There's a series of questions that popped into my mind while I was thinking about belief and whether it is a choice. If it is a choice, then surely there is a way to achieve belief. So here's the questions:
In your religion, what does someone who doesn't believe have to do to believe?
Just start learning. After a few weeks of genuine learning, the chances one wont believe are rather slim.
Does this process take a long time?
I am at the very first steps of it.
To me, it was a long and genuine study. of the old text and of the new discoveries.
It was an instant, a fraction of a moment when suddenly everything just made an absolute sense.
After that, i can't imagine a reality that doesn't include god in it.
If your belief involves god(s)
It does indeed.
God
It depends. At times it can be something that someone said.
As for "Internal" voices other than my own's, nope.
so it seems, although if i had to guess the signs are only signs because i started interpreting them as such.
The thing is that I learn how to interpret them.
Please note i DO NOT mean signs in a form of "I just saw a bird fly next to me so I am gonna be rich or something, rather suddenly understanding the way our reality works and realizing why things happen as they do thus understanding what need to be done in order to improve them.
Many things actually, but without a doubt, the main thing is the understanding of how much i have missed out and literally realizing how ignorant i used to be.
How do you know it to be real and not your imagination?
Its a great question but a very hard one to answer.
Do you know those pictures that look like pattern and when you stare at them with a bit of a crossed eye and suddenly an image with depth appear?
Imagine someone that cannot see this image, asks one who can, how do you know it is real?
You can literally see it. you see it everywhere you go. Its like things work in a different way once you understand the "trick" to see the image.
So i can tell you i see amazing images with unlimited layers of depth. unless you manage to see it for yourself, the question of how i know it is real is pretty hard to explain.
but in my case, what gave it a very strong "nudge", was the fact the our reality and more of it as we discover each year is undoubtedly pointing to god being real.
What if this person does everything but still doesn't believe?
It can work in either way....
Do... believe... understand.
Understand...believe...do.
For me it was the later. (it is the same for you, i assume, based on your questions)
In both scenarios BTW, when the understanding part is missing, a lot of harm and abuse can be caused (as we can witness all around the world).
You can answer the questions however you want, you can pick and chose the ones applicable or if the questions aren't quite right, you can explain your perspective.
Those were great questions. I would love answering more if you wish
I personally don't have any answers because I don't have a belief, per say but I'd love to hear from different religions. I am open to challenging my non-belief.
Start with this:
1. Put aside religion.
2. Look deep inside and understand what kind of a person you are. (this is one of the most crucial points in the challenge to your non-belief
)
3. When realizing your "better and worse", try and understand why your "worse" is worse. (don't settle for easy answers)
4. Now try to understand your "better". this is a much tougher question to answer.
5. Then, try and study a bit of every religion. the basics. the overall "concept" of the religion.
6. After that, you will probably have a pretty good understanding which religion (if at all) gives you answers that you couldn't figure out.
7. DON"T SETTLE FOR NON-SENSE!!! An angel told me to is not a good enough answer (unless you can back it up with proof
)
8. Really, be logical. don't look at things that you know are crazy like killing yourself to get 70 virgins or starving yourself as a way to salvation. be clear minded and see what fits every aspect of our reality.
Good luck
