Do you believe in God?

[applejacks]

Yes. I have two reasons, the first being observational and the second being personal.

1) Observational: There is far too much evidence that God exists.

Morally, we all know it's wrong to lie, steal, cheat, murder. We all believe in justice. We all desire to extend compassion. These come from God in perfect balance.

"Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!"
Isaiah 30:18

Creation is just too complex in its micro and macro design to have happened on its own.

"The Heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands."
-Psalm 19:1

Logically, all things creations have a creator. All designs have a designer.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
-Genesis 1:1



2) Personal reasons: I've had prayers answered and things occur in ways that are unexplainable.

-I was crying one day. I prayed for Jesus to mow my lawn because I was too sad. As I went outside to get started, my neighbor, who is this disgruntled old man that had never come over before, came over and told me to go inside my house. He pointed at his chest and he said "I'm mowing your lawn." I tried to split the yard with him and he pointed at his chest again and repeated himself.

-I was once moved to pray in the middle of a jog. I veered off into the woods to pray. When I stood back up, I realized I'd knelt in a patch of poison ivy. I never had a reaction, even though I've had reactions in the past.

-I once prayed for something to do on a quiet Wednesday. I felt God telling me to visit an elderly woman on the street that I had never met. When I walked over there, she was crying in her living room. She was lonely and upset, and it was her 86th birthday.


I have several pages of these types of things recorded in a journal. I could go on. There's just too much in my mind and experience to even doubt.

My reasons for entrusting my heart & soul to Jesus are too numerous to write here, however I'd be willing to discuss in detail at any time. And for the record, I considered other religions. In fact, I studied religions in college. China and Japan religions were the most fascinating to me, and that class ultimately became my favorite, as it was taught by a professor who had once practiced as a buddhist monk.

[Pa3s]

Morally, we all know it's wrong to lie, steal, cheat, murder. We all believe in justice. We all desire to extend compassion. These come from God in perfect balance.

Not all of us.


How about this explanation:

(First off: Let's assume human traits are (at least in part) hereditary. This is not such a strange thing to assume, as children do tend to resemble their parents not only physically, but also regarding their personalities.)

Over the course of history, people always had to rely on cooperation with fellow humans. Sometimes to a greater, sometimes to a lesser extent, but it was always necessary. However, some personality traits (for example lying, stealing, cheating, murdering) proved to be problematic in the community and people were aware of that. As a consequence, people who excessively made use of these destructive actions were shunned and had smaller chances to find a mate and have children. And even if they managed to reproduce, their children (if they resembled their parent regarding their personality) would have a difficult time as well to be included in the community, mate and reproduce.

However, if a person instinctively resented stealing and murdering, they would be regarded as a positive influence on the community. This would cause them to have less problems finding a mate and the support of the community. That means that their attitude towards destructive behaviors would, at some point, dominate over the more uncritical or indifferent opinions. And because many people share these sentiments, it appears as if god has ingrained these values in our minds. But in fact, our moralities would just be the result of trial & error over the course of millions of years.

[Beautiful sky]

Yes. I have two reasons, the first being observational and the second being personal.

1) Observational: There is far too much evidence that God exists.

Morally, we all know it's wrong to lie, steal, cheat, murder. We all believe in justice. We all desire to extend compassion. These come from God in perfect balance.

"Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!"
Isaiah 30:18

Creation is just too complex in its micro and macro design to have happened on its own.

"The Heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands."
-Psalm 19:1

Logically, all things creations have a creator. All designs have a designer.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
-Genesis 1:1



2) Personal reasons: I've had prayers answered and things occur in ways that are unexplainable.

-I was crying one day. I prayed for Jesus to mow my lawn because I was too sad. As I went outside to get started, my neighbor, who is this disgruntled old man that had never come over before, came over and told me to go inside my house. He pointed at his chest and he said "I'm mowing your lawn." I tried to split the yard with him and he pointed at his chest again and repeated himself.

-I was once moved to pray in the middle of a jog. I veered off into the woods to pray. When I stood back up, I realized I'd knelt in a patch of poison ivy. I never had a reaction, even though I've had reactions in the past.

-I once prayed for something to do on a quiet Wednesday. I felt God telling me to visit an elderly woman on the street that I had never met. When I walked over there, she was crying in her living room. She was lonely and upset, and it was her 86th birthday.


I have several pages of these types of things recorded in a journal. I could go on. There's just too much in my mind and experience to even doubt.

My reasons for entrusting my heart & soul to Jesus are too numerous to write here, however I'd be willing to discuss in detail at any time. And for the record, I considered other religions. In fact, I studied religions in college. China and Japan religions were the most fascinating to me, and that class ultimately became my favorite, as it was taught by a professor who had once practiced as a buddhist monk.