"Why do you believe?"

[Atheon]

"Why do you believe?"

This seems to be one of the most effective things to ask to sow seeds of doubt in the minds of theists.... if they decide to take it on and actually think about it. Problem is, people seem reluctant to entertain this question (and I think the reason is obvious).

I asked it once on a forum when people were discussing religious beliefs vs. atheism. Despite it being a very active and lively forum, with people asking on all kinds of questions, there were very few takers. Some just said "That's how I was brought up" but it doesn't probe to the root. One guy asked "What kind of a question is that?" But what spoke volumes was the silence.

I think deep down they know their beliefs are built on sandy soil, not rock.

[Johan]

I think deep down they know their beliefs are built on sandy soil, not rock.

Im sure that's very true for some theists. But only for some. And those are not the theists you're likely to find posting on a theist forum.

This is the thing that we all tend to forget anytime we go to a forum dedicated to a certain group of like minded people and ask a question. We ask a question in that space thinking the audience there will be representative of the entire group. But that's rarely the case. In most cases, the audience you find on an internet forum is only representative of a small subset of that particular group. That subset being only the individuals who are 'into' their thing enough to seek out a forum on the topic and actively post there.

You simply cannot ask questions like that on internet forums and then conclude that the answers you receive even closely resemble what the bulk of that group think on the topic. Sometimes you might get close but other times you're going to be way off and you won't be able to tell which is which.

[SGOS]

I've been around theists that instead of asking "Why do you believe", ask "How do you believe?" (As if asking "What are the dynamics of the process you use to believe?") However, this seems to be rhetorical in nature, as the question is only asked, and not answered.  But it appears to be a relevant question for them.  To me, it's an obviously silly question.  But if I were subconsciously doubtful of a precarious belief that I wanted bad enough, I would probably have to develop an elaborate structure to keep it from collapsing.  In that case, the How question would become a matter of great importance.

When one begins to examine an elaborate structure of a doubtful belief, it tends to weaken the belief as you start to understand how you are propping the thing up.  This may explain why the question is asked, but not answered.  You just can't think too deeply about something that is artificially propped up without developing some serious questions.  Better to not go there.

[Solitary]

Why do I believe what?  I believe in myself because I am aware of myself, and whatever else I am aware of, or know, from reliable evidence. This is why I believe in imagination also, and how it can deceive me into thinking it is actually a real part of the world I live in, which would be delusional or insane without reliable evidence to support it.