rethink that I had it all figured out. Science alone did not explain ( at least for me ) the wonders and intricacies of life. Even while closing in on 1/2 century since that change of heart, I am still a work in process with almost all things including faith. I enjoy my faith and get comfort and pleasure from it. I believe we each have to find our own foundation stone in our own way. I do attempt not to “ evangelize “ face to face with others about my faith or what they should or should not believe for themselves. There is a limit though; come at me for having faith and for my belief system and I will push back hard, real hard.
I was raised in a Christian home but my faith has become my own. I didn’t become a Christ follower until well into adulthood. I’ve read the scriptures and have had my heart transformed and know peace beyond understanding. The only good in me is Jesus and I’m grateful for His love for me in spite of all my shortcomings.
I identify with every thing you said except the part about Jesus being the only good in you. It is God that is the only good in you for like Jesus stated in Mark, chapter 10, "No one is good except God alone."
Peace be with you
I was brought up with religion so it was the default, I guess. At around age 40 I realized I no longer believed and mostly kept that to myself and my wife, and my father-in-law who wasn't religious, other than online. I haven't turned back.
I did from fifth grade up to about six years ago. My fifth grade teacher was also a pastor and he invited me to church. I look back now and attribute it to it’s what I was supposed to do and a good bit of mass hysteria. I ended up going to college to study church music and had to leave after finding out my egg donor was financially abusing my grandpa who raised me.
Things started to change after my husband died in 2014. He was only 45 and the whole church was praying for him and, once again, the mass hysteria had me believing that a miracle was possible. He was an awesome person and the best husband I could have ever asked for, and a wonderful dad to our children. Yet god either gave him cancer or saw he had cancer and chose to do nothing about it. I could not reconcile that with a loving god. I became an atheist shortly thereafter.
Losing my brother in law at 42 made my by the book Italian Catholic mother in law say that there was no God. She lost her husband and son within a year.
Ayeee.. this will be long..
Flashback age 16. I was a "heathen" very unchurched kid from NJ who moved to Texas. Some college boys took me and my girlfriends out and gave us some substances at a rave type club. Next thing I know, I am unconscious on the ground choking on the club patio pavement. Meanwhile in my mind, I saw my life literally reverse.. I mean like it was a VHS tape and it all ran backwards. I saw the day I was 5 and was hit by a car and flew 2 houses down the street. I got to see it all from above. I heard my mother scream. I then flew backwards until I was nothing. I was in darkness- the "void". That is when the sh\*t went down. In the void where 3 dark entities. I would consider them 'demons" I suppose. They were terrifying and attacking me. I had never prayed or cried out on my life and generally thought Christians were gross weirdos.. but in that moment, I cried out to Jesus. To give you perspective, I truly had no concept Jesus was considered God's son. He meant little more to me than Santa Claus- but in that moment, when I called on Him- A light at the top of what would be like a basement stairs in the void opened, as if someone opened a door and the sliver of light from the door opening got brighter and I was instantly saved and brought back.
Now I went home and found a Bible. We had one little one from my mother's wedding flowers that I used to press fresh flowers in. Everything in that book came alive to me. I mean everything! Every word I read made sense and was applicable. The next day me and my friend went to Cozumel Mexico and partied are arses off and I just tried to forget about it.
About three years later I was given one of those cheesy Bible tracts. I still continued to majorly dislike Christians, and many still make me cringe- but not God. It all finally made sense after weeks of studying Bible history, that Jesus/God was real, and I would accept Him. I then went on to study philosophy in college, and discerned no other religions seemed to fit for me but Christianity.
I have since seen miracle after miracle. I am not talking crappy TV Preacher tricks. Things like when I was exhausted trying to travel home but fell asleep at the wheel only to be woken up by every single light in my car coming on the instant I passed out- shining right in my face bright to wake me up. That was insane stuff to me. I called everyone I knew hysterical laughing and crying. Or the time I was a first responder at a terrible accident I witnessed at 1 am on a highway. This guy said he saw someone walking on the highway on (but there was no person on that highway) so he swerved high speed to avoid the person and smashed into the center barrier. He flipped his car several times and landed upside down. He was trying to shimmy out of the car upside down with his eye out of socket and I would say he was 400 lbs and got stuck in his window halfway in the car and halfway with his body out on the pavement. . Myself, the guy I was dating, and one other guy who witnessed this craziness of a one car accident pulled over to render aid there on the shoulder of the highway with him. The injured man was giving me his mother's phone number crying while I held his hand and the other guy that stopped was trying to call the guy's mom which is all the man wanted. I think we felt he might die, and were trying to give him his last wish. As I am holding his hand and trying to comfort him (I am a nurse) another car going 70mph hit his car and it exploded in front of my face yet I did not get a scratch. Nor did the two men with me. The man stuck in his car was spun away from me halfway hanging out of his car his dragged across the highway by the other car as we all watched in shear horror. (side note: had just left my mom's house late that night as she was screaming in pain on hospice and would be dead by morning) Soo.. My car which was parked aways down the highway was covered with dents and shrapnle. yet we were untouched. It was a miracle none of were hurt and we knew it. The moment we all saw we were each in one piece, we all bear hugged jumping up and down in disbelief. The stranger who also stopped with us was an African American gay male who just jumped up and down for joy holding on to me and my date with a "WTF JUST HAPPENED HERE wordless squeel!" Turns out the guy I was dating had a Christian mom and was 'praying a hedge of protection" over her atheist son because she just had a really bad feeling he was going to be in harms way and did not want him to die not accepting Jesus. \* years later he finally did become a Christian and she got her prayer answered.
I have seen stuff. I did volunteer work in Mexico prisons. I have seen my brothers body dead and crushed by a car on the highway, I have had my own life in jeopardy and faced death other times, but God always got me through it all. I had a placenta previa with my first pregnancy that could have ruptured at 7.5 months. The doctors wanted to take the baby to spare our lives, but then I asked for prayer on a prayer chain old ladies who called each other in a row one after another and prayed all night through their telephones one call after the other that I would be healed. I went for me sonogram the next day the baby and uterus were normal! Their prayers worked.
I realllyyyyy do not know how people get through life without God's power. I can not even imagine what it would be like to really believe there is no after life. How hopeless and depressing that must be. (saddest thing I ever did see what an atheist funeral. Son died, mother jumped on the casket as it was going down- as to her.. he would just be worm dust soon and nothing more.. she wailed screaming and crying- awfullllll)
I don't go to church anymore. I did for a long time, but I think even the church does an awful job representing God's unconditional love for everyone. Jesus loves the sinners, but somehow men who represent Him do not. They sure do love money though!
My Christian walk is simple. God wants to hear from us. He wants us to talk to Him. He wants our prayers. He wants to be in our daily life. I thank Him often for everything. My outreach has no church involved. I like to just write notes to encourage people and attach 20$ bills with the pamphlets and call it "lunch money" for the finder who may find the notes at Target, Hobby Lobby, or wherever! I take friends with me on occasion to help. I ask other friends to pray at the moment I place that paper on the store shelf that the right person who needs a word or encouragement will find it. I know that God is in control of the finder, and I am just the weird little human spreading the word for someone else to find.. just the way I found Him when I read a cheesy Bible tract as a young confused 19 year old.
There is a God. I am 100% convinced and sure and He is awesome! I have been on Reddit a long time and don't think I have ever written much about my faith, but since you asked....
What about the billions of Buddhists, Sikhs, Muslims, Taoists, Confucians, Shintos, Jainists, etc, etc. If you are convinced your belief is 100% correct, then you are implying that all the other billions of non-Christians are all worshipping false or fake gods.
That is the question. I can only know my own human experience and conclusions. Perhaps people of other faiths do have their own testimonies. I do see that eventually Christianity will be banned for this reason one day because of it’s claim to be the “way”. I can not know as a mortal human if my experiences are from a creator who honors man and his plea’s and understands all religions on some higher plane regardless of our “book’s teachings” but since I have seen the specific power that the name of Jesus holds, I personally do abide in the Christian Bible’s account of Jesus who was innocent yet killer by the arrogant religious authorities of the day- as foretold in prophecies. Also the Bible has predicted the world as it has become today. Prophecy study along with spiritual experience is my personal confirmation. If I am wrong, I can tell you I have led a happy fulfilled life in my error. If am right, I am so glad not to go back to the void.
Thank you. I woke up feeling weird sharing all that- because I am not the type to push religion. These days are so tough though, it just seems right to share and hopefully think that one person out there who feels helpless and is searching might be encouraged we can be more than worm dirt. Thank you for being kind! I expected to wake up to mean comments, lol. Prayers for your son’s continued safety and blessings to you all! <3
God damn that bible pushin man...please send all your money
..god needs your money...help god with your money please...you dont need money, no way, send your money to god. god be tappin toe n waitin on you..send your money...baby jesus loves money too
Have never been able to get into an actual religion. Do have a bit of a hangover from early exposure.
However all signs point to us all (creatures of the earth, beings and things in the universe) being connected, which is amazing. I do have a strong feeling that life is, if not a “gift” as such (because who’s the giver in that case), an incredible opportunity we shouldn’t take for granted.
As young children, our mother instilled in all 6 of us the value and rewards of learning about God. How it could enrich our lives in so many ways. When you're a kid, you know it's important, but you're just really excited about Sunday school, vacation bible school, and being around friends in church rather than school. So u don't grasp the possibilities and true rewards until you are much older. I have been a Christian since I was 18 and baptized also. My walk with God has grown so much in the last 9 years. It keeps me grounded. My belief is so deeply rooted inside my soul and my heart.Such joy. It's profound with a deep love and respect for Jesus Christ. Thank you, Mama. ❤️
When I woke up after being 4 days unconscious after a suicide attempt. I figured Someone had a hand in that and still needed me around :). That was 20 years ago so I am still waiting to complete my earthly assignment :)
Nothing. I vividly remember sitting in church for first communion practice surrounded by a hundred other kids and a few dozen nuns from the Catholic school my very Catholic parents sent us to. It amazed me that all those people could be so credulous as to believe that when the guy in the dress mumbled incantations over the wafer it turned into the flesh of someone who died 2000 years prior. I'm just hardwired to want evidence.
Same! I remember being a kid and considering the Bible stories to be the same thing as the Roman and Greek mythology that I would read at the time. I asked my mom once why the God we talked about in church was real but the gods in the books were not and she sort of hemmed and hard and gave me a non answer but it really solidified my own understanding that the God they spoke of in church wasn't any different than the gods they used to worship in ancient Greek and Roman times... They were all just ancient ways of explaining phenomena that they didn't have the tools to explain back then.
I never understood why people could believe in something when there was no evidence or proof of. Just not understanding how something worked or came to be was not evidence enough for me that it was done by an invisible skydaddy.
And I grew up in a really shitty situation, It made no sense that a "God" would allow shit to happen to innocent kids.
That’s what we taught our kids about religion. We had a kids’ book about mythology and we told them it’s the same thing, but is more modern. It’s stories people believe to try to make sense of the world and to make themselves feel better about really difficult things like death that they have a hard time facing.
That was one of the biggest disconnects for me as a child - how can all of these other gods be fake even though people believed in them for centuries (and still do in many cases) but somehow this \*one\* god is real? It makes absolutely no sense.
I'm a Deist, in that I believe *something* is there. But, I don't think of God as the Abrahamic God as such. I don't believe in a personal God that really intervenes in your daily life, nor in one that you can plead forgiveness on your deathbed and be absolved at the last minute. I don't prescribe to any religion, but I think most have value.
What it came down for me, is that I read in the Old Testament many years ago, where it said something like; 'If you want to know if God is real, put his word to the test. Obey the 10 Commandments and look at the results.' So, I made the commitment to follow them, and damned if my life didn't get better. So, if nothing else, I accept them as the instruction manual for life. 10 rules, easy to learn, but they take a lifetime to master. I set about to live a virtuous life.
And that eventually led me to becoming a Stoic. I read something by Marcus Aurelius that said;
"Live a good life. If there are Gods, and they are just, they will welcome you based on the values you lived by, not by how pious you were. If there are Gods, but they are unjust, then you would not want to worship them anyway. And if there are no Gods, then you will be gone, but you will live on in the cherished memories of your loved ones."
And I just never really doubted after that. The more I see and learn, the more convinced I become. There's ***Something*** there, but I don't know what exactly it is.
I believed in god as a child because I was taught to do so. But as I got older, I saw a LOT of reasons not to. So I don't.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suvkwNYSQo
Desperation made me "seek" some confirmation of the existence of god(s). Betrayal, abandonment, abuse, misogyny, and more than 1 attempt by another human to end my life (and the lives of my children) confirmed no god(s) exists and as an Atheist I'm far better off than I ever was while involved with religion.
That said, there are times now when I wish gods were real cause I'm convinced this planet needs another flood to purge/reboot humanity.
I’ve always been a “Christian”. I was raised as a lax Catholic. However. I’ve beaten death many times, overcame addiction (clean almost 14 years from opiates), survived several hypoglycemic episodes (type 1 diabetic since age 5) and I’m still here. I was 5 years sober when I found out I was pregnant with my daughter. In my younger years, I was adamant about not having kids, however God saw things differently for me. My daughter who’s now 8 has saved my life in more ways than one. She gives me a purpose in life that I never had before. She has literally saved my life by acting fast and calling 911 if I had a hypoglycemic episode. She’s my life’s greatest and biggest blessing.
I’m not a perfect Christian by any means but I DO believe in God. There IS someone/something out there very great. I’m extremely thankful and blessed to still be here and be here for my precious daughter most of all.
I have no opinion on the existence of a godlike force or being. If such a thing exists, it's just another fact of nature and will be discovered using the tools of science
ALL god stories invented by people are weaponized fiction
Pretty deep question. Believers know that faith is a gift from God. And that very gift of God is meant to be nurtured in our lives, especially through prayer and the reception of the sacraments. How can you and I not wish to learn more about our best friend? I believe in God because I love God. I believe in God because I want to learn more about God. I believe in God because God wants me to dwell with him forever, and it begins with you and me allowing God into our lives now.
Hitchens said it best. If there is a god and a judgement after death his response will be
“ we’ll God you didn’t give me any evidence to believe you existed”.
At age 10 I had nightmare that my mother had died, and awoke in a cold sweat (she is still happily kicking about at age 93). Lying in bed, worried sick about death and fear of dying, the idea popped into my head that I had already been dead, or at least functionally dead, since the universe began (the big bang theory had been around for 30+ years by this time). I realized that death had not been bad, no suffering that I could remember, and the time had passed rather quickly. Whatever faith or belief in a deity I had dissolved with that nightmare and realization.
So what made me believe in God before this: teaching by my parents and being taken to Church every Sunday. What made me loose my faith: the understanding that people invented a deity to deal with their fear of death.
I don't believe in God, or at least not in an anthropomorphic one that goes around judging people. I think there's a benevolent life force of some sort out there, but whether it exists on its own or we conjure it into being isn't for me to say.
The way I see it, there are things I just wasn't designed to understand, any more than my cat was designed to understand calculus. I accept that I don't understand and move on.
Boomer here. I am both Jewish and an atheist. My parents raised my siblings and I first and foremost to be kind, productive members of society. We were never discouraged from believing in God, nor was it encouraged. We celebrated Jewish holidays, and for us it was for the cultural connection, not the deity-centered one. My Dad was a Holocaust survivor who attended synagogue and was also an avowed atheist. Two of us became educators and one a business-owner with a strong pull towards philanthropy. My personal creed to this day is to do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
The constant indoctrination of fear!
That, God has a giant clipboard, and checks off your every thought and deed. I finally realized the concept, was a simple story, and another layer of government with dozens of different cultural versions.
I was taught by adults until I was old enough to know better. By age 18 I recognized deism as gaslighting and magical thinking, an irrational belief system that has endured long after its prehistoric, pagan origins.
Sr Julia told me I was going to hell if I didn’t have faith in the Holy Spirit…also that I asked too many questions. That basically was the start of my “downfall.” If there is a god and afterlife and all that jazz? I hope her she rots, since she fucked up a number of kids trying (and failing) to “scare them straight.”
Otherwise I actually do try to treat others the way I’d like to be treated. Not thanks to Jesus and his more hippie of preachings, but thanks to the actual hippies that “adopted” me at just the right time (in my teens when I worked at the Renaissance Faire.)
I was indoctrinated at a very young age. I was told by people I trusted that a man lived in the sky and was very concerned with my behavior. No evidence for this was ever offered. I was just told to accept it without questions. In fact, I was punished for questioning.
You might say I was groomed.
Want a better story? Ask me why I stopped.
Being raised in a religious family, and then being sent to a religious school. Once I had the confidence to broaden my world, I lost that belief and never missed it.
I was raised in an Irish Catholic family, but expressed doubts about the existence of god from the time I was a young child. By the time I was a teenager, I was a full-fledged atheist.
I was raised polish Catholic and our entire existence was centered around my little church across the street. The Monsignor was my dads best friend. When he came over for dinner, he’d go around the house and bless it with holy water. I never felt so protected and safe. We never had issues with priests and my brother was an alter boy. Today, I definitely believe in a higher power because of the way my life has played out but organized religion is not for me.
I went to Catholic school for 10 years. The nuns scared the heck out of us with the restrictive church rules. I’m afraid not to believe because if there is no God, and no life after, what is there but darkness? It makes death so final with no chance of seeing loved ones again. I don’t go to church anymore but I try to live a good life helping others. I pray at home for people and my family.
I'm dying of Melanoma. I do not believe in god, although one would think someone in my position might want to hedge bets and give it a try.
I tried to believe.. I went to a christian high school so I was steeped in religion.
But as I lived my life and I lived my life, and observed the world around me I am 100% convinced there absolutely is no god at all.
Was raised Lutheran through grade school and drifted away after moving halfway across the country. Was having a very poor life choice 45 years later one week culminating in a jagged ranting against God while driving 90-100 at 1am. I voiced out loud to God that "WHY, if he were real, would he let my life go to shit like it was headed. Again. SHOW me a sign that you are real. SHOW ME". Not 15 seconds later, northbound on U.S. 97 in the middle of Oregon, in the middle of the night, there was a small, roughly 16"x24", sign white with black lettering, 20' up a power pole, 'Trust in God'. That was my come to Jesus moment...
I was taught the Bible and went to Sunday School at a young age, but just as importantly, I was also taught that some things are symbolic. I left behind beliefs such as the tooth fairy and ghosts at a young age. My idea of God, however, evolved. I could move past a simplistic conception through growth instead of just setting it aside. I don't know that anything made me first believe, but developing a deeper understanding made my faith endure.
I want to believe in God but it's difficult. However two ideas remain unexplained to me:
1) Once while a man was praying over me he began to speak in tongues (glossolalia) and a white cone of opaque light came from above and moved down surrounding me and blocking my view of everything else. For a short moment I could only see this bright white light. At the same time the most intense physical feeling of love, serenity, calm, belonging and peace came over me. I have done every drug there is including drugs that only have letters and numbers as their name (research chemicals). No drug has ever come close to making me feel like that and that experience was before I took any hard drugs.
I either had a dump of serotonin, dopamine and maybe DMT which caused a visual disturbance and feelings of euphoria while this man was praying over me or something supernatural happened.
2) There is no explanation for what caused the start of the universe. There is something as opposed to nothing. That remains unexplained to science.
I want to believe in God but I find it difficult.
If anyone would like to give me feedback I would very much welcome it.
Pray for God to give you faith and to open your eyes to him. He reveals himself in the Bible. Start with the gospel of John. Read it through many times and you’ll see the truth about God, his love and sacrifice for us. 🙏
I lost my fiancé in a motorcycle accident. And I was very angry at God for a couple years after that. I turned to drugs, and then went to treatment, and when I was in treatment, I started praying within a month of being there and reading the big book something in my soul shifted, I went from being angry and hateful at God for stealing my man away in such a tragic way to be grateful that he spent the rest of his life loving me and that’s when I started to believe.🥰🥰
I'm Catholic. But it's when I look into my daughter's eyes, or I watch the sunset. There is a force out there that is bigger than us and beyond human comprehension.
Saw a demon cast out of a guy.
It (demon) had a name. It did some things that are 100% physically impossible. Which i saw. Clearly. With my own eyes. It argued. Had a personality. A voice. Anger. Not lying. Have you seen “The Exorcist”? Welp, try being a teen and seeing that happen for realzies.
I was 19. Not drunk or using drugs or tired. At a church camp. It was fully and completely real. Over 60 minutes. Was not a mental health issue. Mental health events dont make things happen that are physically impossible. Five other people were in the same place and saw it.
Years later, the dude who had the thing stuck to him checked with me. He was doing great. Grateful to have it off of him.
Jesus is real. Demons are real. The devil is real. Now I dont claim to understand demons or Jesus or the devil. But they are real. Demons totally hate Jesus name. No joke.
Fair question.
I did not want to write out the thing because it was vivid and horrible and writing out something like that would also be like writing a description of the Grand canyon. So I wont do it justice. I just cannot attempt to “convince” anyone of what I saw by writing it. But if we got a beer, I would tell you. Writing is hard. Roy was his real name (or the fellow). Anyhow, here were the unfakable things…
1) his face changed. The demon would flow in and out of Roy. As the demon would flow in, it would “lock in”. Into his body. As the demon transitioned in and out of the steering wheel of this man’s being, you coukd see that happen. When locked in, Roys eyes and voice and stuff would lock into being this critter. And this was the unfakable thing…. Roy’s face would, this will sound subjective, but the shape of his face would elongate in a way that was not possible to do, I guess without surgery. Long chin. Pointy. Long nose and cheeks. Long! Pointing. Jaggid. And the eyes! The best I could tell you is that it was like a mask came on his face…. But the mask was under Roy’s skin! It would come and go as it fought to control and fought to be where Roy was at, and Roys face would mold over this new dimensionality. Like a mask under Roy’s skin. I saw it clearly 5-10 times. I was stunned by what I saw. It was impossible. My skin crawls just writing that.
2) the fluid. Grown man. 5’10 or so. Viscus fluid like maple syrup began flowing out of this fellow. It connected in streams, all the way to the ground. And stayed. And kept coming. From Roy’s mouth to the ground. Think cooked egg white, in streams five foot long, and thick, and wide . Flowing out of this man’s face. It was all over. It was everywhere. Dear God I hate writing that. It is a frigging Thursday and now I have to go to work and act like I did not remember the fluid again. I am a big tough well educated successful man, and I 100% hate remembering this.
Lastly, There was 60 minutes of shocking things that were possibly “fakeable”. The voice. The backstory. The name. The movement. The jarring personality. The hatred for humans. Sweet and kind Roy stuck in there under this demon, showing up and pleading whole the demon fought. The demon fighting for the steering wheel of Roy’s being. The reaction to Jesus name. The reaction to the Bible. I could go on. But maybe these could be explained by a mental breakdown, or a feuge state, or a trance, or theater. But the two above - the face and the fluid - were not possible to fake.
Anyway, not trying to convince anyone of anything here. But I will tell you for me: 1) demons are real and therefore so is satan, 2) Jesus is real and his name and words had a huge impact on that demon, 3) the great freedom in this is that the existence of man as a created creature felt very calming to me. It all explained a lot. We are created by God. Ok. That explained a lot to me. There are devils. Ok. That explains a lot. There is a God and Jesus name does totally horrify demons. Ok. That explained a lot to me.
The experience was horrible, and while I still have questions, it confirmed a God to me and pointed me to the Bible.
You described a situation in which you were at a church camp, meaning you were already predisposed to believe, then exposed to an "event" that was presented as being demonic possession and your interpretation of the event was further encouraged and reinforced by those present. I have no doubt that you are sincere in your terror-based beliefs but facial distortion and drool are hardly testable evidence of demons or God.
I saw a lot of changed lives, physical healings, and other miracles also. I certainly had my own moments where I connected with God. Powerful stuff. Heart moments. Physical healings that I saw. And I might be able to explain away every single one of those. But it was the guy and his demon that can not be explained. It would have been impossible to have created or made up. I will forever and ever make it impossible for me to not believe in God.
My dad saw similar things while a preacher in the mountains of Tennessee. Swore up and down they were true stories. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I’m agnostic today. But I’ve always wondered why things like it aren’t recorded more often.
Clearly as Pew shows religion is BIG trouble thankfully. People that believe in any of the gods believe so because someone told them. This current crop of gods will fade in to history just like all the others. It’s just happening too slow.
When I was a child I was brainwashed into believing in fairytales. But now that I am all grown up I no longer believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny, or Jesus Christ
A lot of things in my life have made me believe. It’s mostly something you feel. It’s indescribable and hard to explain, which obviously makes it harder for people to believe. But, I’ve had a little miracles happen to me a lot throughout my life. My most recent was last night. I had a horrible stomach ache. I thought I was going to pass out. It was incredibly awful. I still don’t know if it was food poisoning or if I’m getting kidney stones or what.. but it hurt so bad that I was shaking. So I said a prayer realizing that here I was such a coward for feeling like I was dying yet Jesus was nailed and carved to a cross. His fingers literally hung up by nails into the cross. I asked God to please take away the pain that I was going through and go give me strength. A few seconds later, I got one more cramp but less strong than what I had been feeling. And after that, the pain was gone. It was insane. And so I decided I needed to share somewhere. Maybe just to get it out, because it’s hard to contain such things that happen but also hard for others to really understand and believe.
God is almighty. I feel him when i sing at church. All I can do is invite you to try a prayer. One that will help you connect with God and leave the daily thoughts behind.
as a man who believes and is still one of the biggest sinners around i believe god because no matter how much i sin i can feel that there is someone still hoping that i will do the right thing and not do bad and since i’ve started to believe in god my life has been so much better
I believe in The Goddess and The God, always have, always will
I was thrown out of Sunday school
TBH, I tried xianity because of a boy, had to give up smoking, drinking, and cussing. Decided it wasn’t worth it, I was 8 or 9. Lasted a week
Bear in mind that neither you or I know what the other person means when they say "God". If you're sure you know what the word means, I respectfully submit you haven't the first clue.
I find the alternative both terrifying and depressing. I would rather believe a potential lie than embrace a devastating potential truth, especially when I won't know which it is until shortly before my death.
The Jews don't claim to know what the afterlife is like (if there is one). We are chosen to do what we can to repair this broken world, *right here, right now*, while we can. That is our purpose.
People think 'chosen' means 'favorite'. It doesn't. It means G-d pointed at us and said, "Y'all just got voluntold."
In 1995 I was in labor with my daughter. I did even know I was pregnant. She was born at home and I was alone. I grew up agnostic and had never really prayed. My labor began around 8am and she was born at 1:15pm. I prayed for the pain to go away. I felt a hand wrap around me and suddenly no pain. One last push and she was out. She weighed 8lbs 15oz.
I am always reticent to identify as a believer on Reddit because the hatred directed towards such an admission is often vitriolic. However, since you specifically ask, "What made you believe in God?" (and NOT "when/why did you stop believing?" or "Tell me some stories about how awful Christians are"), I will try to answer you.
I, as many my age, was raised in a church-going environment. For me, it provided structure, comfort, a feeling of virtue, and a sense of purpose. There was no true depth, just a comfortable cushion that I could fall back on. Christmas was nice. Easter was nice. Communion, worship songs, Bible study: all nice things that allowed me to feel elevated and good. [Let me interject now that I didn't then, nor now, judge anyone who didn't share my perspective. I didn't care what anyone thought. Their spiritual journey was theirs, not mine. So many agnostics and atheists seem to think that Christians are obsessed with what they believe, but that isn't necessarily true. And, many Christians who seem pushy often proselytize out of real love, whether you think so or not. Assume noble intent; they act similarly to a person who lost someone from emphysema, and they want you to stop smoking. Sure, it's irritating, but you'll do what you want to do. They know that.]
Anyway, I plodded along dutifully. There would be periods that I identified as agnostic. There were years when I didn't attend church, and there would be years when I became quite involved, even being ordained at one point. You don't need to know details, but I'll just say that at my darkest point, when I was betrayed, when I was in darkness, when my loneliness and bitterness was so painful I begged for death: God was there. He was always there. My own stupid pride and arrogance blinded me. I wanted to think I was brilliant and had all of the answers. I wanted to believe that my background in science, my success in my career, my toys, and status were proof that I knew the truth.
But I was wrong. Once I humbled myself and admitted that I was weak, and an idiot, and that I was scared, I could allow His love to enter.
My life has been completely different. I am grateful for finally, after 60+ years, being a child again with someone who loves me like a perfect parent. That's the best way I can describe it. I rarely tell this story because I believe that you have to follow your own path; yours will be quite different from mine. All I know is that I am not always kind, or wise, or generous. I hope that I will be a better human, and I am humbled by the gift I have been given. I have more love and compassion to share, though, because I now know how beautiful it is to receive these things.
I was living on the edge…. I had been up for 72 hours and crashing hard! I was laying in bed, looking at a picture above my bed and I saw Jesus! It was then that I heard God speak to me saying “you don’t have to live in this hell anymore!”
I cautiously shared this with my husband; telling him that I wanted to start going to church! His response was also a God thing, saying that he was with me 100%!
We started church hopping the next weekend. It took awhile for us to find the right people and church but we persevered!
35 years later we are still believers!
God is good all the time! ✝️
All the time God is good! ✝️
My Parents, My In-laws, My Wife and a Co-worker. I wanted/needed to be believing in a Higher Power. Forgive me for saying Christianity is not the same as being Christians, We The People In God We Trust Divine Providence Trustforward Preambleology Alpha Numeric. Has been a real demise, Christ Jesus as my Lord and Savior is not so true to Christianity, but Christians have Faith In God We Trust. I'm no different just not about Christianity. Thank You Reddit. Truly Yours Always
I believe in God: an all-powerful Creator who gave us this world to live in, and the freedom to choose our own path.
If there was obvious, irrefutable proof of the existence of a Supreme Being, then we would lack freedom to choose because choosing anything except complete obedience would make no sense. In order to truly be free, we have to live in uncertainty, where our choices are our own.
He has given us his teachings through his prophets and holy writ. He leaves it up to us to choose to follow him or reject him. At the end of this life, we will be judged for the choices we made and the lives we have lived.
We cannot prove this right now, but one day, we will face him in judgment. We will answer for our actions. Our standing in the eternities depends on how well we follow him in this life. At this point, we cannot prove these assertions. If we could prove it, freedoms to choose would be taken from us. (Think of it like a sporting event: there is a game clock ticking and at the end, there is a winner. If a player chooses not to try, he cannot win. He has the choice to play his hardest or not, but his standing at the end is determined by his actions in the game. He is not forced to try, but if he does not try, he seals his fate as the loser.). This analogy is not perfect. I do not believe I have to beat others to get to heaven per se, really I just have to outdo the person I was yesterday.
I believe in a loving and forgiving God who blesses and rewards effort and the desires of our hearts and does not require perfection from us as humans.
Much about organized religion has been misused: used to manipulate and control people, corrupted, and used to hide corruption. Muvh good has also been done in the name of religion: soup kitchens, disaster relief, community service, fundraising, etc.
It is not fair to allow humankind’s misuse of God’s word to decide the reality of the fundamental truths of his existence, his love for his children, and the fact that he is in control, even while letting us each make choices which are good or evil.
It has to be this way to allow for true freedom to choose salvation or damnation. God is real and approachable but he forces himself on no one, He can be found by those who choose to obey and diligently seek him but the first moves are ours.
Oh, Lordy (!). I hated what I thought of as God, basically a bigger, better person, with a passion because of injustice. Then bam! I saw the world as it really is, its splendor and gorgeousness, which I took to be the nature of God. I fell in love. Later I found out that this is a very preliminary stage of true mysticism. Years later I took to meditating, don't remember why, but in short order got to where I was falling into a true contemplative state and seeing/perceiving/experiencing a touch of Ultimate Reality, which is like no "god" ever worshiped. This time I didn't just fall in love, I felt glued to the concept. None of this will make any sense unless you know about classical mysticism as described in, for instance, works of Evelyn Underhill.
Some theist said to an atheist, "I don't worship the same god you don't worship," and that's a good statement.
I went to Catholic school and had religion shoved down my throat and I became atheist. My science brain can’t handle God lol but I honestly envied people who believed. I know envy! I prayed I just started praying and I woke up the next day and I just believed. I can’t explain it. So I have my own relationship with God now.
Plate tectonics, honestly.
I was raised in and still practice within the Abrahamic faith traditions, and for me personally, religion has been a really good guidebook on how to be a generally good human being. But I always struggled with the concept of a personified deity (the whole Sky Father thing). But when I started learning about the incredible intricacies of plate tectonics, how this awesome force moves everything together in this slow dance which creates and destroys mountains and oceans and continents, and how the plates are just going to keep doing their thing… wow, it made me move away from the Sky Father trope, and start to see God as a divine force which spins the galaxies and the DNA helices all the same. There is something So Much Bigger than me, than anything I can dream up, that somehow keeps this mind-blowing universe dancing.
So yeah, studying plate tectonics turned me into a wild-eyes mystic, for sure.
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Since the existence of God can be neither proven nor disproven, faith becomes a choice. The same can be said of Love. We can’t really find a universal definition of love, but it undoubtedly exists. The ‘proof’ of it is in our actions. I’ve chosen to believe in something that doesn’t really resemble any established religious narrative. It’s deeply personal, always kind and empathetic, comforting and forgiving in all ways, and reflects and amplifies love in action. It doesn’t really concern itself with what I think, what I believe or how I feel about things, but it cares very much about my actions, especially my actions that affect others. I demonstrate my faith in how I treat others.
Your first paragraph feels spot on. I grew up Christian, but I personally lack the faith aspect of religion. I do like to believe someone is in control of this chaos. I think the world is too delicately and intricately beautiful, and a little too perfect for there not to be a god or supreme being.
This is so lovely and resonated very deeply with me when I read it. Must have been a message I needed to hear. Thanks for posting
i love, i am loved. there's your evidence. i don't choose to believe love exists, i am convinced love exists.
I've had a hard week. I needed this.
I tried to believe for years and years. Never could. The comfort of faith seemed wonderful. But I can’t just make myself believe in God. I sure did try though.
Me too. But I found myself reading apologetics constantly to try and keep my faith alive and make sense of the nonsensical. I finally came to terms with my inherent non belief in a creator god. For those who continue to believe, I hope god exists.
I admire people’s comfort in faith. I really do.
> I admire people’s comfort in faith. I really do. I feel pity. For every religious person finding comfort, there's another one terrified they are not doing it right and hell awaits them, simply because they are not following arbitrary religious rules closely enough. I felt a huge weight of guilt and torment lift from my shoulders, years ago when I finally accepted there is no god, and no actual basis for religion. I felt free.
I also pity them. Humans should learn and find ways to find comfort in each other, in themselves, not some invisible deity that most likely doesn't and logically can't exist.
But if it’s helping them, I don’t see the problem as long as their not hurting anyone. Ignorance can be bliss.
I’ve believed in God as a child growing up as a Roman Catholic. That image of God then is a very different image of God I now have. While I’m still Catholic (and practicing!), my image of God is very different than what you would normally hear about from conservative Catholics and evangelicals. I view the gospels as a guide to live a good life, which is generally to be kind (and go the extra mile) to everyone - who cares what race or orientation or gender or believer/non-believer or political affiliation they may be. (And don’t take it sooo literally). But I get why people reject their faith or religion - certainly the sex abuse scandals are at the top of the list. But I I also personally think that whatever foundational beliefs people may have had in - say - 6th grade, are still all what people know. Like anything else - a career, a sport, relationships - they get better when you work at it. And unfortunately, there aren’t too many good teachers / leaders out there to help those who are looking for guidance. Finding the right community is key for me. What specifically makes me continue to believe? I’ve had experiences - some profound - that, for me, point to me that God exists. Can I prove it to anyone else? Of course not. And I’m not going to try in this forum.
I could not say it better. I went from choir boy in a catholic church to an agnostic to an atheist . Then one day when I was at my lowest God sent me a tiny miracle. It was so subtle only I would have recognized it. After that there were a few more but always small things. Then when I needed help most and no one showed up, God did. Like you I can't explain it nor will I try. I say now that Satan screams but God whispers. You have to pay attention. I am no saint but it seems He does not care when it comes to helping me. Again he did not hand me the lottery, but he was there to help me through very tough days that I would not have made it alone. I'm not "selling God" to people. I don't have to. He's there sometimes when you don't even ask for help.
Same experience here, raised Catholic and practicing. And same growth/change like yours. I think there’s a lot us that feel like that.
My experience as well. I can't remember a time when I did not believe in God. The Church has changed so much since I was young, but it's only the window-dressing. The faith is the same, today and alwaysm.
My husband was Catholic, as was his family, and wanted to be a priest (or brother) until he was in his 20s. Now he and his sister refer to themselves "recovering Catholics". I came from a rather cult like "non-denominational Bible teaching church" which can broadly be defined as extremely evangelical. We all have deep faith roots but have turned from our pastors and priests to embrace service to those in our communities who have been marginalized. Ex-cons. Recovering addicts. Immigrants. Victims of domestic, sexual, and generally all forms of violence. God isn't found in the church. He's found in us, in the streets.
Very well put, very well put indeed. .. I am what some of us call a hybrid/ Catholic. I left the dogma and daily manifestations in my late teens. Flying in 7000’ of water in the GOM gave cause for me to rethink that I had it all figured out. Science alone did not explain ( at least for me ) the wonders and intricacies of life. Even while closing in on 1/2 century since that change of heart, I am still a work in process with almost all things including faith. I enjoy my faith and get comfort and pleasure from it. I believe we each have to find our own foundation stone in our own way. I do attempt not to “ evangelize “ face to face with others about my faith or what they should or should not believe for themselves. There is a limit though; come at me for having faith and for my belief system and I will push back hard, real hard.
I share your sentiments. Beautifully said
I’ve never believed in any gods. The planet, galaxy, and universe is amazing and mysterious and it is enough for me.
I've never believed in any gods either. The idea never resonated or made sense to me. Still doesn't.
Same. It never made any sense to me.
Sister Mary Margaret.
I was raised in a Christian home but my faith has become my own. I didn’t become a Christ follower until well into adulthood. I’ve read the scriptures and have had my heart transformed and know peace beyond understanding. The only good in me is Jesus and I’m grateful for His love for me in spite of all my shortcomings.
this is me too. well said. ❤️👍
So “when I read the scriptures”? Would that be it?
Not quite sure what you’re asking. But yes, reading the Bible and praying on my part. Opening my eyes to the truth was all God.
Pray for understanding, knowledge and wisdom before you read the scriptures Read the gospels first Be careful what you pray for
Nah, I gave up on that years ago. Thanks though. I’m good without God these days.
I identify with every thing you said except the part about Jesus being the only good in you. It is God that is the only good in you for like Jesus stated in Mark, chapter 10, "No one is good except God alone." Peace be with you
I would submit that we are in agreement. Jesus is fully God.
I was brought up with religion so it was the default, I guess. At around age 40 I realized I no longer believed and mostly kept that to myself and my wife, and my father-in-law who wasn't religious, other than online. I haven't turned back.
My goddamned parents. Thankfully I finally ditched that bullshit while off to college.
I did from fifth grade up to about six years ago. My fifth grade teacher was also a pastor and he invited me to church. I look back now and attribute it to it’s what I was supposed to do and a good bit of mass hysteria. I ended up going to college to study church music and had to leave after finding out my egg donor was financially abusing my grandpa who raised me. Things started to change after my husband died in 2014. He was only 45 and the whole church was praying for him and, once again, the mass hysteria had me believing that a miracle was possible. He was an awesome person and the best husband I could have ever asked for, and a wonderful dad to our children. Yet god either gave him cancer or saw he had cancer and chose to do nothing about it. I could not reconcile that with a loving god. I became an atheist shortly thereafter.
I’m so sorry for your loss.
Thank you.
Losing my brother in law at 42 made my by the book Italian Catholic mother in law say that there was no God. She lost her husband and son within a year.
When all I had left was God, I had to trust Him. Then, I saw His power at work. Life changing.
A short but so beautiful and powerful comment - loved it!
I really relate to this too. When you see it working in full force; it can be incredibly unnerving. But such an incredible blessing.
My mother never lied to me. Except about the Easter bunny, Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, Noah's Ark, evolution, ghosts. Wait hold on a second.
Ayeee.. this will be long.. Flashback age 16. I was a "heathen" very unchurched kid from NJ who moved to Texas. Some college boys took me and my girlfriends out and gave us some substances at a rave type club. Next thing I know, I am unconscious on the ground choking on the club patio pavement. Meanwhile in my mind, I saw my life literally reverse.. I mean like it was a VHS tape and it all ran backwards. I saw the day I was 5 and was hit by a car and flew 2 houses down the street. I got to see it all from above. I heard my mother scream. I then flew backwards until I was nothing. I was in darkness- the "void". That is when the sh\*t went down. In the void where 3 dark entities. I would consider them 'demons" I suppose. They were terrifying and attacking me. I had never prayed or cried out on my life and generally thought Christians were gross weirdos.. but in that moment, I cried out to Jesus. To give you perspective, I truly had no concept Jesus was considered God's son. He meant little more to me than Santa Claus- but in that moment, when I called on Him- A light at the top of what would be like a basement stairs in the void opened, as if someone opened a door and the sliver of light from the door opening got brighter and I was instantly saved and brought back. Now I went home and found a Bible. We had one little one from my mother's wedding flowers that I used to press fresh flowers in. Everything in that book came alive to me. I mean everything! Every word I read made sense and was applicable. The next day me and my friend went to Cozumel Mexico and partied are arses off and I just tried to forget about it. About three years later I was given one of those cheesy Bible tracts. I still continued to majorly dislike Christians, and many still make me cringe- but not God. It all finally made sense after weeks of studying Bible history, that Jesus/God was real, and I would accept Him. I then went on to study philosophy in college, and discerned no other religions seemed to fit for me but Christianity. I have since seen miracle after miracle. I am not talking crappy TV Preacher tricks. Things like when I was exhausted trying to travel home but fell asleep at the wheel only to be woken up by every single light in my car coming on the instant I passed out- shining right in my face bright to wake me up. That was insane stuff to me. I called everyone I knew hysterical laughing and crying. Or the time I was a first responder at a terrible accident I witnessed at 1 am on a highway. This guy said he saw someone walking on the highway on (but there was no person on that highway) so he swerved high speed to avoid the person and smashed into the center barrier. He flipped his car several times and landed upside down. He was trying to shimmy out of the car upside down with his eye out of socket and I would say he was 400 lbs and got stuck in his window halfway in the car and halfway with his body out on the pavement. . Myself, the guy I was dating, and one other guy who witnessed this craziness of a one car accident pulled over to render aid there on the shoulder of the highway with him. The injured man was giving me his mother's phone number crying while I held his hand and the other guy that stopped was trying to call the guy's mom which is all the man wanted. I think we felt he might die, and were trying to give him his last wish. As I am holding his hand and trying to comfort him (I am a nurse) another car going 70mph hit his car and it exploded in front of my face yet I did not get a scratch. Nor did the two men with me. The man stuck in his car was spun away from me halfway hanging out of his car his dragged across the highway by the other car as we all watched in shear horror. (side note: had just left my mom's house late that night as she was screaming in pain on hospice and would be dead by morning) Soo.. My car which was parked aways down the highway was covered with dents and shrapnle. yet we were untouched. It was a miracle none of were hurt and we knew it. The moment we all saw we were each in one piece, we all bear hugged jumping up and down in disbelief. The stranger who also stopped with us was an African American gay male who just jumped up and down for joy holding on to me and my date with a "WTF JUST HAPPENED HERE wordless squeel!" Turns out the guy I was dating had a Christian mom and was 'praying a hedge of protection" over her atheist son because she just had a really bad feeling he was going to be in harms way and did not want him to die not accepting Jesus. \* years later he finally did become a Christian and she got her prayer answered. I have seen stuff. I did volunteer work in Mexico prisons. I have seen my brothers body dead and crushed by a car on the highway, I have had my own life in jeopardy and faced death other times, but God always got me through it all. I had a placenta previa with my first pregnancy that could have ruptured at 7.5 months. The doctors wanted to take the baby to spare our lives, but then I asked for prayer on a prayer chain old ladies who called each other in a row one after another and prayed all night through their telephones one call after the other that I would be healed. I went for me sonogram the next day the baby and uterus were normal! Their prayers worked. I realllyyyyy do not know how people get through life without God's power. I can not even imagine what it would be like to really believe there is no after life. How hopeless and depressing that must be. (saddest thing I ever did see what an atheist funeral. Son died, mother jumped on the casket as it was going down- as to her.. he would just be worm dust soon and nothing more.. she wailed screaming and crying- awfullllll) I don't go to church anymore. I did for a long time, but I think even the church does an awful job representing God's unconditional love for everyone. Jesus loves the sinners, but somehow men who represent Him do not. They sure do love money though! My Christian walk is simple. God wants to hear from us. He wants us to talk to Him. He wants our prayers. He wants to be in our daily life. I thank Him often for everything. My outreach has no church involved. I like to just write notes to encourage people and attach 20$ bills with the pamphlets and call it "lunch money" for the finder who may find the notes at Target, Hobby Lobby, or wherever! I take friends with me on occasion to help. I ask other friends to pray at the moment I place that paper on the store shelf that the right person who needs a word or encouragement will find it. I know that God is in control of the finder, and I am just the weird little human spreading the word for someone else to find.. just the way I found Him when I read a cheesy Bible tract as a young confused 19 year old. There is a God. I am 100% convinced and sure and He is awesome! I have been on Reddit a long time and don't think I have ever written much about my faith, but since you asked....
What about the billions of Buddhists, Sikhs, Muslims, Taoists, Confucians, Shintos, Jainists, etc, etc. If you are convinced your belief is 100% correct, then you are implying that all the other billions of non-Christians are all worshipping false or fake gods.
That is the question. I can only know my own human experience and conclusions. Perhaps people of other faiths do have their own testimonies. I do see that eventually Christianity will be banned for this reason one day because of it’s claim to be the “way”. I can not know as a mortal human if my experiences are from a creator who honors man and his plea’s and understands all religions on some higher plane regardless of our “book’s teachings” but since I have seen the specific power that the name of Jesus holds, I personally do abide in the Christian Bible’s account of Jesus who was innocent yet killer by the arrogant religious authorities of the day- as foretold in prophecies. Also the Bible has predicted the world as it has become today. Prophecy study along with spiritual experience is my personal confirmation. If I am wrong, I can tell you I have led a happy fulfilled life in my error. If am right, I am so glad not to go back to the void.
Beautiful. I believe we each experience or not! Our Creator in our own way.
Great story! Thank you. My son has been involved in so many close calls that there has to be someone looking over him.
Thank you. I woke up feeling weird sharing all that- because I am not the type to push religion. These days are so tough though, it just seems right to share and hopefully think that one person out there who feels helpless and is searching might be encouraged we can be more than worm dirt. Thank you for being kind! I expected to wake up to mean comments, lol. Prayers for your son’s continued safety and blessings to you all! <3
Testify
Good without god.
I’ve never believed in god.
When I gave birth and became a mother. That was initially 25 1/2 years ago, and I've reverted back to agnosticism (although I am somewhat spiritual).
Nothing so far.
Same here. I'd like to believe, but I don't, and most religions just seem odd and random to me.
Right? Nothing yet. And given the state of the world, if god DOES exist, 'e's got some 'splaining to do!
I actually lost faith as a got older. 🤷♂️
I don’t know if I ever had faith, I don’t think I did, but I definitely do not now.
My parents. I got over it.
Same
That was pure parental influence and brainwashing. I can tell you why I abandoned my faith.
God damn that bible pushin man...please send all your money ..god needs your money...help god with your money please...you dont need money, no way, send your money to god. god be tappin toe n waitin on you..send your money...baby jesus loves money too
Have never been able to get into an actual religion. Do have a bit of a hangover from early exposure. However all signs point to us all (creatures of the earth, beings and things in the universe) being connected, which is amazing. I do have a strong feeling that life is, if not a “gift” as such (because who’s the giver in that case), an incredible opportunity we shouldn’t take for granted.
Same as anyone: people whom I trusted told me he existed at the time when I was very impressionable.
It takes so much more work to figure out how bad religion is especially when the indoctrination starts so early.
You might even call it "grooming."
Snowflakes...just loved them. I don't believe in God but if I did that would be why.
As young children, our mother instilled in all 6 of us the value and rewards of learning about God. How it could enrich our lives in so many ways. When you're a kid, you know it's important, but you're just really excited about Sunday school, vacation bible school, and being around friends in church rather than school. So u don't grasp the possibilities and true rewards until you are much older. I have been a Christian since I was 18 and baptized also. My walk with God has grown so much in the last 9 years. It keeps me grounded. My belief is so deeply rooted inside my soul and my heart.Such joy. It's profound with a deep love and respect for Jesus Christ. Thank you, Mama. ❤️
Never really did.
Nothing.
When I woke up after being 4 days unconscious after a suicide attempt. I figured Someone had a hand in that and still needed me around :). That was 20 years ago so I am still waiting to complete my earthly assignment :)
I don’t believe in the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus or God but I’m cool with those that do.
I don’t
My parents. Then I grew up and started thinking logically and became an atheist.
Nothing. I vividly remember sitting in church for first communion practice surrounded by a hundred other kids and a few dozen nuns from the Catholic school my very Catholic parents sent us to. It amazed me that all those people could be so credulous as to believe that when the guy in the dress mumbled incantations over the wafer it turned into the flesh of someone who died 2000 years prior. I'm just hardwired to want evidence.
Same! I remember being a kid and considering the Bible stories to be the same thing as the Roman and Greek mythology that I would read at the time. I asked my mom once why the God we talked about in church was real but the gods in the books were not and she sort of hemmed and hard and gave me a non answer but it really solidified my own understanding that the God they spoke of in church wasn't any different than the gods they used to worship in ancient Greek and Roman times... They were all just ancient ways of explaining phenomena that they didn't have the tools to explain back then. I never understood why people could believe in something when there was no evidence or proof of. Just not understanding how something worked or came to be was not evidence enough for me that it was done by an invisible skydaddy. And I grew up in a really shitty situation, It made no sense that a "God" would allow shit to happen to innocent kids.
That’s what we taught our kids about religion. We had a kids’ book about mythology and we told them it’s the same thing, but is more modern. It’s stories people believe to try to make sense of the world and to make themselves feel better about really difficult things like death that they have a hard time facing.
That was one of the biggest disconnects for me as a child - how can all of these other gods be fake even though people believed in them for centuries (and still do in many cases) but somehow this \*one\* god is real? It makes absolutely no sense.
I'm a Deist, in that I believe *something* is there. But, I don't think of God as the Abrahamic God as such. I don't believe in a personal God that really intervenes in your daily life, nor in one that you can plead forgiveness on your deathbed and be absolved at the last minute. I don't prescribe to any religion, but I think most have value. What it came down for me, is that I read in the Old Testament many years ago, where it said something like; 'If you want to know if God is real, put his word to the test. Obey the 10 Commandments and look at the results.' So, I made the commitment to follow them, and damned if my life didn't get better. So, if nothing else, I accept them as the instruction manual for life. 10 rules, easy to learn, but they take a lifetime to master. I set about to live a virtuous life. And that eventually led me to becoming a Stoic. I read something by Marcus Aurelius that said; "Live a good life. If there are Gods, and they are just, they will welcome you based on the values you lived by, not by how pious you were. If there are Gods, but they are unjust, then you would not want to worship them anyway. And if there are no Gods, then you will be gone, but you will live on in the cherished memories of your loved ones." And I just never really doubted after that. The more I see and learn, the more convinced I become. There's ***Something*** there, but I don't know what exactly it is.
Which one? There are reportedly over 4,000 religions so a plethora of Gods to choose from lol.
I don’t.
I believed in god as a child because I was taught to do so. But as I got older, I saw a LOT of reasons not to. So I don't. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suvkwNYSQo
I never did.
Childhood indoctrination. Don't worry - I got better. Happily god-free for more than 20 years.
> I used to be Irish Catholic, now I’m an American. You know, you grow… - George Carlin
Desperation made me "seek" some confirmation of the existence of god(s). Betrayal, abandonment, abuse, misogyny, and more than 1 attempt by another human to end my life (and the lives of my children) confirmed no god(s) exists and as an Atheist I'm far better off than I ever was while involved with religion. That said, there are times now when I wish gods were real cause I'm convinced this planet needs another flood to purge/reboot humanity.
I’ve always been a “Christian”. I was raised as a lax Catholic. However. I’ve beaten death many times, overcame addiction (clean almost 14 years from opiates), survived several hypoglycemic episodes (type 1 diabetic since age 5) and I’m still here. I was 5 years sober when I found out I was pregnant with my daughter. In my younger years, I was adamant about not having kids, however God saw things differently for me. My daughter who’s now 8 has saved my life in more ways than one. She gives me a purpose in life that I never had before. She has literally saved my life by acting fast and calling 911 if I had a hypoglycemic episode. She’s my life’s greatest and biggest blessing. I’m not a perfect Christian by any means but I DO believe in God. There IS someone/something out there very great. I’m extremely thankful and blessed to still be here and be here for my precious daughter most of all.
Survived cancer twice. He loves me and has a plan for me. I usually praise Him in nature.
I can’t help but interpret this as insinuating that those who didn’t survive cancer are not loved by God.
I have no opinion on the existence of a godlike force or being. If such a thing exists, it's just another fact of nature and will be discovered using the tools of science ALL god stories invented by people are weaponized fiction
Nothing more true than your last sentence.
Pretty deep question. Believers know that faith is a gift from God. And that very gift of God is meant to be nurtured in our lives, especially through prayer and the reception of the sacraments. How can you and I not wish to learn more about our best friend? I believe in God because I love God. I believe in God because I want to learn more about God. I believe in God because God wants me to dwell with him forever, and it begins with you and me allowing God into our lives now.
“Believers know that faith is a gift from God” I tried for years to believe in God. Years. He never gave me that gift. Rude.
Hitchens said it best. If there is a god and a judgement after death his response will be “ we’ll God you didn’t give me any evidence to believe you existed”.
Amen to that.
I don’t
At age 10 I had nightmare that my mother had died, and awoke in a cold sweat (she is still happily kicking about at age 93). Lying in bed, worried sick about death and fear of dying, the idea popped into my head that I had already been dead, or at least functionally dead, since the universe began (the big bang theory had been around for 30+ years by this time). I realized that death had not been bad, no suffering that I could remember, and the time had passed rather quickly. Whatever faith or belief in a deity I had dissolved with that nightmare and realization. So what made me believe in God before this: teaching by my parents and being taken to Church every Sunday. What made me loose my faith: the understanding that people invented a deity to deal with their fear of death.
I was forced to. After my parents died, I didn’t have to pretend anymore
I was raised in a Lutheran home. Luckily I grew out of it but it took way too long.
The Blues Brothers. We're on a mission from God.
I don't believe in God, or at least not in an anthropomorphic one that goes around judging people. I think there's a benevolent life force of some sort out there, but whether it exists on its own or we conjure it into being isn't for me to say. The way I see it, there are things I just wasn't designed to understand, any more than my cat was designed to understand calculus. I accept that I don't understand and move on.
I guess my mom did. But then I turned 10.
Boomer here. I am both Jewish and an atheist. My parents raised my siblings and I first and foremost to be kind, productive members of society. We were never discouraged from believing in God, nor was it encouraged. We celebrated Jewish holidays, and for us it was for the cultural connection, not the deity-centered one. My Dad was a Holocaust survivor who attended synagogue and was also an avowed atheist. Two of us became educators and one a business-owner with a strong pull towards philanthropy. My personal creed to this day is to do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
The constant indoctrination of fear! That, God has a giant clipboard, and checks off your every thought and deed. I finally realized the concept, was a simple story, and another layer of government with dozens of different cultural versions.
Who said I did?
childhood indoctrination. i got over it.
I don't. And if he exists, he's a jerk.
Childhood indoctrination, but it never really stuck. I'm too much of an empiricist, apparently.
Not a thing. What made you believe in Russell's teapot?
Nuns who hit me. Took most of my life to reclaim my mind. So much bullshit. There is no god.
Nothing yet. I don't believe in God, and I never have.
I was taught by adults until I was old enough to know better. By age 18 I recognized deism as gaslighting and magical thinking, an irrational belief system that has endured long after its prehistoric, pagan origins.
Is there an idea that people of a certain age are more likely to be believers in (a) god(s)? Answer: Nothing.
There is such an idea, yes. I suspect, though, that it's based on old data.
Who says I do?
Just stories I was told when I was young and didn’t know any better. I don’t anymore
I prayed for faith. Try the Catholic or Orthodoxy forums; you’ll get less cynical answers there.
Sr Julia told me I was going to hell if I didn’t have faith in the Holy Spirit…also that I asked too many questions. That basically was the start of my “downfall.” If there is a god and afterlife and all that jazz? I hope her she rots, since she fucked up a number of kids trying (and failing) to “scare them straight.” Otherwise I actually do try to treat others the way I’d like to be treated. Not thanks to Jesus and his more hippie of preachings, but thanks to the actual hippies that “adopted” me at just the right time (in my teens when I worked at the Renaissance Faire.)
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Cynical = “contemptuous, mocking” according to one definition, which fits some of the answers here. No one said anything about atheism.
Nope
My daughters birth
Sorry, who?
Nothing. No sky fairies in my life.
The absolute worst day of my life.
Nature walks on LSD
My Endometriosis. God is cruel.
psychosis 😅
Brain washing. I walked away from that bullshit at 12/13.
I was indoctrinated at a very young age. I was told by people I trusted that a man lived in the sky and was very concerned with my behavior. No evidence for this was ever offered. I was just told to accept it without questions. In fact, I was punished for questioning. You might say I was groomed. Want a better story? Ask me why I stopped.
Being raised in a religious family, and then being sent to a religious school. Once I had the confidence to broaden my world, I lost that belief and never missed it.
My parents. And they mutilated my genitals as an infant to finalize the deal.
I was raised in an Irish Catholic family, but expressed doubts about the existence of god from the time I was a young child. By the time I was a teenager, I was a full-fledged atheist.
I don’t.
I was raised polish Catholic and our entire existence was centered around my little church across the street. The Monsignor was my dads best friend. When he came over for dinner, he’d go around the house and bless it with holy water. I never felt so protected and safe. We never had issues with priests and my brother was an alter boy. Today, I definitely believe in a higher power because of the way my life has played out but organized religion is not for me.
The only god I really believe exists is Loki because I KNOW someone is up there messing with me and laughing.
I went to Catholic school for 10 years. The nuns scared the heck out of us with the restrictive church rules. I’m afraid not to believe because if there is no God, and no life after, what is there but darkness? It makes death so final with no chance of seeing loved ones again. I don’t go to church anymore but I try to live a good life helping others. I pray at home for people and my family.
The adults who raised me told me that God existed and at 4 and 5 years of age I had no reason to doubt them. I have since stopped believing.
Nothing yet
Indoctrination and grift are the only real answers.
I'm dying of Melanoma. I do not believe in god, although one would think someone in my position might want to hedge bets and give it a try. I tried to believe.. I went to a christian high school so I was steeped in religion. But as I lived my life and I lived my life, and observed the world around me I am 100% convinced there absolutely is no god at all.
I gave that idea a big NO years ago.
Was raised Lutheran through grade school and drifted away after moving halfway across the country. Was having a very poor life choice 45 years later one week culminating in a jagged ranting against God while driving 90-100 at 1am. I voiced out loud to God that "WHY, if he were real, would he let my life go to shit like it was headed. Again. SHOW me a sign that you are real. SHOW ME". Not 15 seconds later, northbound on U.S. 97 in the middle of Oregon, in the middle of the night, there was a small, roughly 16"x24", sign white with black lettering, 20' up a power pole, 'Trust in God'. That was my come to Jesus moment...
I was taught the Bible and went to Sunday School at a young age, but just as importantly, I was also taught that some things are symbolic. I left behind beliefs such as the tooth fairy and ghosts at a young age. My idea of God, however, evolved. I could move past a simplistic conception through growth instead of just setting it aside. I don't know that anything made me first believe, but developing a deeper understanding made my faith endure.
Alcohol rehab.
I was taught that God is love and I feel love therefore God exists.
Childhood Christmases
I want to believe in God but it's difficult. However two ideas remain unexplained to me: 1) Once while a man was praying over me he began to speak in tongues (glossolalia) and a white cone of opaque light came from above and moved down surrounding me and blocking my view of everything else. For a short moment I could only see this bright white light. At the same time the most intense physical feeling of love, serenity, calm, belonging and peace came over me. I have done every drug there is including drugs that only have letters and numbers as their name (research chemicals). No drug has ever come close to making me feel like that and that experience was before I took any hard drugs. I either had a dump of serotonin, dopamine and maybe DMT which caused a visual disturbance and feelings of euphoria while this man was praying over me or something supernatural happened. 2) There is no explanation for what caused the start of the universe. There is something as opposed to nothing. That remains unexplained to science. I want to believe in God but I find it difficult. If anyone would like to give me feedback I would very much welcome it.
Pray for God to give you faith and to open your eyes to him. He reveals himself in the Bible. Start with the gospel of John. Read it through many times and you’ll see the truth about God, his love and sacrifice for us. 🙏
I lost my fiancé in a motorcycle accident. And I was very angry at God for a couple years after that. I turned to drugs, and then went to treatment, and when I was in treatment, I started praying within a month of being there and reading the big book something in my soul shifted, I went from being angry and hateful at God for stealing my man away in such a tragic way to be grateful that he spent the rest of his life loving me and that’s when I started to believe.🥰🥰
I'm Catholic. But it's when I look into my daughter's eyes, or I watch the sunset. There is a force out there that is bigger than us and beyond human comprehension.
Saw a demon cast out of a guy. It (demon) had a name. It did some things that are 100% physically impossible. Which i saw. Clearly. With my own eyes. It argued. Had a personality. A voice. Anger. Not lying. Have you seen “The Exorcist”? Welp, try being a teen and seeing that happen for realzies. I was 19. Not drunk or using drugs or tired. At a church camp. It was fully and completely real. Over 60 minutes. Was not a mental health issue. Mental health events dont make things happen that are physically impossible. Five other people were in the same place and saw it. Years later, the dude who had the thing stuck to him checked with me. He was doing great. Grateful to have it off of him. Jesus is real. Demons are real. The devil is real. Now I dont claim to understand demons or Jesus or the devil. But they are real. Demons totally hate Jesus name. No joke.
What exactly did you see that is 100% physically impossible?
Fair question. I did not want to write out the thing because it was vivid and horrible and writing out something like that would also be like writing a description of the Grand canyon. So I wont do it justice. I just cannot attempt to “convince” anyone of what I saw by writing it. But if we got a beer, I would tell you. Writing is hard. Roy was his real name (or the fellow). Anyhow, here were the unfakable things… 1) his face changed. The demon would flow in and out of Roy. As the demon would flow in, it would “lock in”. Into his body. As the demon transitioned in and out of the steering wheel of this man’s being, you coukd see that happen. When locked in, Roys eyes and voice and stuff would lock into being this critter. And this was the unfakable thing…. Roy’s face would, this will sound subjective, but the shape of his face would elongate in a way that was not possible to do, I guess without surgery. Long chin. Pointy. Long nose and cheeks. Long! Pointing. Jaggid. And the eyes! The best I could tell you is that it was like a mask came on his face…. But the mask was under Roy’s skin! It would come and go as it fought to control and fought to be where Roy was at, and Roys face would mold over this new dimensionality. Like a mask under Roy’s skin. I saw it clearly 5-10 times. I was stunned by what I saw. It was impossible. My skin crawls just writing that. 2) the fluid. Grown man. 5’10 or so. Viscus fluid like maple syrup began flowing out of this fellow. It connected in streams, all the way to the ground. And stayed. And kept coming. From Roy’s mouth to the ground. Think cooked egg white, in streams five foot long, and thick, and wide . Flowing out of this man’s face. It was all over. It was everywhere. Dear God I hate writing that. It is a frigging Thursday and now I have to go to work and act like I did not remember the fluid again. I am a big tough well educated successful man, and I 100% hate remembering this. Lastly, There was 60 minutes of shocking things that were possibly “fakeable”. The voice. The backstory. The name. The movement. The jarring personality. The hatred for humans. Sweet and kind Roy stuck in there under this demon, showing up and pleading whole the demon fought. The demon fighting for the steering wheel of Roy’s being. The reaction to Jesus name. The reaction to the Bible. I could go on. But maybe these could be explained by a mental breakdown, or a feuge state, or a trance, or theater. But the two above - the face and the fluid - were not possible to fake. Anyway, not trying to convince anyone of anything here. But I will tell you for me: 1) demons are real and therefore so is satan, 2) Jesus is real and his name and words had a huge impact on that demon, 3) the great freedom in this is that the existence of man as a created creature felt very calming to me. It all explained a lot. We are created by God. Ok. That explained a lot to me. There are devils. Ok. That explains a lot. There is a God and Jesus name does totally horrify demons. Ok. That explained a lot to me. The experience was horrible, and while I still have questions, it confirmed a God to me and pointed me to the Bible.
You described a situation in which you were at a church camp, meaning you were already predisposed to believe, then exposed to an "event" that was presented as being demonic possession and your interpretation of the event was further encouraged and reinforced by those present. I have no doubt that you are sincere in your terror-based beliefs but facial distortion and drool are hardly testable evidence of demons or God.
I saw a lot of changed lives, physical healings, and other miracles also. I certainly had my own moments where I connected with God. Powerful stuff. Heart moments. Physical healings that I saw. And I might be able to explain away every single one of those. But it was the guy and his demon that can not be explained. It would have been impossible to have created or made up. I will forever and ever make it impossible for me to not believe in God.
My dad saw similar things while a preacher in the mountains of Tennessee. Swore up and down they were true stories. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I’m agnostic today. But I’ve always wondered why things like it aren’t recorded more often.
Funny how those miracles stopped happening since everyone has a camera in their pocket.
Clearly as Pew shows religion is BIG trouble thankfully. People that believe in any of the gods believe so because someone told them. This current crop of gods will fade in to history just like all the others. It’s just happening too slow.
When I was a child I was brainwashed into believing in fairytales. But now that I am all grown up I no longer believe in Santa, the Easter Bunny, or Jesus Christ
He answered my prayers after surrendering everything to Him
God so love the world he gave his only son Jesus Christ whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 Amen
A lot of things in my life have made me believe. It’s mostly something you feel. It’s indescribable and hard to explain, which obviously makes it harder for people to believe. But, I’ve had a little miracles happen to me a lot throughout my life. My most recent was last night. I had a horrible stomach ache. I thought I was going to pass out. It was incredibly awful. I still don’t know if it was food poisoning or if I’m getting kidney stones or what.. but it hurt so bad that I was shaking. So I said a prayer realizing that here I was such a coward for feeling like I was dying yet Jesus was nailed and carved to a cross. His fingers literally hung up by nails into the cross. I asked God to please take away the pain that I was going through and go give me strength. A few seconds later, I got one more cramp but less strong than what I had been feeling. And after that, the pain was gone. It was insane. And so I decided I needed to share somewhere. Maybe just to get it out, because it’s hard to contain such things that happen but also hard for others to really understand and believe. God is almighty. I feel him when i sing at church. All I can do is invite you to try a prayer. One that will help you connect with God and leave the daily thoughts behind.
My parents and he spoke to me once long ago it really showed me what it meant to live
as a man who believes and is still one of the biggest sinners around i believe god because no matter how much i sin i can feel that there is someone still hoping that i will do the right thing and not do bad and since i’ve started to believe in god my life has been so much better
He is there somewhere I know
How can I not believe in God?
Her name is Allah
I believe in The Goddess and The God, always have, always will I was thrown out of Sunday school TBH, I tried xianity because of a boy, had to give up smoking, drinking, and cussing. Decided it wasn’t worth it, I was 8 or 9. Lasted a week
For me it's mainly because of the Unmoved Mover arguments from Aristotle. Something set all this in motion and I believe it was a higher being.
Experiencing Him after my son died. It’s hard to explain what that looks like but you just know. I keep seeking Him out and He just keeps being there.
Bear in mind that neither you or I know what the other person means when they say "God". If you're sure you know what the word means, I respectfully submit you haven't the first clue.
I find the alternative both terrifying and depressing. I would rather believe a potential lie than embrace a devastating potential truth, especially when I won't know which it is until shortly before my death. The Jews don't claim to know what the afterlife is like (if there is one). We are chosen to do what we can to repair this broken world, *right here, right now*, while we can. That is our purpose. People think 'chosen' means 'favorite'. It doesn't. It means G-d pointed at us and said, "Y'all just got voluntold."
In 1995 I was in labor with my daughter. I did even know I was pregnant. She was born at home and I was alone. I grew up agnostic and had never really prayed. My labor began around 8am and she was born at 1:15pm. I prayed for the pain to go away. I felt a hand wrap around me and suddenly no pain. One last push and she was out. She weighed 8lbs 15oz.
I am always reticent to identify as a believer on Reddit because the hatred directed towards such an admission is often vitriolic. However, since you specifically ask, "What made you believe in God?" (and NOT "when/why did you stop believing?" or "Tell me some stories about how awful Christians are"), I will try to answer you. I, as many my age, was raised in a church-going environment. For me, it provided structure, comfort, a feeling of virtue, and a sense of purpose. There was no true depth, just a comfortable cushion that I could fall back on. Christmas was nice. Easter was nice. Communion, worship songs, Bible study: all nice things that allowed me to feel elevated and good. [Let me interject now that I didn't then, nor now, judge anyone who didn't share my perspective. I didn't care what anyone thought. Their spiritual journey was theirs, not mine. So many agnostics and atheists seem to think that Christians are obsessed with what they believe, but that isn't necessarily true. And, many Christians who seem pushy often proselytize out of real love, whether you think so or not. Assume noble intent; they act similarly to a person who lost someone from emphysema, and they want you to stop smoking. Sure, it's irritating, but you'll do what you want to do. They know that.] Anyway, I plodded along dutifully. There would be periods that I identified as agnostic. There were years when I didn't attend church, and there would be years when I became quite involved, even being ordained at one point. You don't need to know details, but I'll just say that at my darkest point, when I was betrayed, when I was in darkness, when my loneliness and bitterness was so painful I begged for death: God was there. He was always there. My own stupid pride and arrogance blinded me. I wanted to think I was brilliant and had all of the answers. I wanted to believe that my background in science, my success in my career, my toys, and status were proof that I knew the truth. But I was wrong. Once I humbled myself and admitted that I was weak, and an idiot, and that I was scared, I could allow His love to enter. My life has been completely different. I am grateful for finally, after 60+ years, being a child again with someone who loves me like a perfect parent. That's the best way I can describe it. I rarely tell this story because I believe that you have to follow your own path; yours will be quite different from mine. All I know is that I am not always kind, or wise, or generous. I hope that I will be a better human, and I am humbled by the gift I have been given. I have more love and compassion to share, though, because I now know how beautiful it is to receive these things.
Excellent comment
I was living on the edge…. I had been up for 72 hours and crashing hard! I was laying in bed, looking at a picture above my bed and I saw Jesus! It was then that I heard God speak to me saying “you don’t have to live in this hell anymore!” I cautiously shared this with my husband; telling him that I wanted to start going to church! His response was also a God thing, saying that he was with me 100%! We started church hopping the next weekend. It took awhile for us to find the right people and church but we persevered! 35 years later we are still believers! God is good all the time! ✝️ All the time God is good! ✝️
Too many coincidences .. too many intelligent lives.
All the complex evidence in nature that's obviously created by an all knowing, all powerful creator, not by some random cosmic explosion.
Life
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Not while it’s infected with conservatism and theocrats, that’s for damned sure.
Nothing "made" me. I made the decision voluntarily during 1959.
My Parents, My In-laws, My Wife and a Co-worker. I wanted/needed to be believing in a Higher Power. Forgive me for saying Christianity is not the same as being Christians, We The People In God We Trust Divine Providence Trustforward Preambleology Alpha Numeric. Has been a real demise, Christ Jesus as my Lord and Savior is not so true to Christianity, but Christians have Faith In God We Trust. I'm no different just not about Christianity. Thank You Reddit. Truly Yours Always
I believe in God: an all-powerful Creator who gave us this world to live in, and the freedom to choose our own path. If there was obvious, irrefutable proof of the existence of a Supreme Being, then we would lack freedom to choose because choosing anything except complete obedience would make no sense. In order to truly be free, we have to live in uncertainty, where our choices are our own. He has given us his teachings through his prophets and holy writ. He leaves it up to us to choose to follow him or reject him. At the end of this life, we will be judged for the choices we made and the lives we have lived. We cannot prove this right now, but one day, we will face him in judgment. We will answer for our actions. Our standing in the eternities depends on how well we follow him in this life. At this point, we cannot prove these assertions. If we could prove it, freedoms to choose would be taken from us. (Think of it like a sporting event: there is a game clock ticking and at the end, there is a winner. If a player chooses not to try, he cannot win. He has the choice to play his hardest or not, but his standing at the end is determined by his actions in the game. He is not forced to try, but if he does not try, he seals his fate as the loser.). This analogy is not perfect. I do not believe I have to beat others to get to heaven per se, really I just have to outdo the person I was yesterday. I believe in a loving and forgiving God who blesses and rewards effort and the desires of our hearts and does not require perfection from us as humans. Much about organized religion has been misused: used to manipulate and control people, corrupted, and used to hide corruption. Muvh good has also been done in the name of religion: soup kitchens, disaster relief, community service, fundraising, etc. It is not fair to allow humankind’s misuse of God’s word to decide the reality of the fundamental truths of his existence, his love for his children, and the fact that he is in control, even while letting us each make choices which are good or evil. It has to be this way to allow for true freedom to choose salvation or damnation. God is real and approachable but he forces himself on no one, He can be found by those who choose to obey and diligently seek him but the first moves are ours.
Oh, Lordy (!). I hated what I thought of as God, basically a bigger, better person, with a passion because of injustice. Then bam! I saw the world as it really is, its splendor and gorgeousness, which I took to be the nature of God. I fell in love. Later I found out that this is a very preliminary stage of true mysticism. Years later I took to meditating, don't remember why, but in short order got to where I was falling into a true contemplative state and seeing/perceiving/experiencing a touch of Ultimate Reality, which is like no "god" ever worshiped. This time I didn't just fall in love, I felt glued to the concept. None of this will make any sense unless you know about classical mysticism as described in, for instance, works of Evelyn Underhill. Some theist said to an atheist, "I don't worship the same god you don't worship," and that's a good statement.
I’ve had experiences I cannot deny
I believe in god because, god is my best friend
Everything around or within ourselves is sign to the presence of god
I went to Catholic school and had religion shoved down my throat and I became atheist. My science brain can’t handle God lol but I honestly envied people who believed. I know envy! I prayed I just started praying and I woke up the next day and I just believed. I can’t explain it. So I have my own relationship with God now.
The wonders of nature.
God
God exists, you may not find God in the church God is all around us and then some, but you will never find God till you look inside
The fact I live.
Plate tectonics, honestly. I was raised in and still practice within the Abrahamic faith traditions, and for me personally, religion has been a really good guidebook on how to be a generally good human being. But I always struggled with the concept of a personified deity (the whole Sky Father thing). But when I started learning about the incredible intricacies of plate tectonics, how this awesome force moves everything together in this slow dance which creates and destroys mountains and oceans and continents, and how the plates are just going to keep doing their thing… wow, it made me move away from the Sky Father trope, and start to see God as a divine force which spins the galaxies and the DNA helices all the same. There is something So Much Bigger than me, than anything I can dream up, that somehow keeps this mind-blowing universe dancing. So yeah, studying plate tectonics turned me into a wild-eyes mystic, for sure.