Why do you believe? Is it because you've been brought up to believe or have you had some kind of experience?

[surprise]

I just don't get it. It's a load of mumbo-jumbo, might just as well believe in fairies. So what makes you believe in god/gods? Would love to know.

gah. I put that badly. I don't even know what I believe any more tbh, so anything I say can probably safely be ignored.

I did feel guided, or protected at times before I called myself a Christian or believed in any kind of creator. I think a lot of atheists feel like that sometimes but don't feel like it is evidence for a God.

When i did still believe in God it was because i was told he was real, and i did not question that until i was a teenager.

Beansmum - maybe they do, but not me - or DH.

Experience. God is with me through good and bad. I have also witnessed healing miracles which is great but not necessary for me to believe.

I wrote an essay at uni - we were given a title along the lines of 'explain the evolution of the human eye/visual system'
I did loads of research looking at the development/construction of eyes from single celled organisms through all kinds of animals etc. I couldn't find ANY evidence that the human eye had evolved from anything so I wrote my essay from that point of view with evidence and I could only conclude that it led me to believe that the human eye was created. I got 20/20. [smug emoticon]

Anyway my point is that although I already believed in a Creator God, I did not intend to write the essay like that but I had to, it didn't make any sense the other way round.

Beansmum- do you go to church in edinburgh? which one?

I'm between churches at the moment if that makes sense. I'm trying a new one tomorrow.

I used to go to the one you go to I think! Scary. I have never met a real person on here before!

Something I've recently heard a couple of people saying is that they believe in God/Jesus but are "not religious."

These were both people who, to me, seem very religious (one goes to her church every week and basically has god at the centre of her life, and the other is a guy who goes into schools talking about Jesus.

So... does this make sense?

They've probably got some image in their head of what "being religious" looks like, and want to make clear (to you or to themselves) that they are not like that.

It's like me saying I'm not a feminist, while being very much in favour of equality and against any form of discrimination, because I have a horrible image of 70's man-hating dungaree-wearing harridans.

beansmum I think people who 'feel like that sometimes but don't feel like it is evidence for a God' are actually agnostics rather than atheists

I am atheist - I do not feel 'guided, or protected at times', and never have, even when I was attending church every week.

Only skimmed the thread, but to answer the OPs question: I was a committed Christian. Grew up in a very christian family (Grandpa a minister, all my uncles deacons/elders/laypreachers/churchwardens depending on denomination). Sunday school and then youth group was my social life. Joined CU at uni. VV shocked when told that huge numbers 'fall by the wayside'. Would NEVER happen to me, I confidently thought. I really though I experienced the love and peace of God. It all seemed to make perfect sense. Sure I knew evolution was the way life worked but (without the sophistry of Intelligent Design then) just assumed that was how God had decided to do things.

But... somewhere along the line I started to question. And eventually had to face the reality that up till that point I'd been deluded. The 'experiences' were all in my own mind. Everything became so much simpler and more logical. Whew... know the truth and the truth will set you free!

So, that is why I believe there is no God.

I can only assume soph28 did her essay some time ago, before google or wiki even.

I would hope that to gain full marks she had some explanation for why the Creator did it upside down and inside out well maybe just cos he could!

Eachpeachpearmum - but if you were an atheist and then, maybe only once, felt like something outside yourself was guiding you, it wouldn't necessarily make you question your atheism at all. The feeling could be quite real but you could be sure it is just your brain doing something funny. I suppose what I was originally trying to say is that my experience of God isn't what convinces me He is real.

soph28 - I hope I haven't scared you away! I wouldn't have recognised you if you hadn't asked which church I went to! Probably see you this sunday anyway, I'm doing creche.

Well beansmum - what on earth would be guiding me outside of myself? If one were to experience that, how would they know it wasn't 'Dark Forces'?

If you have faith, you have faith- you don't need to be convinced God (or Allah, or whatever) is real, I appreciate that.