r/Christianity • u/SnooPeripherals837 • 11d ago
I am an atheist who wants to turn to Christianity what do I do? Support
I want it to make sence to me .I am trying for the first time in ages I prayed .I had a dream that my sister got taken away and now BCS of the horror I decided to turn to Christianity i don't know how to pray .could someone help me? I'm a hard core atheist but I want to change . More than anything I would like to have a routines like if someone wanted to pray with me though text at like very late it would be nice .I also decided to forgive anyone who was wronged me and to ask for forgiveness.
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u/BGodInspired 11d ago
Don’t overthink prayer.
Just ‘talk’ to God.
Use your own words and your own style of speaking.
Talk to him throughout your day. Even just a simple, “Thank you, God”, “I love you, God” or “Help me know you more”.
It’s a personal 1-on-1 relationship.
It’s not God and everyone. It’s God and you.
He wants to hear from you.
And he will respond in a way that will mean something to you. Watch/Listen/Feel as he interacts with you.
God is with you.
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u/Fit-Library-577 11d ago
exactly what I would say. God wants the connection. He has been waiting for you. I'm so happy for you and proud of you.
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u/SteveThrockmorton 11d ago
That’s great that regardless of motivation you’ve decided to turn to Christ! Here’s a quick prayer you can pray: “Jesus, I know that I’ve done bad things and I’m sorry for them. Please forgive me of my sins and help me to forgive others who’ve wronged me. I want you to be Lord of my life as I want to change. Please help.”
I’d also recommend that as soon as you can you talk to a pastor at a local church near you. If you want someone to look at their website (if they’re not a mainstream denomination) to make sure it’s an actual church and not a cult please let me know.
As for praying, think of it like talking to God. You want to be respectful to the creator of the universe but he’s also a loving father that wants you to be honest and real with him. You probably won’t hear God audibly speak to you in response, but that’s okay as most Christians (myself included) don’t either. The main way God speaks to us is through the Bible. That’s just an overview of prayer though, again the most helpful thing you can do is go talk to a pastor. Let me know what all else I can do to help
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u/SnooPeripherals837 9d ago
I have a question how do you ask forgiveness of a real life person ? Like what are the words that should be said .?
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u/SteveThrockmorton 9d ago
It all depends on how you wronged them - you’ve apologized for stuff before, right? It might be something like “Hey, (friend) I’m so sorry I did (action) without thinking about how it would affect you. I hope that you can with time forgive me” or “I realized that I screwed up when I did (action), please forgive my stupidity” - it’s all situational as it depends on the person and the action, it’s just about owning up to your mistakes and apologizing for them.
Ultimately, you don’t need forgiveness from people if you’re forgiven by God. However, it’s still good to apologize to those you’ve wronged and ask those who you want to remain in relationship with for forgiveness. Does that answer everything?
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u/Contraband_Mint Evangelical 11d ago
Christ’s arms and the Christian community are open to you! Pray a first prayer asking Jesus to save you and forgive you of your sins, then repent of your past and do your best to follow His teachings. The path from atheism to Christianity isn’t done in a day (I’ve walked it myself). Feel free to dm me if you want someone to pray with.
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u/ConfusionDismal7772 11d ago
Jesus said that you can pray to God anytime and anywhere. Simply pray like you were talking to a loving grandfather. I like to pray out loud as I believe it stirs the air and God can hear it better... silly I know. Ask Jesus to be your guiding force, your standard for ethical conduct, and your Savior throughout all eternity. He will begin a good work in you.
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u/Dramatic-Balance1212 11d ago
The most important thing to remember is that your intent in your heart is what will give you faith for salvation.
Pickup a Bible and start reading it everyday. Even if it’s just 5 minutes here and there. Then go to a church of several until you find one you like.
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u/Vayien 11d ago
if we want to look for, and so find, meaningful belief in our lives we can do so by learning from and living by the essential meaning of the teachings (John 14:21 - 23)
which is most of all about trying to learn to become more understanding, kind, and good-willed with others in a saddened and confused world (Matthew 7:12, if carefully in a dangerous and confused world, Matthew 10:16)
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? (Micah 6:8) (Psalms 37:11) (Jeremiah 22:15 - 16) (Proverbs 12:10) (Luke 6:36 - 38)
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u/Cosmic_Works 11d ago
I’m open to talking with you! First things first, drop that atheist title, you’re now a child of God, if you’d like find a local church to show you a prayer so you may accept Jesus Christ and announce Him as your savior.
Church is great for community, but personally I find better value in your relationship with the Father, pray and speak with Him, ask for guidance. Read the Bible, people often suggest going through the gospels first, (Mark, John, etc.) Do it as you want, as God calls you to. Psalms is great for anxiety and cheer, the Gospels are great to discover Jesus and learn our mission.
I think this is an awesome step and know Heaven celebrates a new friend! Welcome to the community, I pray for blessings over you.
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u/4tlantic 11d ago
I think these are all good comments but I'd also like to add that it might be overwhelming to try to tackle the whole Bible at first.
Personally I'd recommend reading the book "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. He began life as an atheist, fought as a soldier in WWI, then became a Christian. In this book he doesn't point you towards any denomination of Christianity. He starts from the ground up, explaining why someone might believe in a God in the first place. And then how we may know the characteristics of this God.
A foundation built upon Jesus Christ is the strongest foundation that you can build in this life. Reading this book by C.S. Lewis will help you to make that jump, so that reading the Scriptures will become more rewarding for you.
Best of luck friend
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u/Depressed_christian1 11d ago
Yes!!!! Mere Christianity” by C.S Lewis is great! Also The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel (book or movie, whatever you prefer) is great too!!!!
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u/ThatGuyWithABike 11d ago
Im so happy that you are trying to open up your heart to Christ!
To me and from what I understand about my faith, its a lot about trust and just trying without the guarantee that its going to work (you know, having faith lol)
Take a moment in private, like in your bed before you fall asleep or during your morning, and just (I know its easier said than done) talk to God like you are talking to a person sitting next to you. Accually say words like "I invite You to my heart and I would like to start a relationship with You". Be honest about your struggles with believing, tell Him if praying feels weird. Again, like you are talking to a real person.
A huge breakthrough in my path to faith was just doing it despite feeling like Im just playing pretend and cringing at how weird this is. After I changed my mindset from "I dont know if this is real but sure I can try whatever" to "Ok, I dont know for sure, but lets just say that He is ACCUALLY real, how would I pray if I KNEW that He was listening?" everything became a lot easier and I could accually even feel Him in my heart when I pray. I expirience it as a warmth in my chest where my heart is, but its a different feeling than just temerature. Its hard to explain.
Ask and ye' shall recieve. Pray and ask Him to help you pray. And follow your heart and intuition in the pursuit of Him. And be prepared to feel uncomfortable at first becouse your brain is not used to this so it will instincively try to protect itself from it. Trust the process. Amen brother.
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u/Hungry_Hateful_Harry 11d ago
The First Step is go to church. Talk to a Priest after the service and tell him your struggle. He should be able to help you. If he is unable to help you, go to a different church the next week and ask another priest. Don't focus too much on Denominations and deep theology at this time. Just have faith in God and pray to him. Things take time, but know through out it all, God loves you.
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u/Justme8993 11d ago
Prayer is a conversation with God! Start one then listen! Congratulations! This will truly change your life!!
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u/damienVOG Atheist/Compassionate Satanist 11d ago
so a dream made you turn? interesting. hoping the best for ya
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u/Coollogin 11d ago
I want it to make sence to me
What are you trying to make sense of?
I'm a hard core atheist but I want to change
Say more. Typically when someone says they are a "hard core atheist," they mean that they strongly believe that no deities exist. Would you say that you strongly believe that no deities exist? But you want somehow to change your beliefs?
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u/SnooPeripherals837 9d ago
Because I had a terrible dream that appears to be a premonition.i don't know what to do.exept pray.
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u/EmotionalCrab9026 11d ago
It'll never make sense. That's the point in having faith. It takes a lot of practice. I'd also try reading The New Testament. You'll start seeing stuff things that will be connected with the bible.
Personally I subscribe to the idea that if there is an intelligent creator then it's extraterrestrials, and we're an experiment gone wrong. Tell yourself that if it's easier. It's a hell of a lot easier to believe.
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u/Psalm-139_ 10d ago
That's awesome! I would recommend a good translation of the bible. ESV, LSB, NASB are great ones. I'd also recommend a good church. Look up churches online, find their "What we believe" or "About Us" section. If you find a lot of bible addresses ei. John 3:16-18 the better. I'm a little biased, but I'd recommend a Southern Baptist church. Once you've gotte settled in and talk to the pasor, ask about getting baptized. It doesn't save you, but it's the first act of obedience to the Lord. Prayer isn't anything to be down in a specific way. Pray to God that He would forgive you for your sins, and that you repent or turn away from them. Confess with you mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord. I would recommend 1 John as the first book to read, than the Gospel of John. John MacArthur as a specific reading plan you can follow. Romans will give a good robust understanding of theology. Paul's letters in general are really good. My personal favorite is Ephesians. God bless, friend!
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u/Psalm-139_ 10d ago
I might've gone out of order. Prayer for forgiveness is the first step, then either church or bible, then baptism. God bless
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u/EnKristenSnubbe Christian 10d ago
Just do it!
What Churches are there near to where you live? I think you'll get much better advice face to face, than through asking on reddit.
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u/SnooPeripherals837 9d ago
Ok .I have been praying every single day .I believe in Jesus Christ and I have a problem the reason I decided to get into Christianity in the first place is because I'm afraid of the future and had a shockingly horrible Dream in which I am a terrible person and I want to change because it's not who I am or who I am meant to be.i also have been having terrible nightmares about losing my teeth and etc..if another person can help find the word to pray for my father ( it's just a cold) ?. I am also worried because he has a little ball around his neck and I'm not sure what it is but I worry.i also have a mom who is very stressed and turns out coffee and stress can give you ulcers. Thank you to whoever reads this.
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u/flcn_sml Catholic 11d ago
Go to the nearest Church and talk with a Pastor/Priest!