Thank you for the question on belief, “Why do people believe in God? The crux of this question is ‘believe’/ Every scripture, writing, ‘evidence’ so to speak, is written by man. If a billion color blind people ‘believe’ something is black, that’s white…it’s still white. Madness.“
If I may venture an answer to one’s comment on belief.
A. It is true that the Scriptures were written by men but not in the sense that it originated with or by man. The Scriptures declares that the author is not man but by the Holy Spirit. Man recorded the words from God.
II Peter 1 says this, “16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”[b] 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (NIV).
One can choose to agree with Peter’s testimony or disagree with his testimony.
B. Since a color blind or blind person is not able to see “color”, there is no black and white. He would have no idea of what one is saying for he has never seen any color! The colors would be subjective to one’s own conception if one can conceive “color.”
C. There are many things that we “believe” happened as written by man. Do we question the “historical” writers as Herodus, Josephus or do we believe that what they wrote is “true” and “accurate” because they are designated as a “historian.” How do we know that Julius Caesar was murder? Any physical proof of that? Cosmologists “believe” there are other life forms in the Universe that is able to sustain life like earth. It’s mathematical possible even probably, but we “believe” it even though we haven’t met any Martian or some other advance life form like ourselves.
Belief is based on declaration by a person to be true and may or may not be authenticated. Based on our current understanding of our universe and our ability to perceive the Universe, who knows 50 or 100 years from now our perception of the Universe may be incorrect or may be modified.
Presently we don’t know of anything that can go faster than the speed of light but that doesn’t mean that there may be something still not discovered by scientists that can faster than the speed of light. Our present belief for the origin of the Universe is still tentative.
Cosmologists and physicists are contemplating what was there before the Big Bang or how can the Steady Theory of the Universe be perpetually in existence without a cause. Scientist “believe” certain views as being true.
God has already declared that he is spirit. Do we have any instrument that can detect “spirit” yet? Is there another dimension that we haven’t explore that is beyond outer space.
One can make the argument that it is madness to believe in God just as one can make that it is madness to not believe in God. It depends on one’s perspective and one what bases. I am one of those “mad” people who believe in the existence of God. It would be madness to discuss the existence of God when one doesn’t believe in the existence of God. There is no point to it at all if I was an atheist. Why waste my time and energy on something that doesn’t exist!
SUMMARY: Madness is talking about something that one doesn’t belief exist.