Why am I a believer in God?

In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are Signs for people with intelligence: those who remember Allah, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: "Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire." (Qur'an, 3:190-191)

There's been a lot of news stories about aggressive atheists blaming religious belief for every evil in the world. In many cases, they seem to think that they are intellectually superior to the believers. I agree that there are many evil and despicable people who preach religion and blame God for their terrible behavior. However, it seems to me that it is more the believers, Muslim, Christian whatever who you see giving of their income for the poor, trying to spread literacy etc more than atheists. Some people see all the faults of the believers and do not acknowledge that secular ideologies such as nationalism, communism or eugenics have been just as destructive without many of the postive aspects which religion brings to the lives of its believers, and they in turn bring to their environment. So there should be some balance in these accusations.

Beyond all this however, my reason for belief is that I look at the world, from the stars, to the rain that falls, to the wondrously formed hands of my children and I see the work of a Great Artist. I don't just see random splodges of paint. I don't believe that God is only about love as some would say, He has also created this world as a test of the human soul. We see good and bad and all the shades of grey but still for me those Signs point to the One, the Creator and Originator.

For the atheist, they look at the same signs and they don't see what I see. I accept that, and leave it up to God to judge between me and them someday. But as Bob Dylan once said, "don't criticize what you can't understand" My observation is that atheists are not more charitable, more tolerant or even necessary more open-minded than believers. The next time I hear the juvenile "religion is the cause of all wars" or "the world would be a better place without religion", I challenge them to look at Hitler's Germany or Stalin's USSR and argue that those secular states were any better than even the worst religious ones.