What is this? Name that fallacy

[Gwaithmir]

Confirmation bias.

Thanks. The missionaries stopped by last weekend (or it might have been before last; they were looking for my mother but she wasn't home so I took the opportunity to engage them). This "read the book and pray" crap came up and it reminded me of this "there's no 'it's wrong' answer you could get" fallacy but I couldn't think of what it was called or why it was wrong to frame the inquiry of truth that way. So, I let it go and we talked about my issues with the repentance process and blood magic instead. But it's been bugging me.

Growing up with this confirmation bias as my mode of thinking, I have difficulty articulating why it is incorrect to frame the inquiry of truth this way. Like, its wrong because you can't ask a question and have only one possible answer? Does that sound right?

I have heard similar claims from Jehovah's Witnesses, to wit: "All you have to do is open your heart to Jesus and you will immediately feel his presence and love!"

This claim can be made for reading the Bible or praying. In each case, the claimants are trying to set up an experiment by which they cannot lose. If you follow their instructions to the letter with no positive results, they will make up excuses. They have a whole repertoire of excuses:

"You doubted."
"You didn't pray honestly."
"You didn't pray hard enough."
"You have already hardened your heart against God."
"You're an atheist. You don't really know how to open your heart to Jesus."

I once told a pair of evangelicals who were trying to convert me that I'd be willing to get down on my knees with them and pray for Jesus to come into my heart, but if nothing happened, they would have to admit that I was right that God does not exist, and they were wrong. Of course, they wouldn't accept my challenge. They never do.