From: lung@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Terence Lung)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Why Believe?
Date: 7 Apr 92 16:32:17 GMT
Reply-To: lung@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Terence Lung)
Organization: Carderock Division, NSWC, Bethesda, MD

This here is a very common attitude we have here.  I can relate to it,
therefore n = 1.

(insert Joe-typical American name) writes:
>...You all know me.  So I'll forget the introductions...  Anyways 
>I consider myself a Christian.  However I'm not an extremely good 
>Christian (in my own definition, one who goes to church every sunday 
>and spreads the Word).  

IMHO, if Christ is absolutely your lord, you are Christian.  Whether you 
go to church or spread the Word is mostly immaterial.  Note:  going to 
church or spreading the Word can be evidence, but DOES NOT QUALIFY that 
one is Christian. (a) All Christians go to church one way or another.  
(b) NOT all church goers are Christian (the clergy is no exception!).  
The same goes for spreading the Word.  e.g. Many religions spread the 
"Golden Rule."  It is part of the Word.  But point made--whoever spreads 
the Word isn't necessarily Christian.

>My reason is because I have doubts.  I am a very analytical person so I 
>see things in a cause and effect sort

Great!  It is good to have doubts!  (absolutely no sarcasm intended)
It would be silly and dangerous to be too open-minded--dizzy and
unstable.(I think I've gone out with a few.)  Don't believe just 
anything from anyone!  I am an advocate for an open but cautious 
orientation--allow yourself to hear alien ideas, but challenge them 
by all means!  Accept a few, put on hold a few, and reject a few.  
Unfortunately this can get very anguishing.  Sometimes, I do not want 
to listen to someone but will try anyway just to make sure I haven't 
missed anything new unless I'm just too worn out.

I am a mechanical engineer involved extensively in research.  There is an
old engineering proverb:  "the steam engine has done more for science than
science has done for the steam engine."
There is also a nonengineering proverb, but equally useful:  "even if you
are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."
(Will Rogers)
If we engineers had to wait for just one theory to have been proven beyond
a shadow of a doubt, we would never have built anything!  (Remember, 
especially you EEs, the world is nonlinear and is full of things that 
we cannot predict.)  We'd all have probably died tragically on the other 
hand if we never did.  But remember, some of us have *died tragically* 
with a fighting spirit (this is sacrifice) while building what we have now.  
The next time you cross a bridge, you could remember that it wasn't built 
for free.  But with the same common sense, why reinvent the wheel?  
(To a certain extent, reinventing wheels is worthwhile just to double 
check why and if they still work for improvements' sake.)

>of way.  So in order for something to happen, something caused it to happen.
>That's where I get all messed up religon-wise.  I have a hard time believing
>in something that I can't prove exists.  So my question to you(meaning those
>who are of good faith, you know who you are), why do you believe?  Now don't
>go off and say "because the Bible says so."  Why do you believe the Bible?
>
>Why?  I can't believe fully until I answer that question myself.

Why do I believe?  (ok, I won't say "because the Bible says so.")
But I'll say that too anyway :) ...  
(1)  I think I've always believed that there exists a god.  (I'm still 
really trying to figure out why but that won't stop me on this one.  
People put out many reasons of sorts, but they don't change much for me.  
I also think for myself.  I am not going to think for anyone else, 
not even you...aw...shucks)  I guess we'll all find out when we die.
(2)  I also have no trouble believing there came a man named Jesus who 
claimed to be God.  Why not?  Lots of people have.  I could too if 
I wanted to be bold but fecetious.  The other stuff that Jesus was 
recorded to have said and done puts a lot of serious implications on 
our lives.(like you can reconstruct for yourself why the very first
sentence 59 lines above holds)  I've read about others' claims of deity 
but I haven't yet seen any others that have lived up to *all* of their claims.
(Note:  this step #2 requires a giant step of faith I think)
(3)  I "kind of" believe the Bible because I believe you would have tried 
to contribute to one too (for posterity) if there wasn't one and you 
saw (figuratively) those things that it says happened.
(4)  I now believe more as a result of revelations and circumstances
arising because of (1) and (2).  If you can get this far, you will 
know what I mean.

To confess, I myself am still not yet convinced that the Messiah is the 
only way even though that is in its definition.  But He is the only 
tenable way that *I* know of, therefore my choice.  Since I am an engineer, 
I also hold, to the best of my ability, to not advocating impractical 
designs of whatever (airplanes, engines, bridges, etc)--people's lives 
would be jeopardized more than they already are.


For your sake, I hope my impressions have been worth at least two cents here.
Terence
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc