A Serious Question For Theists

[fr0d0]

My statement was specifically in reference to a conversation that I had with Drich about the A/S/K nonsense. His claim is directly from the bible: "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and you shall be answered". When I told him that I had indeed done all of those things under the mentoring and instruction of my pastor, he shifted the goalposts and asked (paraphrasing) "did you stop sinning?", and insinuated that I did not ask, seek, or knock correctly - as if there are unambiguous instructions on how these things are accomplished.

That, in my experience, is typical. If you asked, and did not receive, you weren't asking correctly. If you sought, and did not find, it is your manner of seeking that is at fault. If you knock... well, you get the idea.

I ask again: How in the holy fuck would you know whether one does it correctly? The instructions are clear, the specifics are ambiguous. How can anyone a) see into my heart to know it's state, and b) know whether or not A/S/K was done correctly, when they cannot explain themselves how it is to be done?

Do explain. You'll be the first to do in my experience so if you can succeed at it.

I think that's a thread on its own. I think you could find other 'simple' instructions that can be hard to accomplish. What we're talking about here is being open to the possibility. How do you make yourself open? Depending on your frame of mind, that might be impossible right now, or very possible. No matter how much you want it, you're not going to get it if you don't really want to.

And that applies to many things. Am I truly open to the possibility that atheism is true? If I'm honest... my personal bias is currently theism. I make an intellectual effort to level the balance when I become aware.

What the bible is doing with the a/s/k perquisite is establishing an open mind as a necessity.