How do you get someone to believe in God?

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12 Answers

Kathryn Amis Profile
Kathryn Amis answered

I agree with all that has been said - you can never force anyone to believe in God or anything else for that matter.

If someone is genuinely seeking for God, then one of the ways they often find Him is through others who believe. I've never heard of anyone coming to a believing faith by being hit over the head with a big stick and harangued with Bible verse after Bible verse, but I've known many people drawn to faith by the love, kindness and concern of other believers. 

So if you want someone to believe in God - let them see what He looks like in you and maybe that'll start the ball rolling.

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Rooster Cogburn
Rooster Cogburn commented
Outstanding answer ! Don't like it shoved in my face much but what you said is really great. That's the way to do it all right!
Awesome  Autumn
Awesome Autumn commented
Good answer! :)
Shinypate one
Shinypate one commented
Indeed. People are loved into the kingdom. In fact, it's probably because we do not show sufficient love to others, that they doubt the God we serve.
John Doe Profile
John Doe answered

You can't "make" people believe in anything. Information is offered, and decisions are made from there. So essentially, the decision whether or not to believe in ...whatever...is an individual choice, and people can become defensive when attempts are made to "make" them think in a certain way.

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Awesome  Autumn
Awesome Autumn commented
But do you believe In unicorns, tyto?
Awesome  Autumn
Awesome Autumn commented
Oh
Shinypate one
Shinypate one commented
Category mismatch. You cannot prove the non-existence of God. You cannot liken an supposed existent being to a mythical one, because if He indeed exists, he is not mythical. So, the non-existence of a mythic being does not prove or disprove the existence of God.
I typically say there is good evidence for the creator in the creation, just like a painting is evidence of a painter. But some prefer to believe that everything came from nothing. It is just as much a belief as belief in God, because creation from nothing has never been done in a lab, and quantum fluctuations are not stable nor large, and the odds of a stable megafluctiation are more than astromomical, they are practically impossible.
Nice Girl Profile
Nice Girl answered

You cant get anyone to believe in God.Many have tried and many have died.....what you can tell them is the great stories of god and if they question then tell them some miracle will happen with them someday too!

Betty Boo Profile
Betty Boo answered

A person should see Christ in us 

Words are not necessary 

Didge Doo Profile
Didge Doo answered

In an Australian detective story, an American visitor was baffled when an overly-religious person was called "a wowser". When he asked for an explanation, he was told, "An amateur ayatollah."

Pushing your religion at non-believers is the surest way to alienate them. Not a good idea.

There are many types of non-religious person from the lazily apathetic to those who vigorously press their atheism. Most of us lie somewhere in the middle, and many of us had religious upbringings which we threw aside as we developed the ability to reason.

Some of us -- believe it or not -- know even more than the people who try to preach at us.

I'm sorry if that sounds negative, but that's the way it is.

J-- C-- Profile
J-- C-- answered

You don't. People come to God (or don't) on their own.

You can tell them your beliefs about God if they ask, but proselytizing never works, in my opinion.

Also, nothing makes me more certain that there is a God than the number of self proclaimed atheists that spend so much time and energy attacking something they claim doesn't exist.

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Darik Majoren
Darik Majoren commented
I see.
Shinypate one
Shinypate one commented
Jake, I do give and take with Dark and Kaywinnet all the time, in Ask and here. I can attest they will oppose you, but will keep it entirely in the realm of ideas. It's all good. No need to go into personal attack or ad hominem. I object to it when it's the primary argument as we don't really learn anything.
J-- C--
J-- C-- commented
Shinypate, feel free to stop championing someone who clearly doesn't deserve it. I posted my opinion, and got jumped on for it by someone who didn't even post the damned poll.

I asked them to stop speaking to me. A simple request that if they didn't have their head up their ass, they could clearly hear and understand.
sm cl Profile
sm cl answered

You do it by showing them how a person of God conducts them self and cultivating a respectful, humble spirit. You do it with love, with patience, and with mildness. (1 Peter 1: 14-16) Then, if they want to know about your faith, feel free explain it to them. 

Kimberly Hudnell Profile

Religion is a choice and everyone has different views. You cannot make someone believe, you can only offer the information you have and if they chose to look further into it then you can help them along they way. However, you should never try to force your beliefs on someone else, just because something is right for you doesn't mean it will be right for everyone.

Darik Majoren Profile
Darik Majoren answered

You respect their views as you would expect them to respect YOURS.

In this instance, feel free to be that "Beacon of Hope" in your faith, but do it reflectively and quietly. If you really have something someone else wants as well . . They will ask you.

Shinypate one Profile
Shinypate one answered

I usually begin a conversation about their faith background. Some have none, others have some. It helps if I understand where they are and where they have been. I think it best to begin with understanding their present belief, and if it looks like there is an interest and desire, you can move to a dialog on your particular faith.

We are not intended to live life in a hermetically sealed existence, we have been given freedom of speech and freedom of religion in the same amendment precisely because they are two sides of one coin. But beware the enthusiasm of the novice; my gardeners are experts at knowing what to do, and although I am an enthusiast on roses, I know little about other plants. So, stick to what you know. What you know better than anyone else is what God has done in your life, and why you trust Him. That is something (people call it a personal testimony) that anyone can tell, and it does not have to have any more elements than a before-and-after. If it turns into a theological discussion, you likely are like a guy with a knife in a gunfight. If you went to theology school, fine, but if not, stick with what you know.

Chandler Howard Profile
Chandler Howard answered

Tell them that they can still believe in evolution. I was an atheist but now consider myself a deist, i still believe in evolution but must be a Christian to pursue politics (no one is going to vote for an atheist).

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Chandler Howard
Chandler Howard commented
True , and I guess the number of secular people in the us is rising, but a poll, said that 53% of people would not vote for an atheist. But hopefully that will change.
Charles Davis
Charles Davis commented
Shamefully there are still a few states that have laws against an atheist holding public office. They are however being contested, maybe they'll be done away with in the near future.

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