gw
Everything Jesus said about the state of the human heart has shown to be 100% correct. A two year old can see that a complex world could not happen by chance. The corrupt nature of mankind has never been more evident than today. Jesus teachings are without equal. Jesus death and resurrection were predicted long before the events took place. Jesus proved to be the only incorruptible person to ever live. No one else qualifies to take away your and my sin. No of the above has been disproved. It takes less faith to believe in the truth than to believe in the hideous unscientific whopper of evolution. Wherever the gospel has taken route the country has prospered (ie hospitals and schools were established). Things have steadily gone down hill since the secularist have promoted and preached their dogma. I could go on but hopefully this explains just a little why I believe.

gw like RObert I am a former believer.
Sorry but nothing can make me believe in a God again.
I can however tell you the strangest thing, it would be so great to know one existed.
To know I could lay back and enjoy the ride forever.
In truth I think evidence may already be in government hands to prove no God exists.
We would never be told, far too many could not handle the truth.
If only we could debate why so many different Gods are followed on one planet.
Surely the real one would make us all aware he/she is the one and only?

gw, you are trying to complicate matters unnecessarily.

>>on the point about wether the debate has any purpose I agree that if a God was obvious to all (like writing on the moon) then yes the debate about belief would be meaningless. But that wasnt what I asked! I was trying to ascertain how much evidence you would need...<<

That's exactly the point.

The level of evidence that I would need is that which alows God to be plainly, clearly, irrefutably in plain sight and obvious to all.

I'm not even sure the writing on the moon would do it for me. It would need to be explained to that blind guy, for a start, which would mean that my requirement "obvious to all" is not met.

Religious belief is in fact a misnomer.

Religion requires a total and complete suspension of disbelief, which is not the same thing as belief.

This allows a person to bypass the senses, and the intellect, in order to determine that - against all physical and mental evidence - God exists.

To those who believe, no amount of physical or mental evidence will cause disbelief. You cannot prove a negative.

I am at the opposite end of the same measurement scale, and the opposite of zero is infinity.

Which of course would mean that if there is an infinite amount of evidence available, paradoxically, none would in fact be required at all.

It's an interesting question but one that I think, can't be answered.

Perhaps it's a matter of ingrained personal experience, upbringing and other environmental factors that are mostly out of your control - not a matter of adopting some sort of fashion trend. It's not a mental switch that can be turned on or off.

You may as well ask "What would it take to make you turn gay/straight?".

It's not a matter of whether you believe or not believe something that cannot be proven, or even a matter of choice.

What's important is how you deal with others who don't share your personal view of the universe.

The item implicitly assumes that atheists and religionists may not have already changed their beliefs.

I was brought up to believe in God and the Jewish Bible. As I grew older I found I could no longer believe in either as entities I could accept as existing or valid. I cannot believe in a suspension of natural law, in a deity or a supernatural of any kind.

What caused me to abandon religious belief was my refusal to accept contentions without evidence.

It would be interesting to hear from believers in a religion who were formerly atheists as to why they changed.

What has caused people on this list to change from atheism to belief in a deity and vice versa?

I can't think of anything that would make me adopt religious belief. If a gigantic god-face appeared in the sky or a burning bush spoke to me, I'd be more inclined to question my mental health.

But other people give a range of reasons for adopting or dropping belief.

Wanting to marry, a sense of belonging, existential angst, explaining the otherwise unbearable (like losing a child), a love of incense.

Disillusion with the hypocracies of organised religions, god's failure to live up to expectations, critical reflection, wanting to marry, being kicked out.

People also change their minds several times throughout life. They pick up and drop several belief systems as it suits them. What would it take for non-believers to adopt Jedi or paganism? Hollywood for some, archaeology for others.

The question is flawed, but it's an interesting topic anyway.