JUST OPEN YOUR HEART, DAMMIT!

[Athene]

Non-theists are often accused of not reading the Bible (or any holy book) with an open heart. Do theists understand what they're asking of atheists when they suggest this? I'm sincerely interested in understanding what reading religious texts "with an open heart" actually means to theists. Non-theists as well. Thanks.

[Minimalist]

It means believe whatever bullshit is printed there.

They are quite stupid, you know.

[Longhorn]

Doh. Silly heathen. In order to see what the bible really says, you need to read it with an open heart. That is, you need to read it with a presupposition that it says what you already believe it says and, would you know it, you'll be able to find that it actually DOES say what you believe it says!! MIRICUL!!!!!

[robvalue]

It means ignore all the torture, rape, murder, degradation, favouritism, mutilition, executions, bizarre practices, arbitrary demands...

By the time you've ignored all that, there's a little bit about building tents and then something about a carpenter who gets a splinter or something.

[brewer]

Um, plunge knife in, begin reading, healed = god, dead = one less atheist to convert.

[Chad32]

It's kind of irritating when someone says you won't understand it unless you read it in the spirit of the lord, or something similar. Basically it means reach the conclusion that Yahweh is the One True God, and all that is Good in this sinful universe, and read the bible to know how to follow him. Our problem is we read the bible, and other sources, to see if he's any more real than the rest of the creator gods, and if so do we want to worship him? Evidence points to him not really being all that special, compared to the rest, except that somehow there's a good portion of the population that still worship him. And those followers are killing each other over disagreements about how to worship him.

What I say is when you guys get around to coming to a consensus, get back to me and we'll talk. I don't know how many thousands of more years that will take, but right now it seems the muslims are winning out.

[robvalue]

Atheists have this amazing superpower not available to Christians. They can read the actual words in the bible.

It's not my fault the words are all ignorant and horrific. I didn't write it.

[Athene]

I've always taken this as a suggestion that I give the left side of my noggin a vacay, in order to soak all of the Bible's warm, gooey goodness.

[Longhorn]

Nah, that won't do it. Even the writing's shitty. Unless you enjoy reading about donkey dicks ಠ_ಠ

[robvalue]

I think the Never Ending Story is a better tale, and is more consistent too