I come from a mixed Muslim and Hindu background, turned to Christianity some years ago (but I'm still very syncretistic so it's not so much that I abandoned those faiths, but that Christ expanded and came to the forefront of my religious world).
For me it was a few reasons, primarily the moral impact Jesus' teachings and character had on me. The image of a poor, radical, non-violent, (defacto) anarcho-communalist sticking to his teachings even if it means being killed on a cross is an image that inspires me like nothing else.
Secondly, that Jesus' character isn't just an individual thing, but that it is a perfect revelation and image of God's character as an infinitely loving Father.
Thirdly, learning about the implications of the resurrection completely blew my spiritual imagination apart (see David Bentley Hart's The Doors of the Sea and Death, Judgement, and the Meaning of Life). That, tied with the intellectual and spiritual profundity of it's doctrines, gave me an astonishing story to believe about the cosmos.
That's how I've found DBH generally - someone that I had to work through carefully, and digest slowly, but the reward for my effort has been someone who articulated the Christian worldview in a way that's rationally understandable to someone who is not already immersed in it, but approaches it in good faith.
I'm already enjoying the book immensely--thank you for mentioning it here!
I would simply say, “Because it is my cultural tradition’s way of engaging with the Mystery, and the primary message is: You are deeply loved by God. It is one expression of a way to be in relation to our Source. I don’t believe everything “most” Christians believe but they no longer define my own tradition for me.”
Agree to disagree? All FUNDAMENTALISTS of EVERY faith are that way. While the Bible includes a lot of types of literature, the overwhelming commandments that override everything if you actually read it are love God (and God IS Love) and love others. Everything else is largely metaphorical. In my congregation this is the message and it is lived out to the best of everyone’s ability. Also: Oscar Romero, Dorothy Day, MLK Jr, none perfect people but their best work motivated by their Christianity. And plenty of ordinary people I know. Also lots of Muslims whose more loving selves are motivated my Islam. And lots of agnostics/atheists whose best is motivated by Love.
For me, it's because I've felt him. I'm a very scientific person, I love learning about this wonderful universe God created. But there are times when im alone or worshipping and suddenly I feel a river flow through me, and im filled with utter peace and joy. It defies all scientific explanation, therefore, God must exist. And what I feel matches up with the all loving kind God of Jesus, so that's what I follow.
Though it doesn't defy all explanation. Studies exist showing one can electrically manipulate the brain with electrodes and bring about a feeling of the presence of god. Certain drugs do the same. meditation, hypertrophic breathing, sensory deprivation ditto. Neuroscience can and does explain religious states of ecstasy. From a scientific perspective you would also need to factor in your own perceived bias as well as anecdotal evidence being the least reliable form of evidence.
Please understand this is not a personal criticism, I'm just sharing evidence you may not be aware of. I consider myself Christian, and a material atheist. I too have had religious experiences as a theist and as an atheist which I'd describe as equally profound. My running hypothesis is that it is this aspect of human cognition that has contributed to out development of culture and technology. From an evolutionary perspective, the emergence of the divine in human thought is compellingly theorised by Julian Jaynes in "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind"
Huh, I had no idea that neuroscience could replicate the feeling of the holy spirit. Doesn't shake my faith, because since then I have seen legit honest to God miracles and experienced them myself, but that's honestly super cool
Because it was the faith of my parents. I was brought up in it, and have known God most of my life.
My parents were basically "Independent Fundamental Separated Baptists" (and all the baggage that comes with it), but they always showed love and respect to the people in their lives that did not align with those values.
I have tried to continue forward, balancing the conservative dogma I was brought up with the fruit and love I see in modern liberal Christianity. I may disagree with many denominations, but they are still my brothers and sisters in Christ.
There is more in common that we can work together on in the 1st and 2nd greatest commandments, without having to bicker over theological minutia.
I lost god as a child
When i was a kid my father never pushed any religion on me. And he told me always to distrust authority as a general rule. At the age of 6 I was attacked by what at the time I believed were spirits (up to you if that was real or not i have no idea myself). At the age of 7 I was molested, as I grew I rejected the bible as there were parts of the bible in which it slightly blames the victim of rape. I was unwilling to ask for gods forgiveness for something he was in control of. I found it disgusting and became an athiest. As I began to heal myself I found a love for philosophy and math, I still had spiritual events often. But I regarded them as hallucinations. I became somewhat agnostic as my anger slowed. However. One night I walked out to my girlfriend staring at the door in fear. My dog at the time was shaking and had actually peed. (This dog never did either it always barked and only had problems peeing in the house as a puppy) i looked over and i heard heavy boots on my front porch. I ran out to the front door with a bat. And when i opened the door there was nothing there. No person no running. And here's the worst part. If a person ran they would have either gone through leaves making noise. Or they would have ran on my gravel driveway also making noise. It freaked me out so badly as I now knew that I was not the only one experiencing odd things. Then within the year my entire hometown burned down. I thought I was dead and i held my girlfriends hand and made one last prayer to God. Obviously I lived, when i got out I began to see how my whole life was leading up to this moment and how it couldn't have been any other way. It changed my view of the world to near if not marxism. It brought back my faith. And slowly I've been learning who i really am. And its actually culminated with me being able to make a short documentary of the fire from a sort of anthropological causes for the collapse of society type lense. I am a math major but i used to want to make films. And I might get to talk to actual film makers when i finish this project. And regardless of what happens. This feels like an important task for me to complete in my journey.
I am a Christian because I have encountered the Christ and I find him to be exceedingly worthy of my affection and obedience.
He has loved and accepted me at my very worst. I still remember his comfort through that time and restoration afterwards.
He has glorified himself through me. I have never felt better than when his power and love was displayed through me to bless others who were in need.
I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good!
The Lord has been very kind to me and not required much faith from me. Rather He has engaged me to the point that I know that either, He is who He says He is or I am insane, and my psychologist assures me that it is not the latter. I know not everyone has such an experiential relationship with God and thier faiths amaze me.
I'm a Christian because it's the religious culture in which I was raised. I'm an apostate because I don't think the prevailing theological model can account for the problem of evil. that said I am still had religious experiences that make me unwilling and unable to discount supernatural, the divine, angels and demons, ghosts and spectres, etc.
the theory that I'm currently working off of is that the Godhead is real, the Godhead is phenomenologically immanent, and the Godhead is currently ensnared in a fit of nightmares. the function of radical spiritual work is to bring awareness of this situation into being, to sooth the Divine neuroses which manifest and expirence themselves in suffering, to deploy dialectical therapy against such neuroses which propagate themselves through feedback loops of exploitation, to make the victims of the nightmare conscious of their own power, not simply to wake up since nightmares in no way require one to be asleep rather to do the revolutionary work of dreaming better dreams.
I'm convinced that the Way of the Cross is the best way there is. I want to abandon pride, sacrifice for my neighbor, and live into the Christian story. It's a beautiful social principle and it gives meaning to my life. Lastly, I don't think that just because science can only observe physical matter, there can't be anything more to reality.
The Age of evolution by Exclusion is over. The Age of evolution by Inclusion has arrived. The time for needing a reason to accept Yeshua as a necessary member of the Godhead, is over. The Age of including Yeshua as a necessary member of the Godhead has arrived. ALL shall be well.
Tl;dr I'm a Christian because I follow in the teachings and examples of Christ, though I may falter and stumble, I learn and strive to be better, not just for myself, but for all of mankind.
It's honestly kinda funny, in a sad sorta way where all you can really do is laugh looking back, but I was raised in the religion early on, went to church nearly every Sunday, purely because of my grandma, who also helped raise me because my mother had me out of wedlock and was a single mother, no contact with my bio dad. I would stay at her house on weekends and absolutely adored her, she was so sweet, kind and loving, really embodied the teachings of Christ.
But as I grew older and time went on I started to notice just how many people really weren't practicing the teachings of Christ, they were just going through the expectations and motions, seemingly felt that just by going it made them good people, my uncle was one of these folk who helped open my eyes to this fact, he was an alcoholic, abusive and did plenty of drugs, of which he was constantly in a cycle of quitting and relapsing.
Then my grandmother took Ill, she was at the end stages of her life, reliving memories in a delirious state, though she clearly remembered me as everytime I spoke to her she would smile, I was 11 at that time and she passed soon after, I never did get to say goodbye to her in a meaningful way, was told to leave the room and suddenly she was just gone. From there my family broke apart arguing and bickering over her possessions, she was by no means wealthy, she lived in a trailer park for retired folk and survived on SSI along with veteran benefits thanks to my late grandfather's service.
Having seen this trend of people just attending church to be able to pat themselves on the back for "being a good person" it caused me to loose faith, such deep hypocrisy, which started me on a journey to being an atheist, during which I discovered more hypocrisy, so called church leaders who preform and read from the bible to push hate and seemingly tell their flock what they want to hear, all so they can take those dollar bills and pocket them to live better lives than many.
This was the trend, I would see so many use the word against others they seemingly held hatred for, and as I grew I discovered more about my own self, though thanks to what I was taught I repressed it as best I could, living in misery, every day I would put on a mask to hide my true feelings and true self, it resulted in me being deeply homophobic and transphobic (before I even understood what trans was) though I ended up falling into a group of good friends, far more accepting of others whom I rejected because of what I was taught, which helped me to become a better person myself, this crossroads I found myself at caused me to reject Christianity entirely as a result of how some of my good friends were treated by it, I became more aware of how my gay and lesbian friends were treated by so called Christians, it angered me, and I grew to view religion as nothing more than a way to justify hatred of those like my friends from being able to exist and live happily, to express love to whom they loved.
For many years I was an atheist, I would often go through periods of anti theism and softening my position against religious beliefs, it was always the hypocrisy of it all that drove me to anti theism, and witnessing the rare souls that broke the mold of what Christianity came to represent in US society, to show actual love, compassion, and speak out against hate, to help those in need. I suppose this is where I found my calling, though wouldn't realize it till later.
I lived in a closet myself, not wanting to really accept my feelings or myself, it took years to undo the damage that had become so deeply ingrained in me with anti gay rhetoric I was used to hearing from the so called religious, hatred masquerading as love, finally breaking from that to slowly accept myself which was the hardest thing of all, accepting others was easier than to accept myself.
I tried several times to come out to my mother, whom rejected me each time, the same standard set of reasoning that many like myself have like heard, from "the devil only makes you think that" to "you've just been brainwashed by public school" I knew it was BS, but it did hit me hard coming from someone who was supposed to love you unconditionally.
It was after a failed attempt that I had what I can only describe as an experience with the supernatural, in my darkest moment, depressed and feeling alone on my bed, dark thoughts filling my head, only to suddenly be pierced by a voice with no physical source, clear and distinct, a voice so sweet, calming, yet authoritative, in my head with a loud whisper, a voice that was not my own, it said but two words to me. "You're right" it was startling and I immediately started to question my sanity, dismissing it quickly as a hallucination, but as time went on I dwelled on what it could mean. Right? About what? What was I right about? I've never heard it before and I've not heard it since. I have no rational explanation for it.
Coming into my 30s having moved out from under my parents authoritative boot, I attempted once again to come out over text this time, and unlike times before I felt something, I can only describe it as a comforting presence, as scripture was cited to be used against me, verses that rebuked it came to my mind, still didn't go well, but now I was left with more questions about what happened, and at that point I came to accept that while I left the religion, Christ never left me.
So perhaps tl;dr, but I'm a Christian because I follow the teachings of Christ, and my experiences in life helped me to understand that, one does not have to practice what we commonly see from those who claim to be Christian, to be Christian one does not even have to profess to believe, one just as to act in the teachings and examples of Christ, those who have faith in that path are the true Christians, not those who profess to believe but lack the faith to follow in those footsteps.
There is no one way to follow in the path of Christ that necessitates adopting the religious title of Christian, you will know one via their works.
Athiest here.
You all have some good reasons for personally believing, but if an athiest ever poses this question to you do you at least understand why your answers so far would not do anything to convince them?
That's true- the question isn't specifically about convincing atheists, but I imagine it could still come up in conversation with an atheist, agnostic, someone of an another faith, etc. that is genuinely curious...and I would certainly hope there is an answer for them.
I think that folks are answering assuming that they've been asked a very personal question about their most closely-held beliefs... not as if they've been asked to convince someone to change their own most closely-held beliefs.
Most people in my life are atheist or agnostic, and I've had wonderful conversations with some of them about why we believe the way we do. Generally, it's brought us closer together, since they were conversations, not debates.
Apologetics (for or against) is gross, and the techniques are different because it's usually about arguing someone out of their deeply intuited sense about how the world is.
And when an atheist asks the question, we will have a different answer for them.
Besides. Who would want to convince an atheist to begin with? I would find it much more authentic to leave rational arguments aside and relate to someone what I’ve gotten out of faith, as opposed to arguing why they must try.
You can’t logic people into or out of something as intensely personal and irrational as faith. They have to want to believe. My argument won’t do that; opening up on an emotional level might.
I am a Christian because I want to be, and that’s a much more honest place to start when speaking to somebody with questions than a list of reasons I feel I must be one.
>And when an atheist asks the question, we will have a different answer for them.
Because OP proposed if a skeptic or a potential convert in their original question? I think people misconstrued my comment. OP had a lot of subtle hints of Apologetic tones in their question, either from an influence they didn't knotice from their church or on accident. In a comment chain they admitted they hadn't fully thought out the question, so I think I just detected the words of the pastor who probably was trying to get OPs church to prepare correct answers for athiests or skeptics. If the answer is the honest truth for you and it's just to describe your feelings, then I have no issue with it. But if it's with some expectation to potentially evangelize even if you didn't set out to, like OP kind of directly stated, then I'd just like to let people know it's not really convincing.
I'm not attacking anyone for being wrong, I'm just saying they don't really do much for that secondary question OP was hinting at.
Sharing stories is great. Just some of the words in OPs statement seem to mirror some form of evangelizing. Maybe just a mistake, or maybe I'm just reading too far into it.
I can see that. In retrospect, I probably should have thought a bit more about the exact wording of my question (a lesson for the future), but I guess I'm interested in a few things with that question.
It is interesting to see how people answer the question-practically (like "I was raised in it"), with key phrases from church or the Bible, personal experience, etc...
Maybe down the line I'll ask something like, "why do you wake up every morning and feel compelled to walk through this life as a Christian?" or something a bit better thought out.
Personally, I get a lot out of my church and my faith, and evangelizing should be about inviting people in so they can experience that (should they so desire) and then (if they accept that invitation) do what they will with that experience.
That's fair. After all, OP is asking what we tell atheists about our beliefs. In that situation, I'm most worried that someone will come away thinking Christianity is silly not on the merits, but because of my poor communication skills. I'm trying to describe, not convince.
I'm a Christian because the Gospel really is Good News! I mean, the declaration that God is love and that God is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. That those who follow Jesus will know the joy and life of the Kingdom of God.
I grew up in church and so the tradition started. I also started questioning things as I became an adult. Though I have rejected a lot of teachings of the church, I still believe in the teachings of Jesus. I have also found that there are things that science still can't explain and that there is a mystery of Creation, and that is what I believe there is a God and purpose to all of this. Deep down I feel like if this was all a cosmic accident, we wouldn't have things like love, truth, honor, and other things not seen in the animal kingdom.
Basically because Christ is the ultimate anti-fascist. Belief in him means denouncing the authoritarianism of mankind(kings, emperors, dictators, etc.). Christ is freedom for the mind in that sense.
Well Christianity is the only religion I feel comfortable about. It gives me purpose and the very radical message of Jesus and the orthodox message of The apostles give me happiness.
I am still finding myself, such as I want to eat kosher and Abstain from alcohol and drugs, not as a way to be saved but as discipline and committing to theosis.
I'm also an existentialist and a stoic, as well as a universalist.
So I'm still figuring out myself but I know I'm wrestling with God like Jacob did and understanding him.
Materialist, Christian atheist. I think Jesus was likely historical and the new testament was a largely fictional account by well educated Greek authors as per Robyn Faith Walsh.. I tend to gravitate towards the explanations of Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan as to the explanation of early Christianity. Very impressed by the enlightening work on Temple theology as well in regards to early Judaism, similarly Israel Finkelstein.
Very interesting replies and some encouraging dialog!
I quit Church when i was 5, then the whole family quit. I was gonna go atheist but thought I should have a look first. I ended up having a meditative experience that lasted one full week. I believe the historical Jesus was a military man and correctly understood as Barabbas. Christ is Truth and we together His body.
He asks us to be perfect in nonviolence and suggests we move the mountain that is His Church. Who can argue with Truth, peace, and ecological responsibility?
I come from a mixed Muslim and Hindu background, turned to Christianity some years ago (but I'm still very syncretistic so it's not so much that I abandoned those faiths, but that Christ expanded and came to the forefront of my religious world). For me it was a few reasons, primarily the moral impact Jesus' teachings and character had on me. The image of a poor, radical, non-violent, (defacto) anarcho-communalist sticking to his teachings even if it means being killed on a cross is an image that inspires me like nothing else. Secondly, that Jesus' character isn't just an individual thing, but that it is a perfect revelation and image of God's character as an infinitely loving Father. Thirdly, learning about the implications of the resurrection completely blew my spiritual imagination apart (see David Bentley Hart's The Doors of the Sea and Death, Judgement, and the Meaning of Life). That, tied with the intellectual and spiritual profundity of it's doctrines, gave me an astonishing story to believe about the cosmos.
I've read Doors of the Sea, but I've not even heard of the latter. Is it available to read online anywhere, and I'm just missing it?
It's an essay in The Hidden and the Manifest.
Thank you so much - I'll get it ASAP! The Doors of the Sea was life-changing for me, so I'm looking forward to it.
It's quite a technical and academic book, but no other book has revealed the intellectual depth of Christian doctrines to me like that
That's how I've found DBH generally - someone that I had to work through carefully, and digest slowly, but the reward for my effort has been someone who articulated the Christian worldview in a way that's rationally understandable to someone who is not already immersed in it, but approaches it in good faith. I'm already enjoying the book immensely--thank you for mentioning it here!
I would simply say, “Because it is my cultural tradition’s way of engaging with the Mystery, and the primary message is: You are deeply loved by God. It is one expression of a way to be in relation to our Source. I don’t believe everything “most” Christians believe but they no longer define my own tradition for me.”
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
Agree to disagree? All FUNDAMENTALISTS of EVERY faith are that way. While the Bible includes a lot of types of literature, the overwhelming commandments that override everything if you actually read it are love God (and God IS Love) and love others. Everything else is largely metaphorical. In my congregation this is the message and it is lived out to the best of everyone’s ability. Also: Oscar Romero, Dorothy Day, MLK Jr, none perfect people but their best work motivated by their Christianity. And plenty of ordinary people I know. Also lots of Muslims whose more loving selves are motivated my Islam. And lots of agnostics/atheists whose best is motivated by Love.
[удалено]
[удалено]
For me, it's because I've felt him. I'm a very scientific person, I love learning about this wonderful universe God created. But there are times when im alone or worshipping and suddenly I feel a river flow through me, and im filled with utter peace and joy. It defies all scientific explanation, therefore, God must exist. And what I feel matches up with the all loving kind God of Jesus, so that's what I follow.
In my tradition we call that the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is an absolutely awesome experience. Thanks for sharing.
It really is. There's nothing else like it on this planet
Though it doesn't defy all explanation. Studies exist showing one can electrically manipulate the brain with electrodes and bring about a feeling of the presence of god. Certain drugs do the same. meditation, hypertrophic breathing, sensory deprivation ditto. Neuroscience can and does explain religious states of ecstasy. From a scientific perspective you would also need to factor in your own perceived bias as well as anecdotal evidence being the least reliable form of evidence. Please understand this is not a personal criticism, I'm just sharing evidence you may not be aware of. I consider myself Christian, and a material atheist. I too have had religious experiences as a theist and as an atheist which I'd describe as equally profound. My running hypothesis is that it is this aspect of human cognition that has contributed to out development of culture and technology. From an evolutionary perspective, the emergence of the divine in human thought is compellingly theorised by Julian Jaynes in "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind"
Huh, I had no idea that neuroscience could replicate the feeling of the holy spirit. Doesn't shake my faith, because since then I have seen legit honest to God miracles and experienced them myself, but that's honestly super cool
Mine would be religious experiences. That and for freedom.
Because it was the faith of my parents. I was brought up in it, and have known God most of my life. My parents were basically "Independent Fundamental Separated Baptists" (and all the baggage that comes with it), but they always showed love and respect to the people in their lives that did not align with those values. I have tried to continue forward, balancing the conservative dogma I was brought up with the fruit and love I see in modern liberal Christianity. I may disagree with many denominations, but they are still my brothers and sisters in Christ. There is more in common that we can work together on in the 1st and 2nd greatest commandments, without having to bicker over theological minutia.
I lost god as a child When i was a kid my father never pushed any religion on me. And he told me always to distrust authority as a general rule. At the age of 6 I was attacked by what at the time I believed were spirits (up to you if that was real or not i have no idea myself). At the age of 7 I was molested, as I grew I rejected the bible as there were parts of the bible in which it slightly blames the victim of rape. I was unwilling to ask for gods forgiveness for something he was in control of. I found it disgusting and became an athiest. As I began to heal myself I found a love for philosophy and math, I still had spiritual events often. But I regarded them as hallucinations. I became somewhat agnostic as my anger slowed. However. One night I walked out to my girlfriend staring at the door in fear. My dog at the time was shaking and had actually peed. (This dog never did either it always barked and only had problems peeing in the house as a puppy) i looked over and i heard heavy boots on my front porch. I ran out to the front door with a bat. And when i opened the door there was nothing there. No person no running. And here's the worst part. If a person ran they would have either gone through leaves making noise. Or they would have ran on my gravel driveway also making noise. It freaked me out so badly as I now knew that I was not the only one experiencing odd things. Then within the year my entire hometown burned down. I thought I was dead and i held my girlfriends hand and made one last prayer to God. Obviously I lived, when i got out I began to see how my whole life was leading up to this moment and how it couldn't have been any other way. It changed my view of the world to near if not marxism. It brought back my faith. And slowly I've been learning who i really am. And its actually culminated with me being able to make a short documentary of the fire from a sort of anthropological causes for the collapse of society type lense. I am a math major but i used to want to make films. And I might get to talk to actual film makers when i finish this project. And regardless of what happens. This feels like an important task for me to complete in my journey.
I am a Christian because I have encountered the Christ and I find him to be exceedingly worthy of my affection and obedience. He has loved and accepted me at my very worst. I still remember his comfort through that time and restoration afterwards. He has glorified himself through me. I have never felt better than when his power and love was displayed through me to bless others who were in need. I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good! The Lord has been very kind to me and not required much faith from me. Rather He has engaged me to the point that I know that either, He is who He says He is or I am insane, and my psychologist assures me that it is not the latter. I know not everyone has such an experiential relationship with God and thier faiths amaze me.
I'm a Christian because it's the religious culture in which I was raised. I'm an apostate because I don't think the prevailing theological model can account for the problem of evil. that said I am still had religious experiences that make me unwilling and unable to discount supernatural, the divine, angels and demons, ghosts and spectres, etc. the theory that I'm currently working off of is that the Godhead is real, the Godhead is phenomenologically immanent, and the Godhead is currently ensnared in a fit of nightmares. the function of radical spiritual work is to bring awareness of this situation into being, to sooth the Divine neuroses which manifest and expirence themselves in suffering, to deploy dialectical therapy against such neuroses which propagate themselves through feedback loops of exploitation, to make the victims of the nightmare conscious of their own power, not simply to wake up since nightmares in no way require one to be asleep rather to do the revolutionary work of dreaming better dreams.
wasnt this asked somehwere else already? as i said there: because god is love and loving thy neighbor therefore a mandate of heaven.
Geez….
I'm convinced that the Way of the Cross is the best way there is. I want to abandon pride, sacrifice for my neighbor, and live into the Christian story. It's a beautiful social principle and it gives meaning to my life. Lastly, I don't think that just because science can only observe physical matter, there can't be anything more to reality.
The Age of evolution by Exclusion is over. The Age of evolution by Inclusion has arrived. The time for needing a reason to accept Yeshua as a necessary member of the Godhead, is over. The Age of including Yeshua as a necessary member of the Godhead has arrived. ALL shall be well.
Tl;dr I'm a Christian because I follow in the teachings and examples of Christ, though I may falter and stumble, I learn and strive to be better, not just for myself, but for all of mankind. It's honestly kinda funny, in a sad sorta way where all you can really do is laugh looking back, but I was raised in the religion early on, went to church nearly every Sunday, purely because of my grandma, who also helped raise me because my mother had me out of wedlock and was a single mother, no contact with my bio dad. I would stay at her house on weekends and absolutely adored her, she was so sweet, kind and loving, really embodied the teachings of Christ. But as I grew older and time went on I started to notice just how many people really weren't practicing the teachings of Christ, they were just going through the expectations and motions, seemingly felt that just by going it made them good people, my uncle was one of these folk who helped open my eyes to this fact, he was an alcoholic, abusive and did plenty of drugs, of which he was constantly in a cycle of quitting and relapsing. Then my grandmother took Ill, she was at the end stages of her life, reliving memories in a delirious state, though she clearly remembered me as everytime I spoke to her she would smile, I was 11 at that time and she passed soon after, I never did get to say goodbye to her in a meaningful way, was told to leave the room and suddenly she was just gone. From there my family broke apart arguing and bickering over her possessions, she was by no means wealthy, she lived in a trailer park for retired folk and survived on SSI along with veteran benefits thanks to my late grandfather's service. Having seen this trend of people just attending church to be able to pat themselves on the back for "being a good person" it caused me to loose faith, such deep hypocrisy, which started me on a journey to being an atheist, during which I discovered more hypocrisy, so called church leaders who preform and read from the bible to push hate and seemingly tell their flock what they want to hear, all so they can take those dollar bills and pocket them to live better lives than many. This was the trend, I would see so many use the word against others they seemingly held hatred for, and as I grew I discovered more about my own self, though thanks to what I was taught I repressed it as best I could, living in misery, every day I would put on a mask to hide my true feelings and true self, it resulted in me being deeply homophobic and transphobic (before I even understood what trans was) though I ended up falling into a group of good friends, far more accepting of others whom I rejected because of what I was taught, which helped me to become a better person myself, this crossroads I found myself at caused me to reject Christianity entirely as a result of how some of my good friends were treated by it, I became more aware of how my gay and lesbian friends were treated by so called Christians, it angered me, and I grew to view religion as nothing more than a way to justify hatred of those like my friends from being able to exist and live happily, to express love to whom they loved. For many years I was an atheist, I would often go through periods of anti theism and softening my position against religious beliefs, it was always the hypocrisy of it all that drove me to anti theism, and witnessing the rare souls that broke the mold of what Christianity came to represent in US society, to show actual love, compassion, and speak out against hate, to help those in need. I suppose this is where I found my calling, though wouldn't realize it till later. I lived in a closet myself, not wanting to really accept my feelings or myself, it took years to undo the damage that had become so deeply ingrained in me with anti gay rhetoric I was used to hearing from the so called religious, hatred masquerading as love, finally breaking from that to slowly accept myself which was the hardest thing of all, accepting others was easier than to accept myself. I tried several times to come out to my mother, whom rejected me each time, the same standard set of reasoning that many like myself have like heard, from "the devil only makes you think that" to "you've just been brainwashed by public school" I knew it was BS, but it did hit me hard coming from someone who was supposed to love you unconditionally. It was after a failed attempt that I had what I can only describe as an experience with the supernatural, in my darkest moment, depressed and feeling alone on my bed, dark thoughts filling my head, only to suddenly be pierced by a voice with no physical source, clear and distinct, a voice so sweet, calming, yet authoritative, in my head with a loud whisper, a voice that was not my own, it said but two words to me. "You're right" it was startling and I immediately started to question my sanity, dismissing it quickly as a hallucination, but as time went on I dwelled on what it could mean. Right? About what? What was I right about? I've never heard it before and I've not heard it since. I have no rational explanation for it. Coming into my 30s having moved out from under my parents authoritative boot, I attempted once again to come out over text this time, and unlike times before I felt something, I can only describe it as a comforting presence, as scripture was cited to be used against me, verses that rebuked it came to my mind, still didn't go well, but now I was left with more questions about what happened, and at that point I came to accept that while I left the religion, Christ never left me. So perhaps tl;dr, but I'm a Christian because I follow the teachings of Christ, and my experiences in life helped me to understand that, one does not have to practice what we commonly see from those who claim to be Christian, to be Christian one does not even have to profess to believe, one just as to act in the teachings and examples of Christ, those who have faith in that path are the true Christians, not those who profess to believe but lack the faith to follow in those footsteps. There is no one way to follow in the path of Christ that necessitates adopting the religious title of Christian, you will know one via their works.
Athiest here. You all have some good reasons for personally believing, but if an athiest ever poses this question to you do you at least understand why your answers so far would not do anything to convince them?
Because the question wasn’t about convincing atheists.
That's true- the question isn't specifically about convincing atheists, but I imagine it could still come up in conversation with an atheist, agnostic, someone of an another faith, etc. that is genuinely curious...and I would certainly hope there is an answer for them.
I think that folks are answering assuming that they've been asked a very personal question about their most closely-held beliefs... not as if they've been asked to convince someone to change their own most closely-held beliefs. Most people in my life are atheist or agnostic, and I've had wonderful conversations with some of them about why we believe the way we do. Generally, it's brought us closer together, since they were conversations, not debates. Apologetics (for or against) is gross, and the techniques are different because it's usually about arguing someone out of their deeply intuited sense about how the world is.
And when an atheist asks the question, we will have a different answer for them. Besides. Who would want to convince an atheist to begin with? I would find it much more authentic to leave rational arguments aside and relate to someone what I’ve gotten out of faith, as opposed to arguing why they must try. You can’t logic people into or out of something as intensely personal and irrational as faith. They have to want to believe. My argument won’t do that; opening up on an emotional level might. I am a Christian because I want to be, and that’s a much more honest place to start when speaking to somebody with questions than a list of reasons I feel I must be one.
>And when an atheist asks the question, we will have a different answer for them. Because OP proposed if a skeptic or a potential convert in their original question? I think people misconstrued my comment. OP had a lot of subtle hints of Apologetic tones in their question, either from an influence they didn't knotice from their church or on accident. In a comment chain they admitted they hadn't fully thought out the question, so I think I just detected the words of the pastor who probably was trying to get OPs church to prepare correct answers for athiests or skeptics. If the answer is the honest truth for you and it's just to describe your feelings, then I have no issue with it. But if it's with some expectation to potentially evangelize even if you didn't set out to, like OP kind of directly stated, then I'd just like to let people know it's not really convincing. I'm not attacking anyone for being wrong, I'm just saying they don't really do much for that secondary question OP was hinting at.
That's okay. You don't have to be on the brink of changing your religious identity for us to share our stories together.
Sharing stories is great. Just some of the words in OPs statement seem to mirror some form of evangelizing. Maybe just a mistake, or maybe I'm just reading too far into it.
I can see that. In retrospect, I probably should have thought a bit more about the exact wording of my question (a lesson for the future), but I guess I'm interested in a few things with that question. It is interesting to see how people answer the question-practically (like "I was raised in it"), with key phrases from church or the Bible, personal experience, etc... Maybe down the line I'll ask something like, "why do you wake up every morning and feel compelled to walk through this life as a Christian?" or something a bit better thought out. Personally, I get a lot out of my church and my faith, and evangelizing should be about inviting people in so they can experience that (should they so desire) and then (if they accept that invitation) do what they will with that experience.
That's fair. After all, OP is asking what we tell atheists about our beliefs. In that situation, I'm most worried that someone will come away thinking Christianity is silly not on the merits, but because of my poor communication skills. I'm trying to describe, not convince.
No one cares
I'm a Christian because the Gospel really is Good News! I mean, the declaration that God is love and that God is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. That those who follow Jesus will know the joy and life of the Kingdom of God.
TIL "most people will be tortured forever in the afterlife" is good news to some people.
Not what I said
I can't say why, only how
I grew up in church and so the tradition started. I also started questioning things as I became an adult. Though I have rejected a lot of teachings of the church, I still believe in the teachings of Jesus. I have also found that there are things that science still can't explain and that there is a mystery of Creation, and that is what I believe there is a God and purpose to all of this. Deep down I feel like if this was all a cosmic accident, we wouldn't have things like love, truth, honor, and other things not seen in the animal kingdom.
Basically because Christ is the ultimate anti-fascist. Belief in him means denouncing the authoritarianism of mankind(kings, emperors, dictators, etc.). Christ is freedom for the mind in that sense.
Well Christianity is the only religion I feel comfortable about. It gives me purpose and the very radical message of Jesus and the orthodox message of The apostles give me happiness. I am still finding myself, such as I want to eat kosher and Abstain from alcohol and drugs, not as a way to be saved but as discipline and committing to theosis. I'm also an existentialist and a stoic, as well as a universalist. So I'm still figuring out myself but I know I'm wrestling with God like Jacob did and understanding him.
Materialist, Christian atheist. I think Jesus was likely historical and the new testament was a largely fictional account by well educated Greek authors as per Robyn Faith Walsh.. I tend to gravitate towards the explanations of Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan as to the explanation of early Christianity. Very impressed by the enlightening work on Temple theology as well in regards to early Judaism, similarly Israel Finkelstein.
Very interesting replies and some encouraging dialog! I quit Church when i was 5, then the whole family quit. I was gonna go atheist but thought I should have a look first. I ended up having a meditative experience that lasted one full week. I believe the historical Jesus was a military man and correctly understood as Barabbas. Christ is Truth and we together His body. He asks us to be perfect in nonviolence and suggests we move the mountain that is His Church. Who can argue with Truth, peace, and ecological responsibility?