One often neglected component that is essential, when conducting a thorough investigation for God’s existence, is participating in community.
Think about it: how did you learn math or chemistry or English? It was almost certainly in community – with a teacher, fellow students, and books written, edited, published, marketed and sold by others you never met. Almost all of our learning, in every discipline, depends upon participation in a community. If you want to learn math, you get to know the math professors; for chemistry, with others in the lab; for English, through reading and the English department. The same is true if you are looking to find God: you simply need to be around people who claim to know God!