tehinfidel's questions:

1. If I only decide to believe due to fear of hell, wouldn't an omnipotent deity know I was insincere?
2. Shouldn't I rather just research all religions and pretend to believe in the one with the worst possible hell, so I avoid going to that one?
3. Do I really deserve to be tortured forever for using my brain, which the invisible man that you believe in supposedly gave me, even though he's never shown himself to anyone?
 

My answers for you:
Since your questions haven't been answered, I will respond. 

1. He knows if you're insincere; He hates hypocrisy.


2. Researching religions is a good idea. Use the laws of logic to test their validity, like the law of non-contradiction. The goal of Buddhism is to be rid of all desires. Yet, if you desire to be rid of your desires than that's a contradiction: false religion. Ditto Catholicism. One contradiction they hold to is this: They say they are saved by grace and that they obtain grace by partaking in the sacraments (esp. communion) and doing good deeds. Grace by definition is “unmerited favor” therefore grace cannot be earned and therefore must granted free from merit. Therefore Catholicism is also a false religion.

Basically every man has a need. Because he has a conscience, when he sins he knows he is guilty. He knows he shouldn't lie, but he does, then he tries to cover up his crime. Yet the reminder of it (guilt) doesn't go away. Have you lied? If you said 'yes' then you understand.  If you said 'no', then, well, you just lied.  Someone who lies is called a liar, right?  Anyway, it's man's desire is to be rid of the guilt and the condemnation that comes with it. Men try to do this in similar ways either by doing something to appease God's wrath (the condemnation) by one's owns ideas and self-work, which is at the crux of false religions, or he thinks God does not exist and therefore he is not accountable for his actions. This type of thinking begs two questions: What do I have to do to appease God to get rid of my guilty conscience? i.e. How good do I have to be to be good enough? Or how many good things can I do to be accepted?  Secondly, if God does not exist then why do I have a conscience; where do I get knowledge about what I do being wrong or being right?  *See the end of blog for the answers.

Find the religion that is logically consistent, that has evidence that supports its claims, (i.e. archaeological evidence), and that conforms to reality (Does it satisfy our desire for purpose in life? Does it instruct us in manner of life? Does it make a positive impact on the people who are a part of it?) and you will have the true religion. Since man is bent on error, self interest, and pride, this kind of religion can only be created by a perfect Being who knows all things and whose interest is the for the good of others. Find the one where the way to be forgiven and the way of salvation is provided for by God Himself to those who trust in His perfect work, and you will have found the only true means of escaping the wrath of God. He saves us from Himself because of the answer to question number 3.

3. God wants us to use our brain. “Reason with Me though your sins be like scarlet, they will be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). He gave us reason and logic. Your question speaks to the character of God. Is God arbitrary in His dealings with mankind or is He involved with man at all or is He personally interacting with us? Seeing what God has done will begin to reveal His level of interest in us. He created us with a mind, the ability to think, to reason, to process tangible and intangible ideas. We can create, we can dream, we can relate to one another and need each other. We appreciate order, have emotions, and have a sense of justice. Why did God create us this way if He didn't expect us to use these traits and use them with Him? Think about it, if you created a being that has the ability interact with you then one of your purposes in creating them is to interact with you.

Being tortured forever is, in a sense, the result of misusing the brain. Consider this: Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). In God's economy, the adultery takes place in the mind without the physical ever happening. Similarly, “Each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren” (James 1:14-16). Sin is conceived in the brain with the consequence of death – spiritual death or in other words eternal separation from God in hell. Only a God who cares about us would tell us the consequences of our sin before we commit it. When we sin, it separates us from God, we are under His wrath, and become His enemy. Yet, because of His love for us, He desires a relationship with us, so He did something to rid of us the sin that separates us from Him so that we can be reconciled, or brought into a peaceful relationship. Do you know what He did?

God did appear.  He sent His Son, Jesus – perfect, without sin, (Jesus was never under the condemnation of sin's penalty because of His sinlessness) - who willing took the torture we deserve and paid our penalty of death on the cross. Jesus then rose again because death can not hold Him, for the payment for sin is death, and He had no sin. Then all those who will turn from their sin and receive His gift of His righteousness as personal payment for one's sin will be cleansed. And check this out, “Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse(s) your conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14). There you have it -- a conscience rid of guilt! That person is forgiven of the consequence of death and eternal punishment and receives eternal life. And more than that, that person will personally know God and will enter into a reconciled relationship with Him, one that is free from fear of condemnation of sin and one that ushers you into the forever peace and provision of our Creator Father.

Please feel free to ask anymore questions. God wants you to reason with Him and wants you to come to the knowledge of the truth so as to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). 

Please tehinfidel, be reconciled to God.

* “For the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).

Answers:
"You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).

and 

“That which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:19-20). Note: “evident within them is speaking of the conscience.



"Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me" (Isaiah 45:22, 21b). 

Welcome tehinfidel!  Below is my answer to your question with no copies from apologists sites, as you requested.

   I first became aware of the possibility of God's existence through a series of circumstances. Now the source of circumstances can be attributed to chance, luck, God, etc. So it remains subjective evidence. Nevertheless, things occurred over a period of months that I would normally write off as coincidental, but they were astonishing in their placement and execution. The perfect timing of these uniquely coordinated events got my attention to the point of prompting me to search. One of these instances landed my radio dial on Christian radio. On it I heard teaching from the Bible, which was new to me. I didn't even have a Bible of my own at this point. The instruction I was hearing was helpful and practical for my relationships – you know “Love one another” stuff. Yet there were some things that I totally did not understand. The people spoke as if they personally knew God and Jesus. At one time, I heard a woman on the television who was stating matter-of-factly that Jesus is God and the only way to heaven. I stood pointing my finger at the TV and said adamantly, “Get her off the camera!” I thought, 'These people are so naive, gullible, looney, etc.' And, “How can they say they love Jesus – He's been dead for 2000 years!?!”

   There has only been one Man who walked this earth who claimed exclusively to be God. Not like many who say that they themselves are god and one of many gods. He said He was one with the eternal Father, therefore He always existed. He claimed to be the only way to God, the Messiah, Savior, Judge of the living and the dead, the Creator, God Himself in the flesh. He said no one would have life or see heaven without Him, that His words would never pass away, and that He has authority to forgive sins. He said He was perfect and has the power to lay down His life and take it up again – to raise from the dead. What audacious claims!

   At this point it was if I had said, “Ok Jesus, if are God prove it.” You might say I put Jesus on trial. The witnesses were called in one by one and I examined them. This brings at least two questions of evidence to mind. The more obvious is the resurrection. Did Jesus really rise from the dead? The other I will address shortly. I researched refutations on an atheist website about the resurrection and it appears to me that the author of this one site may not have thoroughly done his homework, at best. I hope that you, bro, won't be like so many people who go to someone who says they have educated themselves on a topic and then give their opinion. Opinion is not evidence. That site was full of opinion. Sadly many will listen to their 'findings' and because they like what they hear or are confused by the rhetoric, never research the case themselves, but merely parrot what they have been taught. Some things are true whether we like them or not. Liking something doesn't make it become truth. I don't think you are so naïve as those on a bandwagon, after all you asked me for evidence. We don't have to just take someone's word for truth – we can find out for ourselves. As for the resurrection, some have decided it isn't possible, so they easily fall into the category saying that it isn't true. But if one honestly evaluates the evidence, they will come to an educated conclusion. Have you tested Jesus' claims?

   You asked me to tell you what convinced me. First was the conversion of the apostles and disciples. Throughout Jesus' ministry they thought Jesus was going to overthrow Roman rule and establish His kingdom. Jesus repeatedly tells them He is going to go to Jerusalem and suffer and die and on the third day rise again. Repeatedly the Scriptures say that they didn't understand. After Jesus' death they locked themselves in a room for fear of the Jews. On the third day some women came to the tomb to put more burial spices on Jesus' dead body (they thought He was still dead), yet they saw Jesus risen. Then they and came to tell the disciples and they didn't believe the women! Then He appeared to the disciples. They in turn told Thomas, who wasn't with them the first time, and he didn't believe them either, until he saw Jesus too. Soon they no longer feared, but boldly proclaimed that Jesus is risen, even when they were beaten. Their lives ended in martyrdom for all but one of the apostles, who was exiled. Also, the conversion of Paul is astonishing evidence. Paul was in the process of killing believers, then he encountered Jesus and turned completely from his self-righteous religiosity to becoming a transformed uncompromising disciple, we are told of his life in the book of Acts. Lastly, 1 Corinthians chapter 15 tells us that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again, then appeared to Peter and the twelve and to more then five hundred people at one time. Five hundred people saw Jesus risen at the same time, to say that was an illusion would be quite a stretch. I was convinced Jesus must have risen from the dead.

   The second question of evidence is that Jesus said He had the authority to forgive sins. How do we know we sin? Every person has a measure of justice. We can even see this in ancient cultures to a small child of today. Take something away from a little one and you will hear of cry, “It's not fair!” We all know it is wrong to lie, steal, kill, yet we still do it. This knowing we term as a conscience ('con' means 'with'; 'science' means 'knowledge'). When we sin we do it with knowledge that it is wrong. Where does this sense of right and wrong come from? Man is the only creature with a conscience – our internal evidence. [Note: the refutation page on that website confirms that this inner law is universal, yet gives a cultural example as a refutation, which is not a refutation at all.] As for my conscience, even with all this understanding I was not speaking about any of it to anyone. Then I heard the Scripture 'Because you are neither hot nor cold, but are lukewarm, I will spew you out of My mouth.' I became aware that I had knowingly violated God's law in more ways than I wish to count. Knowing I was guilty, I was facing the consequences God has clearly told us – our sins have made a separation between us and God – sin is why I couldn't know Him. And the soul that sins shall surely die (eternity in hell). I knew I was “spew.” I needed something to get me out from under judgment and to be right with God, but what?

   I became convinced of the reality of God because He intervened in my life. I became convinced that Jesus rose from the dead and that His testimony is true because of the witnesses. And I knew I had violated my God-given conscience. There is still more to this story – one more vitally important piece of evidence.

   One month after saying I didn't want to be thought of as a Christian or raise my children as Christians, I was at a Christian meeting.  The teacher told everyone to bow their heads, then said if anyone had not confessed Jesus as Lord to raise their hand. Well, I hadn't done that, so up went my hand. Then everyone who raised their hands were called to come forward. I thought, “Oh no, this is for real sinners.” Yet, that teacher knew something I didn't know about Jesus and I wanted to know what it was. We knelt and were led in prayer, 'Lord, I am guilty of sinning against You, please forgive me of my sins, I repent of them, I believe you paid my penalty on the cross and rose again. Take my life, make me Your own, and fill me with Your Holy Spirit.' At that moment, in my mind's eye I pictured the spinning away of sin after sin after sin that I had committed and had suppressed the memory of. In tears I said, “It's me, I'm a sinner!” Then I rose filled with joy.

   At that instant my entire life's focus radically changed to proclaim that Jesus is risen, He is alive, He has the authority to forgive sins, and He gives eternal life.  My conversion is evidence. I am so different, totally. I love Him and His word for His is faithful and true to keep His promises. I once was living a sinful life, hating God and under His judgment as His enemy, and was a critical skeptic. Now I've been forgiven and know the Lord Jesus as my Savior and Friend and God as my Father – He is no longer my Judge. This is the love and mercy of God:  Jesus was judged for my sin. That was fifteen years ago and I am still so thankful that God sent His Son to bear the penalty for my sins upon a cross and that He rose again demonstrating His power over sin and death. He came that He might bring the undeserving to God. He reconciled me to Himself through the death of His Son, the God-Man. I no longer fear death for I have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I am growing in my knowledge of Him as He continues to weed out sin in my life and make me more compassionate and loving. 

   Well, there you have a brief summary of some of the evidence that convinced me. Remember you asked me, “direct me to said “abundant evidence.”” This was just a start. I plead with you to please take the time to investigate Jesus' claims … after all would Batman do any less?

Please let me know if you want to discuss anything. Thanks for reading, bro.

Here is one way to start your investigation:
   You'll need a Bible. Read through the gospel of John and make a list of all that Jesus said about Himself and what He did. Then read it again and list all the people that interact with Jesus and write what they say about Him. Put yourself in their place and interrogate them – ask things like, “Why did they say that? What did they think about Jesus? How did they come to that conclusion? What happened next?” You will see the word “witness” repeated, pay attention to what evidence is brought forward at those points. Also pay close attention to the details surrounding Jesus' trial, burial, empty tomb, and the events after the resurrection. You should also discover why John wrote this account. Matthew chapter 28, Luke, 24, and 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 1-11 will give you more information. One non-biblical source is Josephus, a Jewish historian (not a believer in Messiah Jesus), who has also recorded events surrounding the resurrection.