Feb 21 2008
Oxford Researchers to Spend Nearly $4 Million to Ask Why Mankind Believes in God
[ABC News]
University of Oxford researchers will spend nearly $4 million to study why mankind embraces God.
The grant to the Ian Ramsey Center for Science and Religion will bring anthropologists, theologians, philosophers and other academics together for three years to study whether belief in a divine being is a basic part of mankind’s makeup.
Read about it here.
[From me]
I’ll save them 4 Million. I believe in God because I have a relationship with Him. I’ve seen God heal family members. I’ve seen Him provide for my needs and my family many times that just can’t be explained. I believe in God because He lives in me and when I’m obedient He lives through me. I’ve experienced God’s power in amazing ways in the last few months. I’ve seen Him consistently prove He is real. I believe in God because He is real and He lives in me.
Of course, they could just give me $30K and I’d be set for the year. 
Why do you believe or not believe in God?
12 responses so far
I don’t believe in God in general (that is, the concept of God vs. the God described by various religions) because of the lack of evidence. There are very few things that suggest to me that there is a God and those few things aren’t compelling enough. I also think that throughout human history, mankind has posited the existence of various gods and maintained belief in God for poor reasons.
I don’t believe in any specific gods (that is, God as described by religions that I’m familiar with) because I think the evidence is overwhelmingly against the existence of any of those gods.
People regularly claim a personal relationship with God on this blog and elsewhere, but when asked about the details of what they consider a “personal relationship”, the claims at best fall flat and at worst, are misleading.
Descriptions of “personal relationships” conflict. Christians describe personal relationships that support their belief in Jesus. Depending on one’s brand of Christianity, the experience might be the Holy Spirit or the Holy Mother. A recent poster on this blog described a personal experience that convinced him beyond any doubt that solar eclipses are God’s way of showing us He is constantly watching us and that He doesn’t like how we are ruining the Earth. This poster was convinced that his experience was truly a divine one - he was not a Christian.
The type of study described in the article is not new; many studies have been conducted that describe various components of faith, including psychological, physiological and anthropological components. What’s new is the scale of the study and the number of scientific disciplines that will contribute. I’m glad to see that these types of studies are starting to receive more publicity.
Lots of reasons, including what I’ve seen him do in my life, but primarily on the evidence for the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. I find the Gospel accounts to be very reliable and there is simply no rational explanation for the change in the Disciples’ behavior and the remarkable spread of the early church if Jesus didn’t physically rise from the dead.
A3,
I can’t speak for anyone else. All I know is the last 3 months God has made himself known to me in ways that can’t be explained. I will detail it for you.
After I resigned I had no idea what I was going to do. For some reason, I walked in the office of North Point Church Charlotte. I knew the pastor and I guess I was looking for direction. Little did I know he and his staff 2 Godly ladies were praying as I walked in the door. What were they praying for? They were praying that God would send them the next staff member that they believe they needed continue to minister to this community. I literally walked in on this prayer. I apologized for disrupting their meeting not having any idea what was going on. Then Don and I went outside to talk. I told him that I had resigned and I had no idea why I came by to see him. He said “I don’t think this was an accident” He wanted to talk with me more about coming on staff. That his “coach” told him just a few days earlier that he needed to step out in faith and hire another staff member.
While I was out side with Don Lynn told Susan that I was the one. She had never met me and didn’t even know I was a minister. When Don walked in and told Susan and Lynn what happened Lynn said, “if that isn’t a God thing I don’t know what is?”
You can say it is coincidence all you want, but because I have a relationship with God I see stuff like this happen all of the time.
Growing up I saw God meet the needs of my family in ways that would blow your mind. I saw God heal my Mom before she went into surgery. God is real and I have a relationship with Him.
Kevin,
I just found out Tuesday that my contract will end at the end of this month. Yesterday, I called a colleague that I’d worked with some time back just to catch up. It turns out that he had changed jobs since we’d last spoke and his new company had just decided that they need a contractor. Since they just made the decision, they haven’t had a chance to post the job yet. I’m meeting my colleague for lunch today to firm a new contract with his company. Must be the Lord!
A3,
I’ve been praying for you daily. I think it is the Lord.
Thanks!!
Sadly, I’m pretty sure it’s just a coincidence. That specific thing doesn’t happen to me all the time, but those types of coincidences do. I’ve been doing freelance work since 1996 and I’ve relied on those kinds serendipitous coincidences to keep new jobs queued up in the pipeline. In all those years, I haven’t been out of work for a single week (except for planned time off for vacation). Things like that happen to me because I maintain a good professional reputation, and I make it a point to keep in touch with colleagues and to keep up my professional network in general.
…Or, I could just blindly believe (though I don’t know why I would) that God did it.
A3,
I will never convince you that God is real. It is my job to share and His job to call you to Him. I am hopeful.
Tone doesn’t always come across well through text, so I wanted to clarify that when I said “Thanks” in my previous post above, I really meant it. I don’t believe in God or that prayer has any effect, but I do appreciate the concern and the sentiment.
A3,
I’ve had the privilege of hanging out with you in person. I know you are a wonderful person. You are much nicer than many church people I know!
Kevin and AskAnAthiest,
I enjoyed reading this interchange between the two of you. Kevin, you are right in saying that you can’t convince anyone in a rational way about believing in God, but your life and the way you treat others is a wonderful example of a Christian. I am happy for you in getting your new job. It sounds like a “God-thing” to me.
Ok, now I’m sure it wasn’t the Lord - I just got 2 offers and I can’t decide. The reason I’m sure it’s not the Lord is 1Co 14:33:
(just kidding :)) )
No,
Actually my prayer is double powerful!
Congrats!