I don't have any religious belief. I wonder what makes most US people believe in Christianity.?
116000
About the time that the lands of the Western Hemisphere were discovered there were two very significant movements influencing European culture - the Reformation and the Renaissance. \n\nThe Reformation movement was largely sparked by the sudden availability of Bibles which were only available to a select few before that. The impact was significant because there were many abuses in the church that were uncovered because corrupt clergy were making money by saying Scripture said things it did not. When people realized this, there was a mass scale determination for people to study the Bible for themselves. Knowing how to read suddenly became important even to peasants. Sola Scriptura (Scripture only) became the cry of people from many different European countries. Out of the Reformation came Protestantism. These churches were 'protesting' the abuses they saw in the official church. By the time America was being settled, there was much conflict between the official church and the Protestant churches. Many followers from the Protestant churches were being severly persecuted and found it easier to tame a wilderness country across the ocean than to get the official church to change.\n\nThere was a parallel shift away from the official church in the Renaissance movement. The Renaissance is often considered the rebirth of science and art after the fall of the Roman Empire. In this movement there was a burst of interest in Greek and Roman thought. Libraries of Greek and Roman literature and science which had been saved through the centuries by monestaries were dusted off and brought back into public life and acedamia. This drift from the church however lead to secularism.\n\nThe early founders of American communities largely came out of Reformation thinking. That is not to say that as the years have gone by there has not been a heavy influence of Renaissance thinking blended in. But the percentage of one to the other has more Reformation roots in the US than in Europe.\n\nYou will find in the writings of American and European historical figures that they also saw this difference. During the Revolutionary War era, Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and others noted the cultural differences and stated that Christianity was more vigorously held to in the colonies/US than in Europe. Europeans of that era such as the Frenchman Tocqueville actually made a study of it. He was wondering why the American Revolution and form of government turned out so well, while the French Revolution and governemnt devolved into anarchy and despotism. His final analysis was that it was America's deep seated love of Christinaity that made the difference. It is very interesting reading and can be read free at the online library at Project Gutenberg.\n\nSo why is America considered the most Christian nation yet reamaining in the world. It goes back to her roots. That doesn't mean that the Founding Fathers wouldn't be absolutely appalled by what we call Christianity today.
1098176
Of course I believe in God, silly boy. I just don't choose to be Christian. I'm a Non Denominational Happy Pagan Person. God and I keep organized religion out of our relationship. It simplifies matters greatly.
277622
To be considered a "Christian", there are certain fundamental beliefs to which we need to adhere.  Every Christian believes in the Blessed Trinity (One God in Three Divine Persons); that Jesus Christ is true God and true Man (that He is God in the flesh); and that salvation is obtained through the Mystery of Christ's Death on the Cross.  \n\nBut there are many other beliefs that are also very important to Christianity.  Not all of them are in the Bible explicitly.  Our Lord Jesus Christ did not found a book but a Church.  We, as Catholics, believe that the Catholic Church was the Church which He founded and to which He gave His very own authority (for example, the authority to forgive sins).  Such things, God alone can do, but if He wants to share His authority with the Church which He founded, then who are we to go against Him?  This is why Catholics love the Church and listen to the Church as if they were listening to Christ Himself.  He speaks through His Church.\n\nBut this is something that non-Catholics have a hard time understanding.  The best you can do, I think, is to show them that Jesus wanted to continue His Mission here on earth (the salvation of souls), and that that is why He founded His Church.  That is why we Catholics love the Church as we love Christ Himself.  \n\nI hope this helps, and may God bless you!
1004394
Christian  believing in Christ
549704
Christians believe in many different things. Me and my mom are Christians but she is Mormon and I am Pentecostal. We don't see the same things but we both are Christians. For me it is how I want to Praise Jesus. For her she is mostly told how to praise Jesus. But we have the common factor which is Jesus.
682832
I believe in God and I believe in Jesus and his works...the bible was written by man and had hidden agendas of the age. I believe there are many many many religions and theyre all "right" for the person choosing to believe them. The answers lie within your heart. Every person has the right to believe what they feel is best for them. People who try to change others beliefs are often insecure about thier own.
1124815
It's a great concept. I am leaning towards it. I'm not in religious organization nor do I go church but I do believe in God. I have been studying religious Humanism which I believe is the same as Christin humanism. I believe in the trinity but yet I see contradiction in the scriptures. In my heart, I believe that Jesus was God. I just started studying this in the past few months.
1058471
I'm a Christian, I don't have a religion. I have a relationship with God via His Son Jesus
371076
Facts ... I believe in "God". I am not able to accept the Christian version of monotheism. I consider it illogical and it makes no sense to me. I do not lie awake at night not believing. The Bible is not perfect. It has been mistranslated by numerous translators in various translations. Christianity is not the worlds longest running religion. There was Judaism and Hinduism and several others prior to 2000 years ago that are still alive and well. You asked for facts. Those are facts. I'm not Christian. That doesn't bother me. You are Christian. That doesn't bother me either. Instead of worrying about others and their relationship with "God" or their lack of same maybe there's something else you need to be looking at? Just a thought. And that's a fact. :-)
428248
It is not that people are divided into two camps, "those who believe, and those who don't".  In fact this is a belief structure on its own.  Many atheist have strong beliefs, they are just different from your own.  So maybe the better question to ask would be, "why do you believe something other than what I believe?"\n\nMost people who question Christianity do so because it is very easy not to believe in it.  Remember that the foundation of Christian beliefs is FAITH.  \n\nFaith is not easy for people who believe in science and reason.  Many of the beliefs of the Christian faith are total unreasonable.  For example, "The world was made in seven days".  This is not reasonable at all, but one needs faith to believe it.\n\nFor myself, I don't believe that Jesus was any more the son of god than you are.  Why? Because it is totally unreasonable.  But I do believe in God.  Although the God I believe in is likely nothing like the one you imagine.  My God is universal, and impossible to understand, we are too small and simple to understand a truth that grand.  My God is totally unreasonable also, but I don't attribute Human characteristics to him like many Christians do.  My God is everything, and everywhere.  And my God is inseparable from us.  We are, and it is us, and everything else.\n\nThe sad thing is that most Christians hope that Jesus will figure it all out for them.  All you have to do is believe in him, and that's it.  So is it really faith, or is it desperate hope for lost people?  I find Christians simplifying life so often it makes me wonder if they really KNOW Christ like they say they do.
840787
I can't answer your question fully, but as a Christian I can try to answer some of it.  I can only answer for myself as well.  It's very hard to answer for the majority when everyone has their own take on Christianity and how to act.  I only tell people because I want to see them in heaven and I believe the way is through Jesus Christ.  I don't demand my own way and I respect other's views.  I have a very, very good friend who is an athiest and I respect him and he respects me.  I still talk to him about God and we banter back and forth, but respect each other.  For the majority, I truly believe Christians just want to help others and bring as many people to Christ as possible for the sake of saving them, NOT for their own personal benefits.  You'll get many answers.  This is an age-old question.  I'm not afraid, I just care a lot.  Good luck to finding your answers.
626032
Christians believe in a personal God. He takes intense interest and action in the world. So much so that he came to earth as a baby, grew up into a man, and was executed. Being God however He rose from the dead.\n\nWith love in Christ.
1052190
I have not seen anyone accuse you of being a Christian.  Did I miss somthing?
486013
you're so right.\n\ni am a guy who is always in doubt if there is a God or not. my guess is i'll be always in doubt, because rationally speaking, all humans are too small to understand anything yet about how we exist and why we exist. But it's always fun to try and search for more truth about that.\n\ni came to this website, because my girlfriend is somewhat a christian. her family is christian, she herself is also, but not very biblical or strict. Yet, when we get married her family would like us to perform some biblical traditions in the ceremony. i don't have a probem with that, because i know it means much to them. so, i came to this website to learn. to see how human christianity is, how filled with love it is, and how nice it can be to hear the 'message of love' from christian people.\n\nspecially from christian from the 'land of the free' i would have expected a free, openminded vision on the world.\n\ntruth is, most of the answers i read, most of the opinions i saw threw not only me, but also my girlfriend much further away from christianity. we both were really shocked actually.\n\nthe intollerance, ignorance and prejudice were hard for us to read. I'm from Holland, which is a very openminded country to almost all subjects. My girlfriend is Romanian, a country which is orthodox-christian, where it still is almost forbidden to be gay for example. yet, even to my girlfriend the opinions from some of the american christians about homosexuality made us both feel disgusted with christianity as such.\n\nit's sad to see that people with so much freedom can't even see the consequences of their words. Being born in a rich, free country is, in this world pure luck. it's sad to see that people with so much luck, can still remain to be so judgemental on everything that strikes them as weird or different.
398295
I am not a Christian, nor a pre-Christian.  What I would like to say however is that there is no "one sentence" that you can write to convert thinking people to Christianity.  You have to give proper evidence of your claims, and that would most likely take a lot more than one sentence.
901834
Everyone assumes that most Atheists had a bad experience with Christianity, and that's why they stopped believing.  That's really not the case for most people.\n\nI stopped believing when I grew up.  I became an adult, and was able to make my own independent decisions, away from family and friends.  Logic and common sense lead me to become an Atheist.  \n\nOn top of that, I don't agree with any of the beliefs I would have to take on as a Christian or any other religion, really.  I'm a gay rights supporter, I believe in pro-choice, I believe in evolution, I have no problem with pre-marital sex or living with someone before marriage, I smoke, drink, and have done drugs.\n\nI basically wanted to be an individual.  I don't believe there is a God, and I didn't fall into any of the religions I have discovered.  While I respect that everyone has a right to believe what they want, I expect the same in return.
1112161
FYI I'm a Christian...if you read any history at all, religion has been around since humans became in existence.  Every culture discovered by archeologist's has had some form of a God.  From the ancient Aztecs, ancient Egyptians, and the Mesopotamians. The Majority of humans on this earth (87%) believe in one God or another...their "religion".  It is only the Atheist who do not believe in any power greater than themselves.  Pretty weird.