Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
(Isaiah 6:8-10) KJV
And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
There’s a point in a conversation when it’s obvious that the person with whom you’re arguing is repeating words and phrases that they’ve learned by wrote, but that they have no actual understanding of the subject matter.
That’s when a carefully phrased question can reveal whether or not the correspondent actually has a clue. A simplified example is:
- Matty: how do you prove heliocentricity?
- Troll: because science!
This is when it’s clear that the correspondent has passed the cluelessness event horizon (CEH). This has a basis in scripture.
We all have the same evidence. Our choice of paradigm determines what we think it’s evidence of.
– Matty’s Razor
And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
(Isaiah 29:11-12) KJV
A second phenomenon which we have to contend with is the reprobate mind. Repeated rejection of self-evident truth about God the creator causes this condition, a symptom of which is a refusal to accept the relevance of causation.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
(Romans 1:28) KJV
There is a third condition which was recently lamented by a co-laborer in Christ.
The biggest challenge to Christians who want to share the Good News here occurs when we realize that no matter what we say and no matter the factual and logical content we present, those against our message are plugging their ears. That’s been a difficult discovery.
SJ Thomason @Lead1225
There’s a scriptural basis for this too. It seems that the prophet Isaiah lamented this same situation and he expressed it like this:
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
(Isaiah 28:9-13) KJV
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
Precept upon precept, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. That’s what SJ Thomason is referring to as “the factual and logical content we present.” You can break it down, pair it out and and make a trail of logical breadcrumbs that you think anyone could follow. They just see it as monotonous dogma with no relevance. Rather than receive the Word and be set free, they fall back into their captive state: ensnared by the deceptive wisdom of our age.
Faith is believing in something that you can’t see, because of evidence.
– Faith, definition
And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
(Matthew 10:10-15) KJV
And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with theireyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Jesus explained this when he taught the disciples why he spoke in parables. And to SJ Thomason and others Jesus spoke this:
But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
(Matthew 10:16-17) KJV
Do you want to know God, or not? Your choice will determine whether you are able to know God, or not. Today’s image is from here.
Matty's Paradigm 
