Why do you believe what you believe?

[scotty]

I posted this on another forum when one asked "Do you believe the bible is true and what makes you come to this decision?".

Not sure if it fits here, but it is essentially the same reasoning.

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In part, we trust the Bible because we find that it keeps making sense of the world in which we live. Using nearly every genre and every attitude to historical detail imaginable, the Bible lays out a richly diverse vision of the world, from beginning to end, and says, in effect, This isn’t some imaginary world, like Tolkien’s Middle Earth. This is the real world, the only one there is. So if you buy into this basic picture of things, then anything real has to fit somewhere into this framework. Your life and the events around you thus will make sense only as they have their place within this grand story.
Trusting the Bible is more than just reading the book. You must gain an understanding for the language, the culture, references, dogma's that are attached. Immersion into the word is required. We need to know the Bible well enough so that, as was true for Augustine or Luther or Calvin, one passage reminds us of another that offers a qualification, another that provides support, another that sets out a different frame of reference. When we really know the Bible, we realize its complexities, its diversities, its ambiguities. One of our problems these days, whether we are "liberals" or "fundamentalists," is how few of us can do that. Fundamentalists quote a single proof text to settle the matter, and liberals can’t remember any passages at all. If we are to get beyond such a state of affairs, we will have to study the Bible much more seriously.
Beyond this, one must experience the Bible. This is by far the hardest, yet simplist part. Faith. Faith is defined in scripture as belief in something unseen. I would add to that. For those who will trust and attempt to live as the scriptures guide us, faith can be built on simple experiences. I have faith that when I turn the key this morning my car will start. Why ? Because it has started every morning for the past 3 years. Like wise, I have faith in scripture. Why ? Because its words, lessons, teachings, and statutes have never failed to produce the blessings (as well as curses) for the past 41 years.
But the catch is this. Faith in my car starting every morning comes with a commitment. A commitment to make sure it has gas, I change the oil, check the water, keep good belts on it, give it a tune up, and occasionally, pat the dashboard and say "thats my baby". (when no one is looking of course) The scripture must be studied, read, understood, and lived. Not a belief from a pamplet that says "Believe and all will be well". But a belief and understanding that will require one to focus and commit, time and effort, inveloping heart, mind and soul to the words found there in. Without such commitment, my car will eventually not start, but then again, without such commitment, why would I expect it to ?