A few reasons why I believe in God

 
Faith for Life

This is not an attempt to convert anyone, it's just a very personal list.  Believing in God is an act of faith, but not an irrational one in my opinion.  Here are some of my thoughts.

• Most of us feel there is a gap in our lives that needs filling and I think we instinctively think it has something to do with a relationship.  We hope for so much from our romantic relationships, and are so often disappointed.  Maybe that gap can only be filled with a relationship with God.
• Again, most of us are filled with strong desire to understand the meaning of life.  We can drive ourselves crazy asking "why".  From a purely biological or evolutionary perspective what possible purpose can this constant questioning serve, unless there actually is some profound meaning to life?
• We long to believe in some form of life after death, we feel on a profound level that what happens in our often short and brutal lives cannot be the end.  We expect there to be more, despite a lack of evidence.  Is this because we are programmed by God to anticipate immortality?
• A basic sense of morality seems to be innate, or at least passed on in a very similar form from parent to child in every kind of culture.  Where do we get a sense of right and wrong from?  And how can atheism justify any kind of morality?
• Every society in history has demonstrated some kind of belief in a supernatural, most of them in gods of some description.  Every other naturally occurring desire we have (for eating, drinking, sex, society etc) can be met and is a necessary form of existence.  Why would we have a spiritual drive for no purpose?
• The feelings we have when we look at the overwhelming beauty of nature, the awe at the grandeur, seem to open us up and pull us closer to God.  Again, these feelings serve no purpose from a reductionist biological point of view.
• Even if we accept evolution there is still no answer to the questions "how did life first appear on this planet?", "how do you explain the remarkable series of coincidences that allowed this planet to support life once it had occurred", "how did the universe become so finely tuned that life is even possible"?
• The default position for humans seems to be to believe in God (children and primitive societies are natural theists); it is something we have to talk ourselves out of, not into, as modern atheists suggest
• People who have a strong sense of religion and regularly attend church tend to have healthier lives than those who don't, suggesting to me that this is the more natural and healthy state for humans.

What have I missed off the list?

Comments

[e-Mom]

A very nice list, Buffy. This is great: "it is something we have to talk ourselves out of, not into, as modern atheists suggest."

I agree. Statistically, young children (age 5 or 6) are respond quite naturally to the Gospel. Some suggest that pre-school is the optimal age to reach a child for Christ. Perhaps that's because these young ones haven't had a chance to doubt a natural seed faith planted in every human soul. Food for thought!

Thanks for your witness. :~D