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How do you "believe"

X

xxclaro

Member
I have heard and read over and over again that in order to be "saved",as a Christian, you must believe. You must believe in Jesus as the resurrected saviour of the world,and in what the bible teaches.
This is all well and good, but how exactly would you instruct someone to believe whio currently does not? If they've read the bible, studied the scriptures and yet find that they just can't buy it, what then? Is belief a choice? You can say "I believe",but if you really don't then words mean nothing.
Some people say they want to believe or are trying to believe, and yet they just can't honestly say that they do. Are they just screwed then? How do you make yourself believe something you don't belive?
 
Kilgore Trout

Kilgore Trout

Misanthropic Humanist
Perhaps if one tells themselves something enough times, they actually start to believe it. Then again, maybe it's just that not that many people have put this level of thought into what belief is.
 
zenzero

zenzero

Its only a Label
Friend xxclaro,

How do you "believe"
Click to expand...

Understand this that *belief* is telling your mind that this is right or wrong and then believing in it as truth and following it blindly and as you can understand that such a thing is not TRUTH.
To be religious, one just needs to be aware of such things and everything happening around at all times. Only through constant awareness will all darkness dispel and one becomes a light unto himself.

Love & rgds
 
dust1n

dust1n

Zindīq
xxclaro said:
I have heard and read over and over again that in order to be "saved",as a Christian, you must believe. You must believe in Jesus as the resurrected saviour of the world,and in what the bible teaches.
This is all well and good, but how exactly would you instruct someone to believe whio currently does not? If they've read the bible, studied the scriptures and yet find that they just can't buy it, what then? Is belief a choice? You can say "I believe",but if you really don't then words mean nothing.
Some people say they want to believe or are trying to believe, and yet they just can't honestly say that they do. Are they just screwed then? How do you make yourself believe something you don't belive?
Click to expand...

Belief is not a by product of 'free-choice'.
 
Dezzie

Dezzie

Well-Known Member
I think a lot of this has to do with you growing up in a specific religion. When you are a child you tend to believe what people (i.e. your family) tell you to believe. Kind of like a brain washing thing... Some people of a specific religion can't answer simple questions (i.e. how they know any scripture is truly the words of God, how they know if God is real if they have never seen him, why there so much evil in the world if God is there, etc). Some people tend to not pay any attention to these questions because of ignorance and close-mindedness... This I believe was possibly caused by people telling you what to believe as a child and not opening one's mind to other possibilities... of course, it's not always this way for everyone.

Dezzie
 
O

Onkara

Well-Known Member
Belief means there is a sense of truth or validity in something which they don't fully understand.
 
Silver

Silver

Just maybe
Is belief not a trick of the mind?
That's why children get tricked into believing in Santa Claus and the tooth fairy.
That doesn't mean to say God ain't real.
But it does mean that things one believes in are not always true.
:facepalm:
 
O

Onkara

Well-Known Member
Silver said:
Is belief not a trick of the mind?
That's why children get tricked into believing in Santa Claus and the tooth fairy.
That doesn't mean to say God ain't real.
But it does mean that things one believes in are not always true.
:facepalm:
Click to expand...
Hi Silver
I think you touch on an important point. The mind will believe almost anything, even that you are fat, when you are not etc. What made my furry ears purk up was that you say God could still be real. What interests me is that even if the mind believes a lie, the mind still exits, isn't that an interesting pointer itself to the possiblity of a God which goes beyond the need of belief?
 
Jeremiah

Jeremiah

Well-Known Member
xxclaro said:
I have heard and read over and over again that in order to be "saved",as a Christian, you must believe. You must believe in Jesus as the resurrected saviour of the world,and in what the bible teaches.
This is all well and good, but how exactly would you instruct someone to believe whio currently does not? If they've read the bible, studied the scriptures and yet find that they just can't buy it, what then? Is belief a choice? You can say "I believe",but if you really don't then words mean nothing.
Some people say they want to believe or are trying to believe, and yet they just can't honestly say that they do. Are they just screwed then? How do you make yourself believe something you don't belive?
Click to expand...

"How do you make yourself believe something you don't belive?"

Self-brainwashing, repetition of affirmation in the face of doubt will eventually sink into the subconscious and thus form a belief; of course it has a much greater effect when young. As an adult you'll have to try super-duper hard to force yourself into believing what you know is not true or you'll burn in hell.
 
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ChristineES

ChristineES

Tiggerism
Premium Member
Welcome to the RF!
I personally believe that if we love and believe in God, we will have a union with Him. I no longer believe that God puts all these conditions on us- I believe that men do that.
 
O

Onkara

Well-Known Member
ChristineES said:
Welcome to the RF!
I personally believe that if we love and believe in God, we will have a union with Him. I no longer believe that God puts all these conditions on us- I believe that men do that.
Click to expand...
Have you found that that love goes beyond belief, it then becomes love which is fulll (full of God and you) rather than a sense that there is something still required to turn the belief into fact?
 
ChristineES

ChristineES

Tiggerism
Premium Member
Onkarah said:
Have you found that that love goes beyond belief, it then becomes love which is fulll (full of God and you) rather than a sense that there is something still required to turn the belief into fact?
Click to expand...

I believe that love is bigger than we can imagine. If we are filled with love, then we couldn't hold any more. (I am not sure if that makes any sense)
I also believe that true love and hatred can't coexist in the same space. Think about it, one lit match makes a room light instead of pitch dark.
 
John D

John D

Spiritsurfer
xxclaro said:
I have heard and read over and over again that in order to be "saved",as a Christian, you must believe. You must believe in Jesus as the resurrected saviour of the world,and in what the bible teaches.
This is all well and good, but how exactly would you instruct someone to believe whio currently does not? If they've read the bible, studied the scriptures and yet find that they just can't buy it, what then? Is belief a choice? You can say "I believe",but if you really don't then words mean nothing.
Some people say they want to believe or are trying to believe, and yet they just can't honestly say that they do. Are they just screwed then? How do you make yourself believe something you don't belive?
Click to expand...

To Believe in God, the creator God of Christianity, is in a sense different from any other religion -
The Power to believe comes from God, the Bible states that nobody can come to Jesus if he is not drawn by the Father. Which simply means that God will awaken in the soul of man the burning desire to serve Him. That will lead you to Jesus and faith will be planted in your soul - only the seed, soon it will grow into a mighty and unshakeble knowing - THE TRUTH.
This cannot be reproduce by man, If the believe in Christianity is nested in man's emotions or mind, it will not last very long - that is way a lot of people leaves christianity.
It is a hard life to lead - if done according to the Will of God.
But worth it.
It is a religion to be hated if you are not a follower. Nobody is untouched by it.
:sad:
 
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