What if we're all wrong though?

[Strongbad]

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@ strongbad- I'm sorry if you took it pesonally, that wasn't my intent. From your analysis of the metaphor of "a hard heart" being about the actual muscle I hve every right to assume you're a materialist. The rest wasn't referencing you at all directly, just an explanation of the metaphor. I don't think I can recall any of your posts so I would have no idea if you particularly speak with reeesentment, divisivness or hate. You particularly weren't instructed to do anything. It was directed at answering mem's request for clarification on how to hear God. I don't think I'm being obtuse or dancing around anything. If you don't think my response was direct enough here you go.
heart- defined in this context as the abstract concept of an emotional mechanism in the brain responsible for affecting will and desire. It is not a euphemism as I'm not trying to hide aything nor am I trying to lessen the connotation of the words or be polotically correct.
soften- defined in this context as to lessen in severity emotional response by resenting less in other people, which leads to divisvness and hatred.
"soften your heart"- would then be a colloquialism used to describe the lessening of resentment and resolution of subconscious/ conscious issues (thus lessening hatred, malice, intolerance, divisiveness, etc.) within the conceptual emotional mechanism in the brain responsible for emotional responces to a point where you are open to possibilities you were previously unaware. The phrased is referenind in Ezekiel of the Bible and is a common term among Christians.

It's not about rationalizing the idea that God could exist. It's about truly, consciously and subconsciously, setting aside as much bias as you can and being open to possibilities you might/ might not have been aware of.
-Side note: I'm not sure what preconceptions you have of my intents in this forum. I'm not sure where you are going with the whole song and dance thing, but it would probably be more constructive if you checked those at the door.
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@tackattack No apology required – I rarely take things personally. I am new on this board; that’s why you can’t recall if I speak with resentment, divisiveness, or hate. I’ll assume that you didn’t actually direct that false dichotomy towards me, implying that those three approaches are the only ones I could take.

I believe that you have effectively admitted that “soften the heart” actually means “change your mind”, which of course happens only in the brain. However, I take issue with the notion that in order to change one’s mind to “hear” god, one needs to lessen resentment, hatred, malice, etc. You are contending that the reason a person cannot hear god is that the mind is cluttered with the negative emotions you outline, and that if a person would set aside all of this negative “bias”, the mind would become “open” to god.

I say – rubbish! I certainly can’t speak for all atheists, but I’m pretty sure that most on this board were convinced that god existed at some point in their lives, and have since opened their minds to the more likely probability that god does NOT exist. This changing of the mind was not brought about by increasing thoughts of hatred, malice, intolerance, etc., but by reasoning and deep thinking. We have freed our minds of superstition and fantasy, and have accepted the reality that gods are man-made constructs.