Men who are religious or spiritual, what makes you believe in a higher power?

18 comments

1. Personal experience with the supernatural. I met an angel once and spoke to Jesus.

2. Not a higher power, but I believe we all have to square up what it means to be human with the way things are in general…and whatever is responsible for those things, whether you call it God, nature, everything, Allah, Fate, science, Brahman, enerygy, or infinity, it’s all really the same collection of ungraspable immensity, it must be looked at with reverence and humility if we’re to understand our true place in this world.

   We make our own rituals to deal with this human condition, this alienation, and this gift, and we do our best to do it so that we don’t all kill eachother. I think that’s what religion is.

   And we’re all kinda wrong. But you can’t pull the curtain back so we do the best we can with the shadows of truth we actually get to see.

   I am tired…I don’t know why I started writing this.

3. it’s not something I can easily quantify, it’s like trying to describe the taste of salt without using the word “salty”. Or trying to describe the color red to a person who has even blind since birth.

   it’s where, if you know, you know.

4. Because it’s easier. If didn’t, I’d be lost looking for “my purpose” or “the meaning of life”.

5. I grew up Protestant Christian, never going to church, never reading a Bible. Didn’t even know Jesus was God.

   When I was about 13 I started going through a rebellion phase where I proclaimed myself an agnostic/atheist and that I basically didn’t care.

   At about 16-17 I started watching conservative ppl on YouTube and stuff, and most of them were Christian. For awhile it was like a “they’re right about everything else so they must be right about this too”.

   Then not too long ago I figured it all out and logically proved God’s existence to myself. Then, I went through the true history of Jesus and his genuine teachings.

   Now I’m a southern baptist from about a year of pure research. I’ve spent probably over 3 weeks of *time* studying the Bible and Christianity as a religion and I’ve found too many coincidences. Someone told me “it takes more faith to be an athiest” and I never looked back. Started reading more into Jesus’s love rather than his history and I’m a true believer. There’s no other explanation that I can think of for what happened.

6. Consciousness. The fact that I can experience things cannot be explained by science. Me from 15 years ago is made up of completely different atoms than me from today. And yet it’s still me.

   If you make a perfect material copy of me, I would feel my experiences, but I won’t feel the other person’s experiences. There has to be something unique and immaterial within me. Like a soul

7. Despite being there lack of scientific evidence pointing towards this notion, its difficult to believe the harmony and outcome we see as a result of that not intentionally created.

8. Not really in a higher power, I believe I don’t know or understand everything beyond. I believe were are just at the peak of the iceberg of understanding the complexities or simplicity of existence. We just hope/pray that bold assumptions/perceptions, made either individually or thousands of years ago, are somehow getting us closer to the truth.

9. Because He’s just been real to me always. No reason to question it, and I’ve been taken through some really dark places that He brought me out of. I mean, it’s like asking ‘how do you know your parents are real ?’. They’re just there. They’re my parents, always have been, always will be.

10. If there isn’t God…we are just lumps of carbon atoms reacting to stimulus. There’s no love, joy, pain, sadness…no emotion what-so ever.

    We are all just infinite star dust, right?

11. Go back to the previous generation. Who made them? Repeat cycle until you have no answer anymore. Boom, higher power.

12. I’d tell you but I don’t have any interest in having some 19-year-old Reddit Atheistbro demand I further explain myself and present scientific proof.

13. Brainwashing

14. As far as God goes, I believe because I prefer the idea of the Universe having structure and order.

15. I could write an encyclopedia on that subject, but I’ll give you an example:

    If I wear a Brown Scapular; people IMMEDIATELY react to it. Ghetto Hood Rats have no idea what it is, but react openly with fear or hatred. Some people have gone into convulsions when they see it. Catholics treat me in the most respectful manner….just from wearing a brown cloth.

    Think about that for a minute.

16. I mean some of the things that happen in our bodies and brains without even thinking makes it difficult to believe there isn’t one.

17. Didn’t get an option. Had every reason not to.

    Christian dad was an abusive deadbeat.
    Christian mom offered for me to give my life to Jesus seven times.
    First read the gospel in jail.
    Made my confession alone in a homeless shelter bed.

    All this happened without anyone else actually telling me what to do properly or taking ownership in my life.

    I effectively joined the church without their permission, because in essence God chose this for me.

    This has put me at odds with most churches.

    I make it work with the brothers and sisters that stay.

    So much stuff happened that it doesn’t even make sense why I’m in the faith, save for His staying hand and grace.

    So Jesus is the Son of the Living God.

    Nothing else works for me.

18. Why is the beach so peaceful? Why are the mountains so awe-inspiring? Why are the sunsets so beautiful? If this was all just randomly generated, why are so many things so amazing to see? The only answer I’ve come up with is that something creates those things specifically for us to enjoy.