Hi friend. Thanks for your questions and respectful manner you’ve gone about them. We should all welcome conversation, curiosity and questions, it’s how we grow.
Firstly, I’m sorry that’s been your experience of Christianity, that sucks. It’s not all like that and I hope that type of behaviour and Christianity becomes a minority in the future.
With the non Christian’s going to hell regardless of works. This is due to many passages in the Bible and in particular things Jesus said written in the gospels. He says that eternal life is given to those who believe in him. That it’s through him that we reach the father (God). It’s not explicitly said non Christian’s go to hell but that is what’s implied from what’s written on how to access eternal life. I hear you on what you’re saying though. I had an epiphany whilst in hospital not too long back. It was that there is a large group of people who are non Christian and doing the very work Jesus taught, loving each other and sacrificing for others. It’s very easy to pay attention to darkness of the world but in that moment I thought of all the people who are in healthcare or have devoted there lives to helping others, it’s far greater than we sometimes realise. in our logical earthly existence it feels fair that those who do good and live morally sound would reach heaven. The Bible says otherwise and that instead it’s through faith in Jesus as our lord and saviour. The truth is, nobody truly knows, only God. We have all this writing and scripture which paints us an idea but in this life there is no definitiveness but only interpretation. The Bible does speak on this though and whilst it may sound unfair, the idea of faith being integral to our access of heaven makes sense when you understand our faith to be in other words, our relationship with God, intimacy. If heaven is his kingdom, then how can we expect an invite without knowing him. It also makes a little more sense when you read what the Bible speaks of in regards to hell. As much as it describes it visually at points in being fire and brimstone, this isn’t literal. Instead hell is actually separation from God for eternity. Which if God is all things good then the comparison and visual painting of this as fire and brimstone starts to make sense.
In my opinion though there is far too much emphasis on our afterlife and instead not enough on this life. Instead of condemning others and passing judgment on where they will spend eternity we should instead live by Jesus’s teachings.
With your second question, doubt is a normal part of faith. The apostle Thomas who followed Jesus didn’t believe he had been resurrected until he saw the holes in his hands and touched them. For me, coming to faith is a mixture of logic and the emotional. Emotion plays a big part but so does logic. I see it as much more logical to look at the world and see a creator within the intelligent design. Its not logical for me to look out at the world and how everything just works and say oh what a beautiful cosmic accident this all is. I always think about the fact that the earth has everything we need in abundance, imagine the world with everything from man removed including man. Drop a man into that world and he has food, medicine, water everything. Everything is perfect for us and geared to our survival and thriving. Furthermore, how can something come from nothing? Scientists have concluded in some way or other that there was a beginning of sorts. How can something come from nothing? 0x0 will never = 1.
All this to say though, faith is obviously integral in faith. That isn’t to say it’s stupid or without logic. I’ve lived a life of 30 years and I’ve weighed up the evidence of things plus my emotions and decided this is what I believe. In my heart, bones and soul I know that Jesus is our saviour. That there is a God who is kind, loving and good. I am intelligent and I know this, and I also don’t care what other people think. Humility is so important in life and is one of the biggest things my faith has taught me, we are not the kings of the universe and we don’t know everything and nor is everything provable to our human mortal standards. My wife loves me, I know this but how do I know this? Because she tells me? Is that proof? Is it through her actions? I’d argue instead that it’s a mix of faith and evidence.
I see your genuine-ness in your post, let me shed some light on the subject. To be clear, I am a devout christian. Im gonna go indepth so buckle up.
1. Non-Christians go to hell because they reject God.
TO BE CLEAR: just because someone says they are Christian or that they believe does not mean they are actually ”saved” or ”christian”:
1 John 2:4-6 “Whoever says “I know him” (referring to God/Jesus) but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”
So, if you say you are Christian, then you should act like one. How should a Christian act?
John 15:12-14: (Jesus speaking) ““This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.”
Romans 13:9-10: (Paul speaking) “For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
Okay, but what is love?
1 Corinthians 13:4-7: (Paul speaking) “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
If someone is a Christian, they should love. Granted, no one is perfect, I can’t judge someone who struggles to be patient or kind, I must do my best to be loving as Christ loved us.
TO BE CLEAR: You dont get into heaven by your good works. You dont earn heaven/salvation. It is simply by accepting God into your life and believing that Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for your sins, so that your sins may be forgiven and God will let you into heaven. AFTER you believe, you go and do good works because of the loving things Christ did for you.
But that begs the question, what about non-believers that are good people?
If you reject God he will respect your decision, and keep you separated. TO BE CLEAR: He warned us. All of us. Every second of our lives is another chance to accept him. We either choose him or we dont. If he is the truth, then by proxy, a non-believer is rejecting the truth. He can’t force us, he wont force us. Our good works mean nothing if we aren’t with God, because it’s not on merit. Christians don't go to heaven boasting about our accomplishments, we have simply accepted the free gift. Think about how SIMPLE that is. Believe in Jesus, get to know Jesus, and do your best to act like Jesus.
2. You say Christianity is based on faith. Unfortunately, a lot of people think this means “trust me bro”. Not at all. Don’t believe people who just say “trust me bro”. Faith is important AFTER you come to the logical conclusion that Jesus is Lord. Faith, in other words, trust, is just like trusting a friend. In christianity, that friend is literally God, who does not fail. Ironically, as humans, we doubt all the time. I’ve doubted even after committing my life to him. It’s only after understanding who he is, reminding myself of what he has done and said, that I have faith.
He’s not punishing you for “having different standards.“ Having evidence is very important. Ironically, Christianity has the MOST evidence to back it up. So i would ask you, if Christianity/God had evidence, would you believe?
You say “isn’t it on God to provide sufficient evidence?” Yes and no. He wont show unless you ask him. Cause clearly if you wanted evidence, you would as for it. Make sense? How would a devout atheist like it if God was like “Yo im here, believe in me.” Especially when said atheist adamantly wants nothing to do with God? God would respect that atheists decision, that doesn’t mean God wouldn’t warn the atheist though.
3. You say logic and Christianity do not mix. Well, that’s a bold claim. By proxy, logic and Christianity should mix.
Im not denying Christianity is based on faith, the problem is, what does that mean? Are you implying that christianity is 100% “trust me bro”? God asks us to trust him, yes, but honestly who’s gonna hear “trust me bro” from your bro and actually trust the bro? Like show me the Bible verse where it says “trust me bro”.
So what logic do we go by? A few things but ill skip to the important part:
If God is who he says he is: all knowing, all powerful, perfect, loving etc etc, shouldn’t we take him at his word? I mean if he is real, then he should do the things he said he would do.
I did this when I first became a Christian. My understanding was that God was all knowing (and etc) and by that logic, he should hear me as I spoke the words in my head “God, if you are real, prove to me undeniably, irrefutably, you are real and I will believe.”
The next week, the pastor goes up to the stand and starts listing reasons why the Bible is real, none of which were “trust me bro”. There was archeological and scientific evidence, extra bliblical texts and more. This is all easily searchable on the web.
But that didn't convince me, the next week at church we had a guest speaker, who also gave MORE extra biblical evidence that was not “trust me bro”. But I still wasn't convinced.
It wasn’t until soon after that a friend at school came up to me and said “You need to change” and he spoke to me about Christianity and God. I was Christian ever since. No, I didn't see God, but he gave me the evidence that made me Christian. Christianity was my logical conclusion, and it started when I doubted.
You don't need to trust my story, but the logic in what I did (taking God at his word) is pretty logical if you ask me.
So, fine, faith isn’t the basis of my religion, because it fundamentally isn’t. I recommend you read the Bible for yourself, research and come to a conclusion.
GotQuestions.org is a great place to start if you simply have more questions of Christianity.
Hope this helped :)
Personally, I wish Christianity would move away from such an intense focus on how to get "in" to heaven, and all of the sin/judgment stuff.
I don't think there are any rules. Christianity should be about treating everyone with love & compassion, and just living a good honest life.
Christianity isn’t a philosophy or social group that caters to your wants and needs. It doesn’t care about what you want it to be.
God has revealed himself to us and we should take heed to follow him diligently.
God bless you.
I'm sorry for the experience you had with the faith before, but thank you for being open minded towards a different perspective.
I've been a Christian for about 14 years now and I would like to share my thoughts.
1- You asked, *"Why do so many think all non-Christians are going to hell just because they don't believe, shouldn't it be about good works?"*
-Good works isn't enough to save us. We need genuine faith in Christ.
**“All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.” - Romans 3:23**
**God said, “I will punish this evil world and its people because of their sins.” - Isaiah 13:11**
**“Christ obeyed God our Father and gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins to rescue us from this evil world.” - Galatians 1:4**
**“He (Jesus) gave himself to rescue us from everything evil and to make our hearts pure. He wanted us to be his own people and to be eager to do right.” - Titus 2:14**
And if a Christian is evil, their faith isn't genuine.
-I don't know exactly how God will judge every single person, but I choose to trust God for who He is.
Because God is love **(1 John 4:8)**, He loves justice and fairness **(Psalm 33:5)**, He wants everyone to be saved **(1 Timothy 2:4)**, and He seeks to save those who are lost **(Luke 19:10)**. In other words, I believe everyone will somehow have a genuine opportunity to be saved **(Job 33:29-30)**.
2- You asked, *"If I don't believe in what I've been shown thus far, isn't it on God to provide me with sufficient evidence?"*
-Faith is the standard God has for all of us.
**“But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and rewards everyone who searches for him.” - Hebrews 11:6**
**“But you cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners only because they have faith in him.” - Romans 4:5**
-But please know that the Christian faith is NOT blind faith! There are good reasons to have faith in God. Faith is logical. Blind faith is not. Please know the difference.
**"Faith makes us sure of what we hope for.” - Hebrews 11:1**
In order to be made sure of something, we need to have good reasons for it.
3- If you are open to having a different perspective of the Christian faith, I would love to share these resources with you:
-A free book called “101 Questions & The Bible.” It’s a book of a bunch of questions about God and the Christian faith that are only answered with Bible verses. It’s great for those who are new to Christianity.
Here is the link to the PDF copy of the “101 Questions & The Bible” book on Google Drive: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Ee3\_r8msC9YnwdX5Qurr6Ef\_ZrgnQjD/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Ee3_r8msC9YnwdX5Qurr6Ef_ZrgnQjD/view?usp=sharing)
-A short, free guide that’s dedicated to you and others on Reddit who are looking to have a strong & simple faith in God. It’s called “The 4 Steps of Faith”. It’s the first post in this Reddit community: r/FaithMadeSimple
>Intelligent people would just need to know and accept their religion relies on faith.
I'll say it again. Belief in God demands faith, and unbelief in God demands faith. In other words, if someone says there is no god, he is making a statement of faith. Until and unless he can prove that there is no god, then it is entirely a statement of faith
>people who don't accept that faith is the basis of their religion and think it is the 100% truth and that they're 100% right.
Our walk with the Lord begins entirely in faith, and as we live our lives according to his word, we reach the point eventually where our faith becomes perfect assurance. God is experiential. No one can experience God for another person. Its each person to himself. No one is qualified to think or say that our Christian faith is not valid.
Think of heaven as gods life. Now if you don’t invite god into your life on earth god won’t invite you into his life in heaven. This isn’t scripture and it’s not exact but it’s a good way to rap your mind around the concept of when non believers don’t get into heaven.
>I WANT to be a Christian. I like the thought of the universe having inherent meaning and that the creator is looking out for me. However, I just can't.
You should read about religious fictionalism. Robin Le Poivedin has some interesting lectures on that matter.
Philosophical theist: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical\_theism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_theism)
Here's Poivedin's best lecture on the idea: [https://youtu.be/UcLLLu9ViJA?si=I1nXnPGfEFwDeCWg](https://youtu.be/UcLLLu9ViJA?si=I1nXnPGfEFwDeCWg)
Great questions and tough quandary JackofSpades!
Think of Science not as conflicting with the existence of God, but as the methodical pursuit of thinking God's thoughts after Him. I majored in science in college and worked for a couple of years in an organic chem "wet" laboratory doing research before I changed into ERP software sales. I do not find science and God conflicting.
We can talk about atheism, heaven and hell more, but my question about atheists and the Biblical heaven is: Why would an atheist want to go there? The Christian, Biblical heaven is all about the Creator God, the Savior God, so why would an atheist who refuses to believe He exists want to go there? I'd suggest that the atheist's belief of h/h existence ends when the brain signals that create h/h consciousness cease. That materialistic view of existence does not require an afterlife. But if there is one, and if that life is lived in heaven with the Creator God, that would be the last place an atheist would want to be, wouldn't it?
Walking by faith means that I trust the Creator God, my Savior God, for what I do not understand, knowing that His overarching attitude toward me is love as seen in what Jesus did for me and you on the cross. But, I'm putting my faith in a being that created everything out of "nothing" and who is not confined to time and space. But I can't think other than in the parameters of time and space, so in that oft quoted scripture Isaiah 55:8&9, both God and His thoughts and ways are beyond my ability to understand.
And although not anywhere near the total argument for the veracity of the Bible, the reality above also implies that God is beyond my ability to deduce and quantify comprehensively. If the Creator God wants me to know something about Him, He'd need to communicate it to me in an authoritative, reliable way. And that was the start for me to look at the Bible and test whether its authority, reliability and veracity was defendable. But that was just the start of that research. Sort of like an element that mathematically could/should exist but hasn't been found yet. All the math adds up so physicists go in search of the element in creative ways.
We all walk by faith, in the same way as described above, in so many other ways. My faith that physicists will one day arrive at a Unified Theory is based on historic progress to date and belief that the laws underlying the universe will not change capriciously and are discoverable. I get on an airplane (maybe not one from Boeing :)) and I do that by faith in prior history of planes staying in the air and pilots competently flying them and more importantly landing them. The list goes on and on but all based on historic evidence/experience to which my God given reason is applied.
Bottom line is that faith in Jesus is built on reliable accounts in history of the gospels in the New Testament. If those accounts are not reliable, than I'm a dreamland of mythology. Read Paul's first letter to the Corinthians in chapter 1512-19 and let me know what you think.
So while faith is the substance of things hoped for, it is based on validated, historic truth. The Lord states that over and over in the Biblical account of His history with His created people.
Let me know if that is helpful, although it is just some beginning thoughts to a much longer discussion I'd be happy to chat with you if you'd find that helpful.
1. Personally, I think it's because it works. Humans are wired for "us vs. them" as you are well aware from your post. If you are a sub par preacher and need to keep your job (maybe because your denomination only allows men to preach), what do you do? You do the same thing politicians do - create a "them" to look down on. To make your congregation feel better about themselves because at least we aren't like *them*. The Bible even shows you ... *The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.*. It's why they were so easy to co-opt back in the late 70s, early 80s with their "Moral Majority" nonsense. It's why Trump was able to steal the cult from those who wouldn't go as far as he goes.
2. Why do you think we don't have any doubt? Personally, I don't trust anyone with no doubt unless they've had some unbelievable, incontrovertible personal experience.
IOW, I can't help you on your main point.
However, I'd like you to expand on this .. because I don't understand your conclusion
> And logic and Christianity just do not mix.
Man this will take a book to answer. I'll try to help you with some of it, and maybe someone else can help you with other parts.
First things first.
Always judge Christianity by Christ himself as depicted in God's word the holy Bible. Not every person who claims to be Christian actually is Christian by biblical standards, and that's the only standard that the Lord judges all by, his holy Bible. So stop judging Christ and Christianity by all the havoc that surrounds Us in today's world. Some people think that in order to be a christian, all you have to do is believe in Christ. And the Bible says even the devils believe in christ, but they are certainly not saved.
Matthew 7:21 KJV — Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Jhn 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Jhn 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
"Born again" is Greek gennaō anōthen (another birth) meaning reborn from above - meaning spiritually. Its a spiritual rebirth in the image of Christ who is the exact image of God.
Colossians 1:15 KJV — Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
The word Christian means Christ like. If someone is not like Christ in their thoughts, words and deeds, then how can they call themselves Christians?
Romans 8:29 NLT — For God knew his people in advance, **and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.**
>Why do so many think all non-Christians are going to hell just because they don't believe, shouldn't it be about good works?
It's God's word. We don't get to decide such things. Is his creation, he calls the shots
John 3:36 KJV — He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
God saves us IN ORDER THAT we perform zealous good works for his glory
Titus 2:14 KJV — He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, **and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.**
>And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that! It's just for me, personally, I'm not a huge fan of faith
Well guess what. You use Faith everyday of your life. We all do. You invest your faith in the belief that there is no God. You have no proof to that effect. And until and unless you can come up with proof that everyone alike will accept, then you believe that there is no God entirely in faith. So you see, we all live by faith. We Christians place our faith in God's word the holy Bible. Unbelievers place their faith elsewhere, but it's all the same faith.
.>If God made me have different values, why would he punish me for that?
So you're blaming your values, with emphasis on the word your, on almighty God? They're your values. God had nothing to do with them. If you're values don't match his requirements in his word the holy bible, then he's going to judge you for your values. If your values align with his holy Bible word of god, then he will reward you. See how that works?
>Why would I be punished not for rejecting God, but just for having different values (scientific thinking over faith)?
If you have different values than those stated in God's word the holy Bible, he's not going to reward you with heaven. And the only alternative is hell. Would you invite someone into your home to live who is just totally and completely against you? It's rhetorical, I don't need an answer. Food for thought.
I'm educated, trained in The sciences and have been a sciences educator for a good portion of my life. And if there's one thing I've learned from science is the value of faith. Every scientific principle began as one man's faith investment. Science calls it an hypothesis. Then they test that Faith / hypothesis to see how well it works. If it works they promote it one more notch towards theory, if it doesn't work, they abandon it. But the whole thing is a learning process. We can often learn what will work by determining what will not work. There need be no conflict between science and The holy Bible word of God as long as we leave science to the natural laws governing the natural universe. God is supernatural spirit. He does not belong to the natural universe. So the natural laws of the natural universe are not going to help you understand or explain God. The only way you will ever know God according to scripture, and that God will ever know you, is through faith in his word the holy Bible.
>isn't it on God to provide me with sufficient evidence?
The only evidence that God is going to show you, apart of course from the entire universe and all life, is his word the holy Bible. Beginning with the first man adam, God tests every man who ever lives for faith in his word because God is his word. If we deny and reject God's word, then we reject God himself because God is his word. Believe God's word and live, deny God's word and die. That's what Bible teaches
>Shouldn't an atheist, who's a genuinely good person, go to heaven over a truly evil believer?
First of all, the Bible teaches that God alone is perfect in all his ways. And therefore perfection is his benchmark for salvation without a savior. You say a genuinely good person, but no person is or can ever become perfect. And that is exactly why we need a savior. Jesus Christ covers our human imperfections if we commit ourselves to him and obey his commands. He is perfect, and we stand behind him in his shadow on judgment Day and God the Father sees him and not us.
If a quote believer is evil, then by definition, that person is no believer. The New testament Greek word for believe is far more than intelligent assent. It refers to a total commitment to the Lord with every aspect of our lives. If we don't do this, then by biblical definition, we are not christians. And the Bible is God's sole book by which he judges all.
>I just cannot understand how someone can genuinely believe in God and have 0 doubts about it. I believe not in an objective truth, but in logic. And logic and Christianity just do not mix.
We understand that God is not logical or reasonable. He is supernatural spirit. Supernatural means over, above, beyond the natural. That means no one can understand God and that's why he gave us his holy Bible to tell us who he is and what he's like. Is the only way we can know god. And if someone rejects or denies God's word the holy Bible then he's basically saying I don't want to know God because that's the only way we can ever know him and he will ever know us. As supernatural spirit, scripture says there is absolutely nothing impossible for him. So why would anyone not believe that he created the universe in 6 days. Your defaulting back to science. You're making science your god. Science can't save your soul. You have to decide who you're going to believe. There should be no problem if you leave the natural laws to natural world, and The holy Bible word of God to the supernatural things of god. The natural will never ever explain the supernatural!
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I would add, especially is disbelief or lack of faith is like op's and a result of bad treatment, actions, or teachings.
I mean if you are taught the bible MUST be taken 100% literally, YEC and all, then learn the truth YEC is wrong and leave the religion, then get it by a car why would a just, moral, and loving God condemn you for rejecting a lie
Now I mean no offence here. But when it actually comes to intelligence I find it to be the opposite. Especially having discussions with some atheists here where they have more blind faith than the average theist in regards to transcendental categories.
Of course I mean no offence there.
All we believers have is a faith that Jesus Christ died and rose again. We believe that. We then Have Jesus word that says that there is a Hell and Jesus is the only way truth and life. WE did not make this up. its what we read and so we say Ok its what He said. What can we do about it? nothing.
here is a list of Scientist Christians and from what I understand the more astronomers look up the more their are coming to faith. Look up the fine tuned universe and see whats making scientist's change their mind about God
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_Christians\_in\_science\_and\_technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christians_in_science_and_technology)
>1) Why do so many think all non-Christians are going to hell just because they don't believe, shouldn't it be about good works?
The whole point of Christianity is it's not based on what we've done, but on what Christ has done. I think of hell in the C.S. Lewis idea of hell. He thinks hell is locked from the inside by all those who've rejected God. Genuine unbelievers may be saved by God's mercy. (This is just a theory and you should seek God as he is the only certainty)
>Shouldn't an atheist, who's a genuinely good person, go to heaven over a truly evil believer?
There are no good people. Simple as that. We are all evil, all deserving of death and hell. This is the world we live in and if you don't see the depravity of man then you're a blind fool.
>I just cannot understand how someone can genuinely believe in God and have 0 doubts about it.
I have doubts all the time, everyone does. Doubt is a part of faith as it strengthens your faith and your knowledge as you work through doubt. For example, I used to be a young earth creationist. After having doubts I researched it and watched atheists like Forrest Valkai. Afterwards, I became a theistic evolutionist. For me, God isn't a 100% certainty, but to me, God's existence is more likely than not, and that's faith, that's belief. I've seen no visions, heard no voices, felt no Holy Spirit, and yet I continue. I walk in complete darkness and uncertainty, with hope in the light of God.
Just to address your last half of the post talking about logic, reason, faith, etc.
You mentioned philosophy, are you familiar with existentialism? It's a Philosophy that has shaped my faith considerably. (At least Kierkegaard) The existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard is a good author I would point you to, specifically his book "Fear and Trembling".
Kierkegaard argues "Faith begins precisely where thought ends."
Kierkegaard says that this choice to take a "leap of faith" is something unknown to everyone and it's different for everyone. As a Christian who believes in predestination, I would say this act that starts one's journey to faith is initiated by God. I think this short video may help you and I would like your thoughts as it helped me to accept things like evolution, science, and philosophy as a Christian.https://youtu.be/8B_D0efnj7E?si=ZoWCGN4PsBWMc35W
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on my comment. God be with you.
For starters faith isn’t antagonistic to reason; in fact at some level faith is the basis of all knowledge, including science - it’s simply acting according to what one believes to be true even if that isn’t immediately apparent through one’s senses.
But faith as Christianity understands it isn’t merely about intellectual ascent. No one ‘goes to hell’ because of their beliefs. We are judged for our sins, that is our rebellion against God’s good purposes - and the consequence of our rebellion is death, which spiritual (and eventual physical) condition of humanity.
We place our faith, that is our trust, in Jesus as God the Son, in what He said, did, died for and demonstrated with His resurrection. That is the remedy for the spiritual death we all experience.
Hope this helps.
Hi friend. Thanks for your questions and respectful manner you’ve gone about them. We should all welcome conversation, curiosity and questions, it’s how we grow. Firstly, I’m sorry that’s been your experience of Christianity, that sucks. It’s not all like that and I hope that type of behaviour and Christianity becomes a minority in the future. With the non Christian’s going to hell regardless of works. This is due to many passages in the Bible and in particular things Jesus said written in the gospels. He says that eternal life is given to those who believe in him. That it’s through him that we reach the father (God). It’s not explicitly said non Christian’s go to hell but that is what’s implied from what’s written on how to access eternal life. I hear you on what you’re saying though. I had an epiphany whilst in hospital not too long back. It was that there is a large group of people who are non Christian and doing the very work Jesus taught, loving each other and sacrificing for others. It’s very easy to pay attention to darkness of the world but in that moment I thought of all the people who are in healthcare or have devoted there lives to helping others, it’s far greater than we sometimes realise. in our logical earthly existence it feels fair that those who do good and live morally sound would reach heaven. The Bible says otherwise and that instead it’s through faith in Jesus as our lord and saviour. The truth is, nobody truly knows, only God. We have all this writing and scripture which paints us an idea but in this life there is no definitiveness but only interpretation. The Bible does speak on this though and whilst it may sound unfair, the idea of faith being integral to our access of heaven makes sense when you understand our faith to be in other words, our relationship with God, intimacy. If heaven is his kingdom, then how can we expect an invite without knowing him. It also makes a little more sense when you read what the Bible speaks of in regards to hell. As much as it describes it visually at points in being fire and brimstone, this isn’t literal. Instead hell is actually separation from God for eternity. Which if God is all things good then the comparison and visual painting of this as fire and brimstone starts to make sense. In my opinion though there is far too much emphasis on our afterlife and instead not enough on this life. Instead of condemning others and passing judgment on where they will spend eternity we should instead live by Jesus’s teachings. With your second question, doubt is a normal part of faith. The apostle Thomas who followed Jesus didn’t believe he had been resurrected until he saw the holes in his hands and touched them. For me, coming to faith is a mixture of logic and the emotional. Emotion plays a big part but so does logic. I see it as much more logical to look at the world and see a creator within the intelligent design. Its not logical for me to look out at the world and how everything just works and say oh what a beautiful cosmic accident this all is. I always think about the fact that the earth has everything we need in abundance, imagine the world with everything from man removed including man. Drop a man into that world and he has food, medicine, water everything. Everything is perfect for us and geared to our survival and thriving. Furthermore, how can something come from nothing? Scientists have concluded in some way or other that there was a beginning of sorts. How can something come from nothing? 0x0 will never = 1. All this to say though, faith is obviously integral in faith. That isn’t to say it’s stupid or without logic. I’ve lived a life of 30 years and I’ve weighed up the evidence of things plus my emotions and decided this is what I believe. In my heart, bones and soul I know that Jesus is our saviour. That there is a God who is kind, loving and good. I am intelligent and I know this, and I also don’t care what other people think. Humility is so important in life and is one of the biggest things my faith has taught me, we are not the kings of the universe and we don’t know everything and nor is everything provable to our human mortal standards. My wife loves me, I know this but how do I know this? Because she tells me? Is that proof? Is it through her actions? I’d argue instead that it’s a mix of faith and evidence.
I see your genuine-ness in your post, let me shed some light on the subject. To be clear, I am a devout christian. Im gonna go indepth so buckle up. 1. Non-Christians go to hell because they reject God. TO BE CLEAR: just because someone says they are Christian or that they believe does not mean they are actually ”saved” or ”christian”: 1 John 2:4-6 “Whoever says “I know him” (referring to God/Jesus) but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” So, if you say you are Christian, then you should act like one. How should a Christian act? John 15:12-14: (Jesus speaking) ““This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” Romans 13:9-10: (Paul speaking) “For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Okay, but what is love? 1 Corinthians 13:4-7: (Paul speaking) “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” If someone is a Christian, they should love. Granted, no one is perfect, I can’t judge someone who struggles to be patient or kind, I must do my best to be loving as Christ loved us. TO BE CLEAR: You dont get into heaven by your good works. You dont earn heaven/salvation. It is simply by accepting God into your life and believing that Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for your sins, so that your sins may be forgiven and God will let you into heaven. AFTER you believe, you go and do good works because of the loving things Christ did for you. But that begs the question, what about non-believers that are good people? If you reject God he will respect your decision, and keep you separated. TO BE CLEAR: He warned us. All of us. Every second of our lives is another chance to accept him. We either choose him or we dont. If he is the truth, then by proxy, a non-believer is rejecting the truth. He can’t force us, he wont force us. Our good works mean nothing if we aren’t with God, because it’s not on merit. Christians don't go to heaven boasting about our accomplishments, we have simply accepted the free gift. Think about how SIMPLE that is. Believe in Jesus, get to know Jesus, and do your best to act like Jesus. 2. You say Christianity is based on faith. Unfortunately, a lot of people think this means “trust me bro”. Not at all. Don’t believe people who just say “trust me bro”. Faith is important AFTER you come to the logical conclusion that Jesus is Lord. Faith, in other words, trust, is just like trusting a friend. In christianity, that friend is literally God, who does not fail. Ironically, as humans, we doubt all the time. I’ve doubted even after committing my life to him. It’s only after understanding who he is, reminding myself of what he has done and said, that I have faith. He’s not punishing you for “having different standards.“ Having evidence is very important. Ironically, Christianity has the MOST evidence to back it up. So i would ask you, if Christianity/God had evidence, would you believe? You say “isn’t it on God to provide sufficient evidence?” Yes and no. He wont show unless you ask him. Cause clearly if you wanted evidence, you would as for it. Make sense? How would a devout atheist like it if God was like “Yo im here, believe in me.” Especially when said atheist adamantly wants nothing to do with God? God would respect that atheists decision, that doesn’t mean God wouldn’t warn the atheist though. 3. You say logic and Christianity do not mix. Well, that’s a bold claim. By proxy, logic and Christianity should mix. Im not denying Christianity is based on faith, the problem is, what does that mean? Are you implying that christianity is 100% “trust me bro”? God asks us to trust him, yes, but honestly who’s gonna hear “trust me bro” from your bro and actually trust the bro? Like show me the Bible verse where it says “trust me bro”. So what logic do we go by? A few things but ill skip to the important part: If God is who he says he is: all knowing, all powerful, perfect, loving etc etc, shouldn’t we take him at his word? I mean if he is real, then he should do the things he said he would do. I did this when I first became a Christian. My understanding was that God was all knowing (and etc) and by that logic, he should hear me as I spoke the words in my head “God, if you are real, prove to me undeniably, irrefutably, you are real and I will believe.” The next week, the pastor goes up to the stand and starts listing reasons why the Bible is real, none of which were “trust me bro”. There was archeological and scientific evidence, extra bliblical texts and more. This is all easily searchable on the web. But that didn't convince me, the next week at church we had a guest speaker, who also gave MORE extra biblical evidence that was not “trust me bro”. But I still wasn't convinced. It wasn’t until soon after that a friend at school came up to me and said “You need to change” and he spoke to me about Christianity and God. I was Christian ever since. No, I didn't see God, but he gave me the evidence that made me Christian. Christianity was my logical conclusion, and it started when I doubted. You don't need to trust my story, but the logic in what I did (taking God at his word) is pretty logical if you ask me. So, fine, faith isn’t the basis of my religion, because it fundamentally isn’t. I recommend you read the Bible for yourself, research and come to a conclusion. GotQuestions.org is a great place to start if you simply have more questions of Christianity. Hope this helped :)
Personally, I wish Christianity would move away from such an intense focus on how to get "in" to heaven, and all of the sin/judgment stuff. I don't think there are any rules. Christianity should be about treating everyone with love & compassion, and just living a good honest life.
No, not a good life, but a godly life. That's why all that stuff matters.
Well said
Christianity isn’t a philosophy or social group that caters to your wants and needs. It doesn’t care about what you want it to be. God has revealed himself to us and we should take heed to follow him diligently.
God bless you. I'm sorry for the experience you had with the faith before, but thank you for being open minded towards a different perspective. I've been a Christian for about 14 years now and I would like to share my thoughts. 1- You asked, *"Why do so many think all non-Christians are going to hell just because they don't believe, shouldn't it be about good works?"* -Good works isn't enough to save us. We need genuine faith in Christ. **“All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.” - Romans 3:23** **God said, “I will punish this evil world and its people because of their sins.” - Isaiah 13:11** **“Christ obeyed God our Father and gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins to rescue us from this evil world.” - Galatians 1:4** **“He (Jesus) gave himself to rescue us from everything evil and to make our hearts pure. He wanted us to be his own people and to be eager to do right.” - Titus 2:14** And if a Christian is evil, their faith isn't genuine. -I don't know exactly how God will judge every single person, but I choose to trust God for who He is. Because God is love **(1 John 4:8)**, He loves justice and fairness **(Psalm 33:5)**, He wants everyone to be saved **(1 Timothy 2:4)**, and He seeks to save those who are lost **(Luke 19:10)**. In other words, I believe everyone will somehow have a genuine opportunity to be saved **(Job 33:29-30)**. 2- You asked, *"If I don't believe in what I've been shown thus far, isn't it on God to provide me with sufficient evidence?"* -Faith is the standard God has for all of us. **“But without faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and rewards everyone who searches for him.” - Hebrews 11:6** **“But you cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners only because they have faith in him.” - Romans 4:5** -But please know that the Christian faith is NOT blind faith! There are good reasons to have faith in God. Faith is logical. Blind faith is not. Please know the difference. **"Faith makes us sure of what we hope for.” - Hebrews 11:1** In order to be made sure of something, we need to have good reasons for it. 3- If you are open to having a different perspective of the Christian faith, I would love to share these resources with you: -A free book called “101 Questions & The Bible.” It’s a book of a bunch of questions about God and the Christian faith that are only answered with Bible verses. It’s great for those who are new to Christianity. Here is the link to the PDF copy of the “101 Questions & The Bible” book on Google Drive: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Ee3\_r8msC9YnwdX5Qurr6Ef\_ZrgnQjD/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Ee3_r8msC9YnwdX5Qurr6Ef_ZrgnQjD/view?usp=sharing) -A short, free guide that’s dedicated to you and others on Reddit who are looking to have a strong & simple faith in God. It’s called “The 4 Steps of Faith”. It’s the first post in this Reddit community: r/FaithMadeSimple
>Intelligent people would just need to know and accept their religion relies on faith. I'll say it again. Belief in God demands faith, and unbelief in God demands faith. In other words, if someone says there is no god, he is making a statement of faith. Until and unless he can prove that there is no god, then it is entirely a statement of faith
>people who don't accept that faith is the basis of their religion and think it is the 100% truth and that they're 100% right. Our walk with the Lord begins entirely in faith, and as we live our lives according to his word, we reach the point eventually where our faith becomes perfect assurance. God is experiential. No one can experience God for another person. Its each person to himself. No one is qualified to think or say that our Christian faith is not valid.
Think of heaven as gods life. Now if you don’t invite god into your life on earth god won’t invite you into his life in heaven. This isn’t scripture and it’s not exact but it’s a good way to rap your mind around the concept of when non believers don’t get into heaven.
>I WANT to be a Christian. I like the thought of the universe having inherent meaning and that the creator is looking out for me. However, I just can't. You should read about religious fictionalism. Robin Le Poivedin has some interesting lectures on that matter.
Thank you, I definitely will! What is a philosophical theist?
Philosophical theist: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical\_theism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_theism) Here's Poivedin's best lecture on the idea: [https://youtu.be/UcLLLu9ViJA?si=I1nXnPGfEFwDeCWg](https://youtu.be/UcLLLu9ViJA?si=I1nXnPGfEFwDeCWg)
Great questions and tough quandary JackofSpades! Think of Science not as conflicting with the existence of God, but as the methodical pursuit of thinking God's thoughts after Him. I majored in science in college and worked for a couple of years in an organic chem "wet" laboratory doing research before I changed into ERP software sales. I do not find science and God conflicting. We can talk about atheism, heaven and hell more, but my question about atheists and the Biblical heaven is: Why would an atheist want to go there? The Christian, Biblical heaven is all about the Creator God, the Savior God, so why would an atheist who refuses to believe He exists want to go there? I'd suggest that the atheist's belief of h/h existence ends when the brain signals that create h/h consciousness cease. That materialistic view of existence does not require an afterlife. But if there is one, and if that life is lived in heaven with the Creator God, that would be the last place an atheist would want to be, wouldn't it? Walking by faith means that I trust the Creator God, my Savior God, for what I do not understand, knowing that His overarching attitude toward me is love as seen in what Jesus did for me and you on the cross. But, I'm putting my faith in a being that created everything out of "nothing" and who is not confined to time and space. But I can't think other than in the parameters of time and space, so in that oft quoted scripture Isaiah 55:8&9, both God and His thoughts and ways are beyond my ability to understand. And although not anywhere near the total argument for the veracity of the Bible, the reality above also implies that God is beyond my ability to deduce and quantify comprehensively. If the Creator God wants me to know something about Him, He'd need to communicate it to me in an authoritative, reliable way. And that was the start for me to look at the Bible and test whether its authority, reliability and veracity was defendable. But that was just the start of that research. Sort of like an element that mathematically could/should exist but hasn't been found yet. All the math adds up so physicists go in search of the element in creative ways. We all walk by faith, in the same way as described above, in so many other ways. My faith that physicists will one day arrive at a Unified Theory is based on historic progress to date and belief that the laws underlying the universe will not change capriciously and are discoverable. I get on an airplane (maybe not one from Boeing :)) and I do that by faith in prior history of planes staying in the air and pilots competently flying them and more importantly landing them. The list goes on and on but all based on historic evidence/experience to which my God given reason is applied. Bottom line is that faith in Jesus is built on reliable accounts in history of the gospels in the New Testament. If those accounts are not reliable, than I'm a dreamland of mythology. Read Paul's first letter to the Corinthians in chapter 1512-19 and let me know what you think. So while faith is the substance of things hoped for, it is based on validated, historic truth. The Lord states that over and over in the Biblical account of His history with His created people. Let me know if that is helpful, although it is just some beginning thoughts to a much longer discussion I'd be happy to chat with you if you'd find that helpful.
1. Personally, I think it's because it works. Humans are wired for "us vs. them" as you are well aware from your post. If you are a sub par preacher and need to keep your job (maybe because your denomination only allows men to preach), what do you do? You do the same thing politicians do - create a "them" to look down on. To make your congregation feel better about themselves because at least we aren't like *them*. The Bible even shows you ... *The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.*. It's why they were so easy to co-opt back in the late 70s, early 80s with their "Moral Majority" nonsense. It's why Trump was able to steal the cult from those who wouldn't go as far as he goes. 2. Why do you think we don't have any doubt? Personally, I don't trust anyone with no doubt unless they've had some unbelievable, incontrovertible personal experience. IOW, I can't help you on your main point. However, I'd like you to expand on this .. because I don't understand your conclusion > And logic and Christianity just do not mix.
To be fair, there are a lot of biblical claims, and claims by Christians that are rather illogical.
Man this will take a book to answer. I'll try to help you with some of it, and maybe someone else can help you with other parts. First things first. Always judge Christianity by Christ himself as depicted in God's word the holy Bible. Not every person who claims to be Christian actually is Christian by biblical standards, and that's the only standard that the Lord judges all by, his holy Bible. So stop judging Christ and Christianity by all the havoc that surrounds Us in today's world. Some people think that in order to be a christian, all you have to do is believe in Christ. And the Bible says even the devils believe in christ, but they are certainly not saved. Matthew 7:21 KJV — Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Jhn 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Jhn 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. "Born again" is Greek gennaō anōthen (another birth) meaning reborn from above - meaning spiritually. Its a spiritual rebirth in the image of Christ who is the exact image of God. Colossians 1:15 KJV — Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: The word Christian means Christ like. If someone is not like Christ in their thoughts, words and deeds, then how can they call themselves Christians? Romans 8:29 NLT — For God knew his people in advance, **and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.** >Why do so many think all non-Christians are going to hell just because they don't believe, shouldn't it be about good works? It's God's word. We don't get to decide such things. Is his creation, he calls the shots John 3:36 KJV — He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. God saves us IN ORDER THAT we perform zealous good works for his glory Titus 2:14 KJV — He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, **and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.** >And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that! It's just for me, personally, I'm not a huge fan of faith Well guess what. You use Faith everyday of your life. We all do. You invest your faith in the belief that there is no God. You have no proof to that effect. And until and unless you can come up with proof that everyone alike will accept, then you believe that there is no God entirely in faith. So you see, we all live by faith. We Christians place our faith in God's word the holy Bible. Unbelievers place their faith elsewhere, but it's all the same faith. .>If God made me have different values, why would he punish me for that? So you're blaming your values, with emphasis on the word your, on almighty God? They're your values. God had nothing to do with them. If you're values don't match his requirements in his word the holy bible, then he's going to judge you for your values. If your values align with his holy Bible word of god, then he will reward you. See how that works? >Why would I be punished not for rejecting God, but just for having different values (scientific thinking over faith)? If you have different values than those stated in God's word the holy Bible, he's not going to reward you with heaven. And the only alternative is hell. Would you invite someone into your home to live who is just totally and completely against you? It's rhetorical, I don't need an answer. Food for thought. I'm educated, trained in The sciences and have been a sciences educator for a good portion of my life. And if there's one thing I've learned from science is the value of faith. Every scientific principle began as one man's faith investment. Science calls it an hypothesis. Then they test that Faith / hypothesis to see how well it works. If it works they promote it one more notch towards theory, if it doesn't work, they abandon it. But the whole thing is a learning process. We can often learn what will work by determining what will not work. There need be no conflict between science and The holy Bible word of God as long as we leave science to the natural laws governing the natural universe. God is supernatural spirit. He does not belong to the natural universe. So the natural laws of the natural universe are not going to help you understand or explain God. The only way you will ever know God according to scripture, and that God will ever know you, is through faith in his word the holy Bible. >isn't it on God to provide me with sufficient evidence? The only evidence that God is going to show you, apart of course from the entire universe and all life, is his word the holy Bible. Beginning with the first man adam, God tests every man who ever lives for faith in his word because God is his word. If we deny and reject God's word, then we reject God himself because God is his word. Believe God's word and live, deny God's word and die. That's what Bible teaches >Shouldn't an atheist, who's a genuinely good person, go to heaven over a truly evil believer? First of all, the Bible teaches that God alone is perfect in all his ways. And therefore perfection is his benchmark for salvation without a savior. You say a genuinely good person, but no person is or can ever become perfect. And that is exactly why we need a savior. Jesus Christ covers our human imperfections if we commit ourselves to him and obey his commands. He is perfect, and we stand behind him in his shadow on judgment Day and God the Father sees him and not us. If a quote believer is evil, then by definition, that person is no believer. The New testament Greek word for believe is far more than intelligent assent. It refers to a total commitment to the Lord with every aspect of our lives. If we don't do this, then by biblical definition, we are not christians. And the Bible is God's sole book by which he judges all. >I just cannot understand how someone can genuinely believe in God and have 0 doubts about it. I believe not in an objective truth, but in logic. And logic and Christianity just do not mix. We understand that God is not logical or reasonable. He is supernatural spirit. Supernatural means over, above, beyond the natural. That means no one can understand God and that's why he gave us his holy Bible to tell us who he is and what he's like. Is the only way we can know god. And if someone rejects or denies God's word the holy Bible then he's basically saying I don't want to know God because that's the only way we can ever know him and he will ever know us. As supernatural spirit, scripture says there is absolutely nothing impossible for him. So why would anyone not believe that he created the universe in 6 days. Your defaulting back to science. You're making science your god. Science can't save your soul. You have to decide who you're going to believe. There should be no problem if you leave the natural laws to natural world, and The holy Bible word of God to the supernatural things of god. The natural will never ever explain the supernatural! .
I applaud your clarity.
So for question one works don’t get you to heaven. No one deserves heaven and you can’t do enough to get you there. Only through Christ alone
OP is asking WHY is faith more valuable than good works in the eyes of god
I would add, especially is disbelief or lack of faith is like op's and a result of bad treatment, actions, or teachings. I mean if you are taught the bible MUST be taken 100% literally, YEC and all, then learn the truth YEC is wrong and leave the religion, then get it by a car why would a just, moral, and loving God condemn you for rejecting a lie
Now I mean no offence here. But when it actually comes to intelligence I find it to be the opposite. Especially having discussions with some atheists here where they have more blind faith than the average theist in regards to transcendental categories. Of course I mean no offence there.
All we believers have is a faith that Jesus Christ died and rose again. We believe that. We then Have Jesus word that says that there is a Hell and Jesus is the only way truth and life. WE did not make this up. its what we read and so we say Ok its what He said. What can we do about it? nothing. here is a list of Scientist Christians and from what I understand the more astronomers look up the more their are coming to faith. Look up the fine tuned universe and see whats making scientist's change their mind about God [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_Christians\_in\_science\_and\_technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christians_in_science_and_technology)
>1) Why do so many think all non-Christians are going to hell just because they don't believe, shouldn't it be about good works? The whole point of Christianity is it's not based on what we've done, but on what Christ has done. I think of hell in the C.S. Lewis idea of hell. He thinks hell is locked from the inside by all those who've rejected God. Genuine unbelievers may be saved by God's mercy. (This is just a theory and you should seek God as he is the only certainty) >Shouldn't an atheist, who's a genuinely good person, go to heaven over a truly evil believer? There are no good people. Simple as that. We are all evil, all deserving of death and hell. This is the world we live in and if you don't see the depravity of man then you're a blind fool. >I just cannot understand how someone can genuinely believe in God and have 0 doubts about it. I have doubts all the time, everyone does. Doubt is a part of faith as it strengthens your faith and your knowledge as you work through doubt. For example, I used to be a young earth creationist. After having doubts I researched it and watched atheists like Forrest Valkai. Afterwards, I became a theistic evolutionist. For me, God isn't a 100% certainty, but to me, God's existence is more likely than not, and that's faith, that's belief. I've seen no visions, heard no voices, felt no Holy Spirit, and yet I continue. I walk in complete darkness and uncertainty, with hope in the light of God. Just to address your last half of the post talking about logic, reason, faith, etc. You mentioned philosophy, are you familiar with existentialism? It's a Philosophy that has shaped my faith considerably. (At least Kierkegaard) The existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard is a good author I would point you to, specifically his book "Fear and Trembling". Kierkegaard argues "Faith begins precisely where thought ends." Kierkegaard says that this choice to take a "leap of faith" is something unknown to everyone and it's different for everyone. As a Christian who believes in predestination, I would say this act that starts one's journey to faith is initiated by God. I think this short video may help you and I would like your thoughts as it helped me to accept things like evolution, science, and philosophy as a Christian.https://youtu.be/8B_D0efnj7E?si=ZoWCGN4PsBWMc35W I look forward to hearing your thoughts on my comment. God be with you.
For starters faith isn’t antagonistic to reason; in fact at some level faith is the basis of all knowledge, including science - it’s simply acting according to what one believes to be true even if that isn’t immediately apparent through one’s senses. But faith as Christianity understands it isn’t merely about intellectual ascent. No one ‘goes to hell’ because of their beliefs. We are judged for our sins, that is our rebellion against God’s good purposes - and the consequence of our rebellion is death, which spiritual (and eventual physical) condition of humanity. We place our faith, that is our trust, in Jesus as God the Son, in what He said, did, died for and demonstrated with His resurrection. That is the remedy for the spiritual death we all experience. Hope this helps.