CHRISTIANS -- How do you suggest I "open my heart" to a god that doesn't exist?

Question

As one "Apostle" on this site has claimed, leaving atheism and joining the ranks of theism is as easy as "opening your heart" to God.

One question... how do I do that knowing that gods don't exist, not even the Judeo-Christian god? I can't open my heart to God any more than I can open my heart to Obi-Wan Kenobi or Jack Sparrow... so... what now?

Wasn't me, fathead. Christians are the ones suggesting I "open my heart" to something that doesn't exist.

springday, OK, I've read the Bible and gone to church. God still doesn't exist. What now?

Answer 1

GEN 31:49 And Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee,

Answer 2

I assume you are not a Christian but a very logical thinker. Your statement "a god that doesn't exist" is illogical because the fact that YOU do not know or know of some thing does not mean it does not exist.
Secondly if you want to prove that it does not exist YOU must seek after it.
So, to prove that God does not exist you must read the Bible and attend church.
After that experience, you may declare that God does not exist ( if you can).

It is strange that I looked at the same evidence as you did and I concluded that God exists but that difference is also possible in the scientific world.
"May the LORD bless you and take care of you;
May the LORD be kind and gracious to you;
May the LORD look on you with favor and give you peace."

Answer 3

when the books were relished a priest from wales i think started to write books which saw god in a good light the priest said that the GC books were satanic and besides how dare Christian groups say that the film is selling atheism to kids because if anything its just showing a different view on things which i think is very healthy for children i should sort of know in only 16 and i turned atheist when i was 13 without watching this movie or reading the books

Answer 4

Seek and ye shall find. If you truly want Him, He will reveal Himself to you. If He is treated as a joke or believed to be completely false you'll find nothing. It isn't a religion it's a relationship. If you have any questions about the philosophy of the Judeo-Christian belief then look into the link below. It's worth looking at, even if you aren't serious about looking into Christianity. Best Regards.

Answer 5

You are comparing God to people that you can see, opening your heart to God means believing in something you don't see. It is a matter of faith. Something that I didn't understand before was that I needed to open my heart, mind and soul to God. How to open your heart to God isn't something that you can explain to someone. That is like telling a women that has been cheated on several times that someday she will be able to trust and love someone again. Another thing is that opening your heart to God doesn't come over night, it takes time. I grew up going to church, and after I was beaten by a boyfriend at the age of sixteen, I turned my back on God, I refused to believe that after all those years of praying and believing my God would let something like that happen to me. It has been almost seven years and I am just now seeing that it wasn't God that let that happen, it was the demons in this world that made it happen, and if I had only turned to God's love instead of denying it, I wouldn't be in counseling now. I wouldn't of had relationships with guys that were only using me. I would be able to love and accept love in return. I have God in my life again, but what most people don't understand is that God never left me. He has been there with me all along the way, no matter how hard I pushed him away.

Fear not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 40:10

Answer 6

I would suggest nothing of the sort...that would be dishonest...the very nature of a hypocrite (which is an actor/pretender).

If God wants you to believe, you will, it's that simple. He also wouldn't want you to say you do believe in Him if in fact you don't. Not everyone can be a Christian (one of the great mistakes of "religion")...sadly many that say they are, really aren't. If you never believe... If that day never comes for you, have a nice life (it's relatively short) and surround yourself with those you love and love them greatly and be decent to others.

Best wishes.

Answer 7

You say God doesn't exist, yet you're asking how your little black heart can be opened???? A true atheist wouldn't even care, nor would a real atheist ask a Christian for advice, in a Spirituality room at that haha what a joke. You're just a lost kid who is looking for love. You'll find it. I actually hope you do too.
In the meantime check out this clip .. this is definitely you at the end!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWEU13PMmQg

Take Care!

Answer 8

why dont you look around you, at the trees, at the rain, at the sky, even at yourself, and tell me how you came to be. yeah yeah yeeah, evolution yada yada. but there had to be something to start it all. heres a simple math equation, NOTHING= NOTHING, 0=0. 0 will never be anything greater unless some higher power does something to it. every single thing around you is living proof of God. you just have to learn to open your eyes, and bring faith into your heart. you dont know how great it is to live believing that living good on earth, doing good deeds, praying to your creator, is all going to pay off. and that death is just a new beginning, to a world of happiness if you just follow some guidelines in your life. everything will seem so much brighter when you accept God into your heart. you dont have to start with a whole bunch of faith, start small. your faith will grow as you do, and witness the amazing power of him. but dont close him off. dont just say THERE IS NO GOD. give him a chance to show you a new direction. i hope you find the right path.

Answer 9

Reality Checks:

1) If God doesn't exist for you, why bother?
2) If you are challenging Christians to PROVE that God exist, then we challenge you to PROVE that God does NOT exist.

It is easier to PROVE something that is NOT, than to PROVE something that IS.

So go ahead, prove to the whole world that God does not exist. Don't give us "coz God said this and that, and there are contradicting statements and that" that does not qualify as "proof" no matter where you go, no matter which scientific and judicial circles you explain it.

I am curious for your answers.

Answer 10

Hmm..Since you asked the question, it means that, you want to, or at least, are curious on how it is done so that if you do know how to, you would want to try it. I hope i postulated correctly. ^_^
I believe that every human being has a notion that a higher being exists. So that includes you. You may not have faith in one, but you do know, somewhere deep inside of you that you were not just a product of successful fertilization. More than that, you are a creation.
Blaise Pascal said, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus."...and so goes the song, "there's a God-shaped hole in all of us..." I know it's hard to believe in something that cannot be seen. After all, seeing is believing. But as a Christian, I think that one does not have to see God to know that He exists. Just like we don't have to see air to know we're breathing it. It's a matter of faith.
So to answer your question of how to "open your heart", I guess first of all you need to believe that there is a God and second, you need to have faith in God. But what is faith? You and everyone else who reads this can give me all sorts and kinds of definitions, but here is one that is most helpful and true: "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." That's why we "take a leap of faith." By the way, that definition came from God's Word or the Bible itself (Hebrews 11:1).
But so much for cliches, opening your heart to God means acknowledging Him in your life, making Him the reason for your living. It implies making a personal and sincere decision of inviting Jesus into your life as your personal Lord and Savior, and letting Him take control of your life and allowing Him to change you into the kind of person He wants you to be. Sounds overwhelming? Maybe for now. If you really have a heart that genuinely seeks God, He will bless that and He will surely help you erase your doubts and unbelief and give you the chance to know Him and enjoy a personal relationship with Him.
Most people think that surrendering their lives to Christ is a mistake, because they think God will take out all the fun in their lives and make it miserable and boring. I surrendered my life to Christ and I admit, there were and still are some stuff I had to say goodbye to. But I'm only temporarily miserable, because by faith, I know I did the right thing, which is to trust in God and His direction. So I am filled with a lasting joy when I want what He wants because He knows what's best for me, even if I don't see it that way right away.
My, a lot of philosophers and mathematicians and other smart people have tried to prove that God does not exist. None of them really succeeded. Some of them even turned out to prove the opposite (i.e. C.S. Lewis.) And wasn't it Voltaire who said, "In less than a hundred years the Bible will be discarded and Christianity swept from the earth"? And wasn't it his house, after his death, that was turned into a printing press for the Bible?
My job here was to try to answer your question, and not to convince you. I might have been helpful, but it is still God who changes people. If you really wanna know more, there are many publications in the web about faith and God and so much more. But I still strongly suggest that you read what's inspired by God, the Bible. If you think you won't understand it, ask a true Christian to help you comprehend it (If I could only see you in person then maybe I could help you, too).
As a departing line, let me share to you a thought to ponder: "I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out that there isn't than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out that there is." - Pascal's wager

Answer 11

I've always taken that phrase to mean "believe whatever voices you hear in your head, because it MUST be god!". Oh, and stop asking so many questions, just believe!!! Clearly I'm not a believer, either :)

David D, if you really had any real familiarity with law, you'd understand the concept of "burden of proof" - the person making the claim has the obligation to provide the proof. 'There is no god' is a default state, one has to PROVE that there is, just like you'd have to prove that there's no such thing as rainbows, but you don't have to prove there are not invisible pink unicorns. You can't prove a negative, so the onus is upon the believers.