I would greatly enjoy sharing ideas on why i believe there is a God... thank you for asking.

I was brought up in a Christian home, so I suppose that can be one strike against me, but I didn't become an actual christian until my teen years. I, at an early age, became an athiest and deconstructed Christianity to ask basic question of this "God" and get answers from sources outside of the bible.

I however do not believe in arguing Christ, or God to death. Faith is a pretty simple thing... although most of us are skeptical of anything we don't have to "pay" to get. Whether with money or through pain. If you believe in love, you already have a large grasp on who God is and faith as well. this might be something you wish to discuss with me, because most of my athiest friends fight this main thing to the death because it is the backbone of Christianity. God is love, and love takes faith, you can't see love and you can't really understand every aspect of it. In the same way you can't see God and you can't really understand every aspect of it. Hmmm let me put this in another way as well. When you are in love you feel the emotions surrounding it, God touches a Christians life too in ways that a non Christian has a hard time understanding.

I didn't stop becoming an athiest because I wanted something to fight for, or because everyone was doing it, or I just "felt" something at a youth confrence. Those are absolutely stupid reasons to be one and why there are so many "fake" christians around today. Love is illogical, I won't fight that aspect of it, I'm sure you have been in love if not please email me back and I will describe it too you. Scientific arguments for God are not many. I must confess that I do not find many worthy of exploring further. The only way that I can seem to describe where he came from and what he did... basically him is the fact that there had to be something without a beginning to create something from nothing.

If we go through the theorys that are out we find that most of them describe things just happening or being created by masses coming together and colliding. I find these even more hard to believe than the idea of God. God... the beginning and the end, a being without a beginning to create something out of nothing. Sounds quite ridiculous to one who thinks in such a logical way I assume. I agree because my mind is geared in the same fashion and I deeperately tried to find ways to deny his existence.

I'm sure you have many questions such as the existance of pain and suffering, one of the more popular ones and basic ideas surrounding this being. Christ is one thing that takes a great deal of faith however. Once i got the God part down (not to say I don't have my issues with it) I went onto Jesus. A person who was God in carnate to send us a message of love and trust. i fear that I must save that for my next email though, the God aspect is overwhelming enough. Please feel free to email me again I would love to hear from you. By the way my name is [name deleted], and It is very nice to meet you. Blessings.

If I understand you correctly, you feel God's love and therefore have faith. You also think that God is the most likely explanation for the universe. Sounds to me like a perfectly good reason to be a theist.

By the way, that "thump" sound you just heard is some of my more strident atheist readers keeling over. Some of them would argue that you just had an emotional reaction to something or another and didn't really experience God's love. Personally, I don't see how such a statement could be proven, and arguing with you in that way would get us nowhere. You seem happy, and it sounds like you're a decent person, so I can't think of any reason to try and convince you to change.

At this point, we could go into "if God is good why does He permit suffering" and all that if you want to. But frankly I don't see the necessity. Unless I miss my guess, you aren't out there trying to pass laws to force others to act on your religious beliefs, and it sounds like you try and make sure your beliefs are reasonable and rational. You also sound very tolerant and non-judgmental. If I'm right about all the assumptions I'm making here, then all we have is a mutually understood difference of opinion and I'd rather stay at that point than "pick a fight."

Now, this isn't to say that I wouldn't like to hear more about your beliefs. I would enjoy hearing your thoughts on Biblical literalism, the definition of "good," the attributes of God, or the necessity of Jesus' sacrifice (for example). So feel free to write if you feel so moved.