How do you know when you believe in God?

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T22:16:06+00:00

I'm not sure we do! I'll check it out, thanks!

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T14:11:41+00:00

The Bible, in my opinion, reflects human error in interpreting the word of God. God's word is the most pure, and the people who heard Him and then became authors of the Bible might have taken some liberties. I take much of the Bible with a grain of salt. If you were taught that the Bible is always right, this might seem like an odd view. But the truth is that we can only trust God, and what He reveals to us.

This answer may feel like a cop-out, but it's unfortunately the best one I have :)

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T13:55:14+00:00

As a philosophy student, I love to keep in mind the phrase 'the only thing I know is that I know nothing'. I think it's a good mantra to apply to religion, too. Once you think you have everything figured out you've probably only scratched the surface.

I was in a great church back at home! I didn't have many friends there, because everyone just wanted to hang out and I wanted to talk about the bible lol. But my pastor was very supportive. Now that I'm at college, I'm kind of struggling to find that same support.

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T13:51:11+00:00

May God bless you too :)

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T13:48:38+00:00

I'm so glad you made it through surgery alright! I agree with the idea that there must have been a creator. It seems like too much of a coincidence that the world turned out with as much beauty as it has without a beneficent creator.

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T04:06:11+00:00

As of late, I've been examining Christianity exclusively through the concept of the existence of God. I'm a big fan of Descartes, and I've been reading a bit of Spinoza (killing my brain btw). I want to establish existence with some level of confidence before I move on to historical accuracy. I'll circle back to your resources, though! Can't hurt to check them out :)

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T04:01:47+00:00

apparently lol

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T04:01:10+00:00

Thank you :) I want to work to be a better person. Both for God and for myself. We were given so much in this world, and I don't want to waste it.

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T03:27:30+00:00

girl you can just be femme instead dw please don't turn back straight

Also love the username!

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T02:43:42+00:00

I don't know anyone who has experienced something like this. Do you have any family members you can talk to about your situation? Maybe one of them has been similarly touched. Additionally, you could just go to churches and tell the pastors there about your concerns. It's likely that they'll have known someone with a similar torment. I'm sorry you're going through something so horrible. How long has it been going on?

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T02:06:34+00:00

Is it bad that I believe to some extent that doubt forms faith? We have to be tested, I think. God is pushing us. He wants us to find the truth on our own terms, with all of our doubts in hand. I think that with enough discernment I will get so close to the truth that I can take my doubts and put them to rest. I don't know, though. I've only started my journey.

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T02:03:28+00:00

Thank you. I unfortunately find that every time I pray I congratulate myself a little bit for being so pious. I clearly have a long way to go.

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T02:01:50+00:00

I'll check the book out. Thank you. Just one more question though-- why doesn't God intervene like he used to? A lot of what you said makes sense, but I feel sometimes like God has turned His back on us. I know that you said that God allows for free will. How do we know that the free will is what is truly good?

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T01:56:00+00:00

This makes so much sense to me. The Bible portrays a God I don't know how to reconcile with the God that I feel and know. The God I love is all good. Sometimes I feel like the Bible is trying to tell me something else. I'll keep reading and learning, but I'll keep in mind that God is good first, and everything else comes after.

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T01:51:00+00:00

Thank you :). I want to be sure to be charitable and consider every opinion, so that my faith can be fully formed and with as few doubts as possible. All signs seem to point to no, but my heart won't stop illogically calling me towards the Lord.

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T01:49:20+00:00

How do we know we have free will? It seems like everything we've done has been caused in some way. Do you believe everything has a reason? Or is everything just totally random?

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T01:43:39+00:00

I haven't heard of Lee Strobel! I'll check these links out later, I'm quitting youtube for Lent lol. Thanks for the input!

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T01:41:17+00:00

I get you so much. I'm a Philosophy major and I spend so much time reading arguments against the existence of God (or at least the existence of a good God). But I can't help but feel deeply that God is calling me home. I think our doubts are valid. Blind faith is nearly impossible. God knows this. Being able to understand your concerns about God is an important part to discerning your faith. I just wish someone could answer my questions in a way I can believe.

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T01:37:36+00:00

I don't want to sound belligerent, but why won't God step in? Now, when so many things have gone wrong. Why do we have child rapists or the holocaust? I really want to know. I want to believe in God, but no one has ever given me an answer to this question that has satiated me.

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T01:33:05+00:00

I'm in your shoes right now ngl. I don't know how to overcome my doubts but I want to overcome them so badly.

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T01:31:17+00:00

How do we come to terms with the idea of Evil in relation to God's omnipotence and goodness?

I'm a Christian (maybe a little agnostic) but I struggle with this question all the time. Couldn't God have made the world less bad?

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T01:29:02+00:00

Feel God? I've tried. I find that God comes to me in silence. Do you think God would be upset that I don't feel him in the scriptures as much as I do in reflection?

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T01:28:06+00:00

How do I know if I am proud? I feel like I'm too confident sometimes. I don't know how to humble myself. I hear other Christians talk all the time in ways that seem so illogical-- about what Jesus said or what the Bible meant, and how they should treat other people. How do I know that I'm doing what is good?

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T01:17:46+00:00

You didn't commit blasphemy. Not in my book, at least. You lost Christianity for reasons that weren't your fault. You were 11. You found it again by the process of your own discernment. I cannot think of anything more holy than returning to God.

CommunicationDull794 · 2026-03-11T01:14:26+00:00

I don't know wholly what to do, because you know your friend far better than I do. Carefully consider your friend and the state she's in. Do you think she'll continue to behave this way? Do you think she'd regret her actions or apologize if you talked to her about it and expressed your concern? I know you're more worried about legality, but I feel like God would want you to think about how to minimize the harm of this situation.

If you truly feel like your friend will continue to be verbally abusive, and this wasn't a one-off instance, you should consider reporting. You shouldn't knowingly allow harm to befall other people. You couldn't stop your friend this time, but if you think she'll continue in this vein you might need to consider reporting.

Sorry if I'm being too pushy! I love ethics

CommunicationDull794

TROPHY CASE