How do you change what you believe?

[Hi I'm James.]

Billions of people believe in some sort of god and each of them genuinely believe that their god is the right god. My question is how does one obtain this belief? I've thought about god before and I am just incapable of believing in that sort of thing. I mean I'm sitting here now trying to imagine it to be real and there's just nothing... I don't chose to not believe in god, I just don't. Are we even capable to choosing what we believe, I don't think so?

For example a devout Christian believes in their god just as much as a devout Muslim, a Muslim cannot simply choose to start believing Jesus is god and a Christian cannot choose to believe that Allah is god. So as an atheist, I don't just choose not to believe in a god, I have no control over what I believe. Personally for me, belief in something can only happen once you witness something that forces you mind to change. If you don't believe gorillas exist and then you went to the zoo and saw one, your belief would change instantaneously.

Take aliens for example. Not little green men running around on Mars but extraterrestrial life out there in the universe. There is absolutely zero evidence that life exists elsewhere yet I believe there is life, so strongly that I simply don't need evidence. Again I don't choose to believe in aliens, I just do.

I think a common misconception about atheists or agnostics is that we have control over what we believe and we simply choose to deny the existence of a god, which just isn't true. Can god really punish me if I am incapable of believing in him? If god is omniscient then he knows that I am not choosing to disbelieve in him, I just simply don't believe... My heart does not believe. How is it then that I can be punished for this? It is almost like a baby being punished for wetting itself, it just has no control over it...

Thanks for taking the time to read.

 

[Misbah0411]

I think a common misconception about atheists or agnostics is that we have control over what we believe and we simply choose to deny the existence of a god, which just isn't true. Can god really punish me if I am incapable of believing in him? If god is omniscient then he knows that I am not choosing to disbelieve in him, I just simply don't believe... My heart does not believe. How is it then that I can be punished for this? It is almost like a baby being punished for wetting itself, it just has no control over it...

Thanks for taking the time to read.

You are quite capable to believe in your Creator. Take it from me. I too was an atheist in my early 20's at the time. Then a friend of mine gave me a copy of the Quran and I began reading it at night before I would go to bed. By the 5th chapter of the Quran I became convinced of the Creator and became a Muslim. Al-Hamdulilah. And yes God can punish you if you die as a disbeliever in Him and it would be the least injustice due to the overwhelming favors He has given you in this life particularly your free will and ability to use your reason to know Him. Instead you use these favors to deny Him.

 

[LaSorcia]

Hey, I want to reply to you properly, but it's just about my bedtime, so I will get to it straight away I hope.

 

[sister herb]

I see it´s same when we get some new information about any matter, we can change our opinions.

As some Muslim members here have been an atheists before, many times they have started to looking for more information about Islam like reading books about it, reading the Quran or talking with their Muslims friends. Some have joined to this forum when they have read about Islam and Muslims from the news, got information and become interesting to know more and more.

Same was with me; I have always been interesting about history and read about it a lot. While I was reading about history of mankind and the beginning of the civilizations, I read about ancient Middle East countries and believes of people at those times. Then how civilizations and religions changed and developed. Then I came to the era of prophet Muhammad and of course wanted to know more about his works and life as it seemed he had a big role of the history and I read the Quran as well... So I got more information and it teached new things to me and with more knowledge, I was able to change my old opinions about religion when i learnt to understand better those people whose believed the God.

 

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you James; and welcome to the forum,

Again I don't choose to believe in aliens, I just do.

Suppose we find aliens, will these aliens be the ones who created the universe and life? If we find life on a billion planets, what will this prove? A thousand years ago, Europeans did not know American Indians existed, now we know, has this brought us any nearer to knowing who created the universe and life?

We search for the God who created the universe and life, no one was there at the time of creation, and in your words, I don't choose to believe in God, I just do.

God the creator exists fully and totally, or there is no God.

In the spirit of searching for God

Eric

 

[sister herb]

Take aliens for example. Not little green men running around on Mars but extraterrestrial life out there in the universe. There is absolutely zero evidence that life exists elsewhere yet I believe there is life, so strongly that I simply don't need evidence. Again I don't choose to believe in aliens, I just do.

If you would get at some day waterproof information that some other planet really is "aliens" or life in general, would you then be ready to change your belief or would you just refuse to believe?

 

[~ Sabr ~]

I don't chose to not believe in god, I just don't. Are we even capable to choosing what we believe, I don't think so?

You answered your own question in the beginning of your sentence.

Everyone has free will, but you will get your reward/punishment in the afterlife.

Can I ask - why do you not believe? Is the human body not evidence enough to you that God exists?

 

[Serinity]

I assume you have not even read the Quran, and you are assuming stuff? Really?

Read the Quran from cover to cover, and reflect upon it. Don't judge a book by its cover. Don't complain, start now.

 

[eesa the kiwi]

I assume you have not even read the Quran, and you are assuming stuff? Really?

Read the Quran from cover to cover, and reflect upon it. Don't judge a book by its cover. Don't complain, start now.

This
Seriously bro read it
You owe it to yourself

 

[Serinity]

This
Seriously bro read it
You owe it to yourself

The verses in the Quran will hit you. If you reflect and ponder.

It questions you, etc. It even answers / questions those who don't read the Quran.

And did you know? Quran means recitation, to read! Read, for if you do not read, then how will you know?

May Allah SWT guide you and all of us to His straight path. Ameen.

 

[Hi I'm James.]

Can I ask - why do you not believe? Is the human body not evidence enough to you that God exists?

I do know why I don't believe, I guess it's just something I've never thought was true in my heart. At the moment I believe something different and this belief is based on information we know about the universe. Yes the human body is simply amazing, in fact all life is amazing and while this may be overwhelming evidence for other people, for me it's not.

Kind of like those flat earth theorists, we genuinely believe the earth is flat and that to me is just madness, I guess it's the same when someone tells you they don't believe in god. You're probably thinking "WOW how can you not believe in god" in the same way I say "WOW how can you believe the earth is flat" sort of thing.

Should I try reading the Quran . com? Is this a good place to start?

 

[Pygoscelis]

No, you may not be able to believe what you simply do not. Can anybody here, as hard as they may try, as much as we threaten or bribe them to, genuinely believe that an apple they pick up and look at is really a banana? Try it everybody. You can't do it, can you?

Would it be fair or just to punish you for this failure of self delusion?

No, I do not believe that theists who speak like that truly understand that atheists truly exist. And that is why we keep hearing them say things like we rebel against or are disobedient to or don't appreciate their Gods, which of course can't be if we truly dont believe Gods exist. It is like telling me that I rebel against or am disobedient to Darth Vader (star wars) or Thor, or that I am ungrateful because I don't appreciate the faeries for making my garden grow.

I do not believe in Darth Vader, Thor, Faeries, or Allah, and no matter how hard I tried to, I couldn't make myself believe.

 

[Serinity]

GBeware of mixing imagination with truth. If you do, you'll only confuse yourself.

belief in fairies is not like belief in God. You can't equate the two.

You don't say "belief in dust is like belief in fairy dust!"
Read the Quran sincerely, and Allah SWT will answer you, In shaa' Allah.

I urge you to read the Quran sincerely. Just like in a science experiment you don't say " how do we know this is dust and not fairy dust?" You don't with truth. You'll only confuse yourself, needlessly. Although truth, afaik, has no parable. May Allah SWT forgive me if I said anything wrong. Ameen.

always question yourself.

 

[ardianto]

Hello James, welcome to the forum.

I was born in Muslim family. Since I was little kid my parents have taught me about Islam, about the existence of Allah. I still and always believe until now. So, am I being indoctrinated?. I understand if there are people who think like this. But actually there is something which make me believe that my parents were right when they told me that Allah does exist. I believe it because Allah answered my prayer.

Since I was kid I have been taught to pray when I expect something. And few times I got what I asked in my prayer through event that "too perfect for a coincidence". It made me realize that there is an almighty power that arrange those event to be happen. Yes, people around me were right when they said, the way to find God is through prayer.

 

[Hi I'm James.]

Hello James, welcome to the forum.

I was born in Muslim family. Since I was little kid my parents have taught me about Islam, about the existence of Allah. I still and always believe until now. So, am I being indoctrinated?. I understand if there are people who think like this. But actually there is something which make me believe that my parents were right when they told me that Allah does exist. I believe it because Allah answered my prayer.

Since I was kid I have been taught to pray when I expect something. And few times I got what I asked in my prayer through event that "too perfect for a coincidence". It made me realize that there is an almighty power that arrange those event to be happen. Yes, people around me were right when they said, the way to find God is through prayer.

Well it's not a coincidence that if you're born in the middle east you believe in Islam, if you're born in America you believe in Christianity, if you're born in India you believe in Hinduism, if you're born in Thailand you believe in Buddhism. Obviously there are exceptions, people convert to and from various faiths and something changes in them to make them believe in something different.

Take a Christian that converts to Islam, something changed in their mind that made them believe Islam is the truth instead of Christianity... and take a Muslim that converts to Christianity, again something changed in their mind that made them think Christianity was the truth. People don't choose what they believe, they believe what they believe based on some certain factors, what these factors are I don't know.

There are also Atheists that end up believing in god, there are also believers that end up as Atheists so again there must be some underlining reason for this... not just because they chose a different belief.

 

[Pygoscelis]

GBeware of mixing imagination with truth. If you do, you'll only confuse yourself.

belief in fairies is not like belief in God. You can't equate the two.

Yes, I can, because as far as I am concerned both are imagination. You can't, because you believe that one of them is true. A believer in faeries (and there are such people) may believe in faeries but not in Allah, and tell me the same thing but from the opposite end.

Read the Quran sincerely, and Allah SWT will answer you, In shaa' Allah.

This claim is up there with "nobody could produce a book like it". Yes, they could, if I am the one judging the two. If you are the one judging the two, you will say that it can't be done because you have already decided that from the get go.

Now you say read it sincerely and Allah will answer you. That just isn't so. I get that you believe it to be so. And I accept that you actually believe in the God it is about and that this is sensible and coherent to you, even though to me it is completely nonsensical and incoherent. You don't seem to want to accept that I don't believe as you do, and won't believe as you do simply by reading a book that you think is magical.

Reading the Quran isn't going to convert me any more than reading the Bible will, or reading native american folk stories will. I have tried, and really, the text is cryptic and not very coherent to me. Have you made a sincere attempt to read Egyptian mythology and native american fables, and considered if they may be true? Have you then come to see them as not so much? That doesn't make you insincere or rebellious against the "truths" within them.

 

[Hi I'm James.]

Would I like heaven to exist? Of course... my mother died when I was 13 and there's nothing I would not give to be reunited with her.

I am actually jealous of religious people. Imagine being able to go through life knowing in your heart that when you die you'll go to heaven and meet all your family and be in paradise etc. That must be incredibly comforting I can't even begin to imagine the level of chill Muslims must have.

There are so many people in the world who are scared of dying or simply just don't want to die and Muslims are just like "meh" lol I wish I could be like that. So many things in life stress me out and get me anxious and it would be a really soothing feeling to know in my heart that it's all just a test and Allah is watching over me.

If I could believe like you do, my life would be 10x easier... Really I am jealous of this.

 

[Serinity]

Would I like heaven to exist? Of course... my mother died when I was 13 and there's nothing I would not give to be reunited with her.

I am actually jealous of religious people. Imagine being able to go through life knowing in your heart that when you die you'll go to heaven and meet all your family and be in paradise etc. That must be incredibly comforting I can't even begin to imagine the level of chill Muslims must have.

There are so many people in the world who are scared of dying or simply just don't want to die and Muslims are just like "meh" lol I wish I could be like that. So many things in life stress me out and get me anxious and it would be a really soothing feeling to know in my heart that it's all just a test and Allah is watching over me.

If I could believe like you do, my life would be 10x easier... Really I am jealous of this.

Allah SWT can guide hearts on barren land you know? can grow hearts on barren land. Or something like that.

Just start by reading Quran, be sincere, and in shaa' Allah you'll get guided.

I ask Allah SWT to guide you to Islam on this Journey.

 

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you James.;

So many things in life stress me out and get me anxious and it would be a really soothing feeling to know in my heart that it's all just a test and Allah is watching over me.

On a number of occasions I have experienced a profound sense of peace, when in reality, I should be feeling fear and worry.

A few years ago, I had tests done for cancer, about a month later the doctor phoned and said he urgently wanted to see me, it was non – Hodgkin Lymphoma, this was a name I recognised, our friend had this cancer, and died a few months later. I prayed for the wisdom, strength, peace and serenity to do God’s will, whether the cancer was a death sentence, or just an inconvenience. I can only say that from the moment of making this prayer, I have experienced a profound sense of peace, and the thought of cancer has never troubled me for a moment.

Cancer can be a truly worrying process, you wait a month or two for tests, you wait for the results, and you wait for more tests, but the prayer to do God’s will sort of handed the problem to God, and I have never had to worry. I have never once prayed for healing, at the age of 62, the prayer for healing was too complicated, it might or might not be my time to go. Recognising this profound sense of peace comes from God, gives me reason to be thankful.

I could not imagine this sense of peace without a faith and trust in God. I can say, from the moment of hearing about my cancer and making that prayer, I could talk about cancer in the same way as I talk about what’s for dinner?

In the spirit of searching for God,

Eric

 

[Hi I'm James.]

Greetings and peace be with you James.;



On a number of occasions I have experienced a profound sense of peace, when in reality, I should be feeling fear and worry.

A few years ago, I had tests done for cancer, about a month later the doctor phoned and said he urgently wanted to see me, it was non – Hodgkin Lymphoma, this was a name I recognised, our friend had this cancer, and died a few months later. I prayed for the wisdom, strength, peace and serenity to do God’s will, whether the cancer was a death sentence, or just an inconvenience. I can only say that from the moment of making this prayer, I have experienced a profound sense of peace, and the thought of cancer has never troubled me for a moment.

Cancer can be a truly worrying process, you wait a month or two for tests, you wait for the results, and you wait for more tests, but the prayer to do God’s will sort of handed the problem to God, and I have never had to worry. I have never once prayed for healing, at the age of 62, the prayer for healing was too complicated, it might or might not be my time to go. Recognising this profound sense of peace comes from God, gives me reason to be thankful.

I could not imagine this sense of peace without a faith and trust in God. I can say, from the moment of hearing about my cancer and making that prayer, I could talk about cancer in the same way as I talk about what’s for dinner?

In the spirit of searching for God,

Eric

Yeah this is what I mean. You're calmer and put your trust in your god and so it's like a weight lifted off your shoulders. Lucky for some they have this ability to believe.