Tag Archives: Religion

Political Lessons From 1 Samuel

Posted by Tim on

religion-politicsThey say that you should never discuss politics or religion in polite company. I’m not sure who said this, or exactly what they meant by it. (I know there’s an old Peanuts special that said something along those lines, though. The Great Pumpkin, I believe it was.) Why even have religion or politics if not to discuss? I love learning about politics and religion, but spreading the message is the true joy in these areas. I know when to hold my tongue and when to let loose, and it can occur in polite or less-than-polite company.

I’ll go ahead and break that rule, and also break another – don’t mix religion and politics. That would make sense if the two weren’t already amazingly intertwined. Although I’m no expert on theology, I do try to read the Bible regularly, and I do truly believe that the answers to all of life’s most difficult questions can be found in the Good Book. Not just what is right and wrong, but advice on the best ways to deal with people, and how to address different situations. Perhaps the biggest thing I’ve taken away from the Bible is that there is always more to learn, and some things will forever remain a mystery. There is a plan, but much of this plan is given to us on a “need-to-know” basis.

One pillar of conservatism that separates it from liberalism is how it views government. While liberals tend to welcome government, anticipating relief from problems of the world of scarcity in which we live, conservatives believe otherwise. Our view of the world is the tragic view – there are no solutions; only trade offs. Because no solutions exist, giving anyone power is a bad idea. As Lord Acton said over 100 years ago, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

But warnings against government power have been around for ages, long before Acton spoke his famous line. Around 1100 BC, Samuel was judge over Israel, but when Samuel retires the people do not want another judge. Instead, they want a King – a ruler.

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” (1 Samuel 8:4)

Samuel came to God with the request of Israel – to have a king. God, although unhappy with the request, granted it. But it came with a warning.

Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights. (1 Samuel 8:9)

Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.” (1 Samuel 8:10-17)

These verses are a direct parallel to what happens in tyrannical countries around the world. Kings take children and use them for war. Notice that these children are put on chariots in front of the king’s chariots. The king doesn’t fight the battle – the soldiers do. Presidents and Congress don’t fight wars; instead they send young Americans around the world.

The king will take the fruits of your labor, the best of your fields, vineyards, and groves, and give them to his attendants. Sound like crony-capitalism at all? Sound like a president taxing some, and then giving it others – perhaps his own friends?

This post wouldn’t be complete without the most important line regarding kings.

But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. (1 Samuel 8:6-7)

The reason people always want a king, a dictator, a leader, a ruler, is because they are lacking a king in another part of their lives. People need something to have faith in, something to tell them that everything will be okay, something to save them. When there is a lack of God, people turn to something else – government. As Americans reject God, they will cry out for a King.

God or Government?

Posted by Tim on

Our nation was founded on the belief that men and women are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. For these rights to live on, our government was set up with a complex system of checks and balances. No one person or party can govern against the will of the people, and even the will of the people is limited by our Constitution and the Supreme Court.

But our founders also knew that in order for our society to prosper our people would need to have good values, a strong work ethic, and a belief in God. Of course, there is a freedom of religion, and there is no national “God”. Our Founding Fathers also weren’t advocating a theocracy. What they were saying is that faith and religion were important. If liberty is limited by government, then we need something else to rule us. Our government isn’t here to tell us what is right and what is wrong. Much of what is morally wrong is perfectly legal. But to preserve the civil society, we need to have some kind of rule in place – God.

It is precisely when people lose their faith in God that they start looking for salvation in other places. Some people find their God in material things; houses, cars, fortunes in offshore bank accounts. Other people find their God in themselves; fame, admiration, power. The masses will many times come to replace God with government. The world is imperfect, and God doesn’t offer solutions nearly as quickly as government does. Many times we feel as if God is ignoring us, but government… government listens to us if we elect the right people.

Our democratic system however is designed specifically to hinder progression. All those checks and balances really get in the way when we’re trying to move things along. Of course this is done on purpose. New laws shouldn’t be passed willy nilly. The government’s power to do bad is infinitely greater than its power to do good. But nevermind all of that. People want their “progress” and they want it now!

F.A. Hayek wrote in The Road to Serfdom,

Yet, agreement that planning is necessary, together with the inability of democratic assemblies to produce a plan, will evoke stronger and stronger demands that the government or some single individual should be given the powers to act on their own responsibility. The belief is becoming more and more widespread that, if things are to get done, the responsible authorities must be freed from the fetters of democratic procedure.

F.A. Hayek

F.A. Hayek

Hayek was talking about people becoming frustrated with the slowness of the democratic process and believing that government’s powers shouldn’t be as limited as they are. In fact, some people may want to give powers to a single authority and count on that person to just “do what is best”. They are ignorant of the fact that they are demanding a dictator.

This is happening today. Cries from both sides of the aisle (although more so from the left) are telling politicians to just “do what needs to be done” without worrying whether they actually have the power to do such things. During the debates over whether or not to raise the debt ceiling, people wanted the president to just issue an executive order that would raise the debt ceiling regardless of what congress says. These people are asking for one person to have all the power – a dictator, a God.

If we want liberty, we need something to govern us other than government. God is the answer. How is it that we survived so long without government passing new laws everyday? We didn’t need all of these laws before. But God has slowly been kicked to the curb, and people are crying out for government to rescue us. The security government gives us is a trade off with liberty. The security God gives us is not.

The battle with overpowering government is not just with Washington. It is a battle of good and evil; of light and darkness. If we live in a world without God, we live in darkness. It is in this darkness where totalitarianism lives. For limited government, and our liberty, to prevail, God must win in America. If God is struck from our schools, from our media, and from our everyday life we have little hope. It is a choice between God or government.

Conservative Hope

Posted by Tim on

I’m a bit of a pessimist. I tend to see the world (and my country in particular) going down the drain right before my eyes. I take a bit of comfort in knowing that everything is a part of God’s plan, and that even the Bible talks about the world becoming more and more evil until the day of reckoning is finally upon us. If we look at history, things have really only gotten worse. Obviously we’ve made tremendous technological advances, but the morals of the world are certainly no better than they were 300 years ago, and many people (including myself) would argue that they’re actually worse.

With all that negative thinking, I still sometimes try to see the best in life, and look for a glimmer of hope. Its hard to find, but I found something. It may not be much, but perhaps its a sign that my country will be able to continue walking in the footsteps laid by our founding fathers for at least another century or so. The hope comes from this – knowing that people change, and that some of the most influential people in Western civilization once had views opposite to what they’re known for.

In particular, I’m referring to John Locke, the philosopher who inspired our Founding Fathers to create a nation based on the power of the individual and his God given rights to pursue his own self interests. During the Constitutional Convention no man was quoted more than John Locke. The idea that men were created by God with certain unalienable rights – to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; this was John Locke. Men are not tools of the government, nor are they tools belonging to each other to create some collectivist goal. They are individuals, who can live their own lives, raise their families as they see fit, and own their own property.

Recently I’ve been reading up a bit on Locke’s life before he became the man we revere today. Before he was sternly against an all powerful government, he was for it. That’s right. During his tenure at Oxford University in England he agued for authoritarian rule. It wasn’t until years later that he worked and reworked the philosophy that we know and love – Americanism, in many respects. He spent many years working closely with the Earl of Shaftesbury, a man who changed Locke tremendously. The two of them bounced ideas off each other, and Locke developed a keen sense for politics and economics, as well as religion and morals.

So, if the man most responsible for the basic principles that America was founded on was a converted authoritarian, then anyone can be converted. After reading this, I thought about other great minds who were once on one side of the aisle but settled along the side of liberty, property rights, and individualism. Among them are Thomas Sowell, perhaps my favorite author. The strong conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was once a devoted statist, looking for government to “right” history’s wrongs. Ronald Reagan, who is often considered the greatest conservative in modern history, was once a democrat. Even a number of local conservative talk show hosts, Vicki McKenna and Mark Belling, were once democrats.

This all gives me hope. Everyone can change, there is no such thing as destiny or inevitability. America is not certain to fall just because “even Rome fell”. We can change our path, change the morals of our country, and allow America to remain the only beacon of hope and freedom that the world has left. It takes work, and it takes sacrifice, but lets remember that we’re no ordinary population. America is the freest, most prosperous nation in the history of the world. We built this country, and just because it needs a little fixing doesn’t mean that we should let it go in the trash.

Thoughts on 1 Timothy

Posted by Tim on

I just finished the book of 1 Timothy again. I really like both 1 and 2 Timothy, but I kind of wish it wasn’t so. I feel lame telling people that my favorite book of the Bible is 1 Timothy when my name is Timothy. I guess I was just named correctly. It could be worse; I could be named Amos. I’m sure I’d have to undergo horrible ridicule as a child – “Amos anus” and so forth. Always look on the bright side, right?

Putting aside what could have been, I found it rather comforting to learn what 1 Timothy was all about – Paul giving instructions to a young man who was looking to be a leader of the church. Timothy looked up to Paul, and Paul gave him excellent advice in the two letters he wrote – 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy.

While I’m no Bible thumper, and I’m hardly an expert in theology, I do enjoy reading this stuff and sharing what I learn. Although many people are much smarter than I am when it comes to religion, please bare with me as I share a few great verses I read recently. Maybe this is a repeat for you, maybe you’ve forgot it, or maybe you’ve never read it yourself. Take it or leave it.

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance; Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.“
1 Timothy 1:15

Paul says upfront – this is important. What he’s about to say needs to be taken seriously and literally. Jesus came to the world to save sinners. There are a number of ways to look at this. First, Paul doesn’t specify which sinners Jesus came to save; he just says “sinners”. Isn’t that ALL of us? We’re all sinners, and Jesus came to save everyone, not just people of a certain background or certain heritage.

Secondly, Paul wants Timothy to learn from Jesus. If we look back into Jesus’ time, he wasn’t hanging out with the kings of the land. He wasn’t hanging out with celebrities and rockstars. He was having dinner with the poor, the elderly, the sick. Too often today we think that to be a follower we need to push away people from our lives. Thats not what Jesus did. What we ought to do is reach out to the people who need Jesus most, even if they are seen as horrible people. Jesus had a number of personal conversations with prostitutes, did he not?

“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.“
1 Timothy 4:8

Did Paul seriously just smash the meaning of my life to pieces? I’ve spent so many hours on exercise and diet and all of that stuff – just to have Paul say it isn’t important? Well, no. Paul admits that there is value in training your body; keeping it healthy and so forth. What he’s saying is that we shouldn’t be short sighted and overlook the most important thing – training our hearts. We all die – our bodies will turn to dirt. Our souls, on the other hand, last forever.

“Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.”
1 Timothy 5:1

Isn’t this the key to having great relationships? Paul is telling Timothy that if he wants to be a leader he needs to be worthy of respect, and they only way you get respect is by giving it. Treat your elders well, and treat those younger than you as though they were your siblings; look after people. If we are to be leaders we need to look after those in our life the way a shepherd looks after his flock of sheep.

Meh. Just a few things I took away from that book. Its some really great reading, and I encourage everyone to pick up their Bibles soon and read it. Only a few chapters long – a half hour of reading should be enough to get through it, but I recommend more. Its good to sit and think about what is being said, and realize the deeper meaning.

Spreading Conservatism

Posted by Tim on

Unintentionally this is almost turning into a series on conservatism. First there was Conservative Self Education, then there was Breeding Conservatism, and now this – Spreading Conservatism. Fair enough. I suppose it’s just a topic I know a lot about, and also a topic I care about. I think “passion” is what they call it.

Being a conservative is great. For me it means that I don’t just vote Republican and tow the party line, but that I also know the issues, have strong beliefs about those issues, and understand why I have those beliefs. It’s not enough to just go into the booth and blindly fill in all the boxes marked Republican. I mean, come on. There are other issues at hand here. For one, not all Republicans are created equal. Some are social conservatives, with liberal stances on fiscal policy. Some are fiscal conservatives, but social liberals. Some are a jumble of all the issues, and some honestly don’t belong in the Republican party at all – we call those RINOs. (Republican In Name Only)

So in the end, being a conservative certainly sets you apart from any old Republican. The differences are important, but what else is important is the attitude a conservative should have towards evangelism. When most people hear the world evangelist they think of Evangelical Christians. It’s similar, just forget the Christian part. An evangelist is someone who “spreads the word”, so to speak. The word could be anything, whether it’s the gospel, or conservatism.

It’s not enough to have beliefs. It’s also crucial to instill those same beliefs in your family, friends, and coworkers. If you truly believe that small government, and greater personal responsibility is whats best for our country, isn’t it also important for our next generation to hold those same beliefs? We as conservatives can’t expect politicians to spread the word for us. Thinking that they should spread the word for us would be kind of hypocritical, would it not? We must do it in our own lives.

But how do we get started? The easiest way to get people on your team is to talk to them. None of us are so sheltered that politics never come up in conversation. The news is something we all talk about, whether it be in a positive or negative light. Next time the subject comes up, explain your beliefs, and explain why you believe them. Be calm, non-abrasive, and friendly. Too many of the conversations we have about politics are straight up arguments. I’ve never thought that the best way to convince someone of your way of thinking was to debate them. In the end, you’ll probably just push them further in the wrong direction, and keep them from ever talking to you about politics again.

Once you have people halfway on your side, don’t just let them go. Continue to drop little seeds of conservatism on them whenever you meet. Say things like, “Did you hear what Obama just did?” Then start a conversation discussing how Obama’s most recent unconstitutional executive order affects all of us. When you’re switching channels, stop on Fox News. I personally always leave the TV on Fox News, so when someone else turns it on – BAM! – Sean Hannity! I do the same thing with the radio. Once the car is turned on it’s immediately letting glorious talk radio permeate through the speakers.

Don’t forget to encourage people to continue their education away from you. Suggest websites to them, forward them links, loan them books, and then let them go for a while on their own. If you’re always looking over their shoulder they’re going to be turned off. Occasionally start small conversations about the news, but don’t come to them every day and ask, “Hey! So, did you read that book I told you to read?!?!” No matter what your belief, you’re going to scare people away by doing stuff like that. People need to come to their own conclusions. Otherwise we end up with a world of mini-mes, just repeating whatever I wrote in my most recent blog post. That’s not what I want. Really.

To restate the original thesis – being conservative is awesome. It stands for freedom, values, personal responsibility, and big guns. It’s a lot of fun being a conservative and we should strive to share the experience with other people. Start a conversation, nurture the beliefs you are trying to develop, and let the person grow on their own.

Ayn Rand and Religion

Posted by Tim on

Every once in a while you come across someone who you agree with on one issue, but sternly disagree with on another. It’s kind of like one of those “love/hate” relationships. One part of you wants to embrace them, another part wants to discard the every word they speak. It’s for this reason that I once again promote the idea of being skeptical of your fellow man. Never just go along with what someone says because you like them, or because you may agree with them on a single issue.

For me, a person like that is Ayn Rand. For those of you who don’t know, Ayn Rand was a Russian-American author and philosopher. She is well known for her book, Atlas Shrugged, which was recently turned into a movie. Rand has been a major influence among libertarian and conservative thinkers. She’s very vocal about her support of free-trade, capitalism, and limited government. She’s even written a book titled, “Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal”, where she discusses Keynesian economics, government controls, and taxation.

Rand’s philosophy is also one that has become popular among libertarians. “Objectivism” is the idea that all decisions should be based not on emotion or morals, but rather on reason and logic. Sounds right up my alley, right? Wrong.

While I appreciate not getting emotional about certain issues, other issues are worth getting emotional over. While some morals are taught, others are ingrained in us from birth. Humans are set apart from all other species by our unexplainable sense of justice. Furthermore, basing all decisions on reason only gets you halfway. There are parts of life that are unreasonable. There are questions that we cannot answer.

This leads me to my second hold up with Rand – she is a devout atheist. Such a shame, and while I feel that much of her contempt for religion stems from her Russian upbringing, it’s still atheism at it’s finest (or worst, I should say). Because, in Rand’s mind, there is no “proof” of a God, or “higher power”, she simply does not believe in one. Too bad she didn’t do her research.

Well, that’s a little brash. At her time, evolution in the Darwinian sense was still widely accepted. Only recently have more and more scientists (secular scientists, mind you) come out and said that evolution has no factual basis to stand on. Micro-evolution, maybe, but macro-evolution – No. Sorry. It’s doesn’t hold up. That’s why we now have new ideas about humans being placed on Earth from another planet. Evolution fell apart; there must be another explanation.

The proof is most certainly available. How exactly do you explain people being raised from the dead? And no – this isn’t stuff that one guy told another guy and then we all read it in the Bible. These are historical events – written about in literally thousands of first century manuscripts. This stuff DID happen. Of course, if you weren’t there, and in Rand’s case, if you were separated from it by almost 2000 years, it would be hard to believe. And that’s where faith comes in. The premise that you must throw your mind in the trashcan to accept Christianity is a fallacy.

It’s too bad that Ayn Rand didn’t agree with me on everything. But everyone is put here for a reason. Maybe her purpose was to show us that just because someone agrees with you on economics, or political theory, doesn’t mean you should believe everything they say. And maybe Rand also taught us that there are more important things in life than economics and political theory.

The Seven Deadly Sins (Part III)

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About time for part III of this series. I must admit I almost forgot about it. Whenever I can’t think of something to write I’ll go back and reread my old posts, looking for ideas. Well – here’s an idea for ya, Tim! – Finish what you started!

In case you’re unfamiliar with the last two posts, this is a series of blog posts on the “Seven Deadly Sins”. The sins are pretty simple, and they’re things that are ridiculously common in the world today. Already discussed are wrath, greed, sloth, and pride. You can find the earlier posts here >> (Part I, Part II). That leaves only three left – lust, envy, and gluttony.

Lust is pretty much rampant in 90% of guys in America, myself included. Lust not only includes the random one night stands, but also just the lustful thoughts that so many of us have. Women are guilty of it too, by the way. Instead of looking at the opposite sex as individuals with value, we often look at them as sex objects. I know I’m guilty of judging a book by it’s cover. Look good? Ok. Not so good? Eh… Stay over there. How many problems does this produce? I bet the whole feminist movement would have been drastically different if it weren’t for men and women being so lustful. And think of the countless marriages that lust destroys. Lust, although it can be fun – can be dangerous.

I don’t know if any of the sins has received more news coverage in the last year than envy. Maybe you missed it, but it had to do with 99% vs 1%. Oh sure, “income inequality” was the guise, but envy was the reality. Some people were jealous of other people’s money. But where does this kind of talk get us? Instead of looking at what other people have, look at what they don’t have. Someone may earn a bigger salary than you, but they also might have a bitter ex-wife, and estranged kids because of their awesome paying job. Jealously leads to friendships ending, marriages getting tangled up over money and houses, neighbors fighting, and just unhappiness all the way around. Envy is a leading cause of hate, and hate is a leading cause of unhappiness.

And how could I forget. My favorite sin – gluttony. Well, America (and Australia too, actually) have taken this to a whole new level. In general, gluttony is just consuming too much. It doesn’t need to be food, but that’s just what everyone thinks of when they think of gluttony. Nickelback came out with a song late last year titled When We Stand Together. One line says “We could feed a starving world with what we throw away.” How true! But it’s worse. We could feed a starving world with what we overeat! Take some of your fat and give it to a starving kid in Africa. Do you really need 3 Big Macs?? Our health problems, many of our money problems, and once again, our happiness problems would be solved if we cut down on the gluttony.

As I’ve said before, I don’t mean to sound preachy. These are sins that we’re all guilty of. The point of this is to bring these sins to the front of our brains. Perhaps if we actually think about what we’re doing we’ll try to not do it so much. We’re always going to have sin in this world, but if we minimize the sin in our own lives, we can not only set an example for the rest of the world, but we can change our own lives for the better.

The Seven Deadly Sins (Part II)

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Greed, sloth, and pride. Three more of the so-called “deadly sins”.  Simple, yet, powerful. These personality traits contribute to more of the world’s problems than we realize. If only we took a closer look at how our sins affect the people around us, and the ripple effect they have throughout the world. These traits are in every one of us, but just because it’s our natural instinct to embrace our sin, that doesn’t make it right, and it certainly doesn’t make it beneficial to mankind.

Greed. That’s the big one in America. Well, at least they say it is. All of the evil corporations are just so greedy, right? Well, sure. Like I said, it’s natural for us to be greedy. America’s greed isn’t isolated in the business world though. It’s all around us. Greed over drug turf is what drives much of gang warfare in urban communities. It leads to shootings, stabbings, and too often, the loss of innocent life. Greed is also what makes teachers want to keep their own benefits packages as they are, even at the cost of some of their peers losing their jobs. Greed is what makes government officials continue to push for more and more control, and more and more money. Money for themselves and their friends, and control over every aspect of your life.

Sloth may be one of the most aggravating sins. In every society, from the beginning of time until now, we’re faced with people who just don’t want to work. Sure, there are people who can’t work, but there are many more people who are just flat out lazy. We see it at work every day. A handful of people pull the workload for the rest of the crew. Let’s be honest. Teamwork is a fallacy. How many people are on welfare, meanwhile every time their check comes in the mail they head straight to the casino or to the bar.

And pride. What do we have to say for pride? Well, pride is good up to a point. But bragging isn’t good. Keep your head on Earth; don’t go around thinking you’re better than everyone else. We all have strengths and talents, and just because some people’s strengths aren’t as clear as someone else’s doesn’t mean they’re less valuable. Pride was the driving force behind nationalistic countries like Germany, and Italy. Pride is what keeps people with six figure jobs from volunteering at homeless shelters during the Christmas season. There is a difference between pride and confidence. Don’t be too proud.

Our sins have impact all over the world. Taking a look inside ourselves is the best way to protect our future. We need to control ourselves. It’s easy to be lazy, be greedy, and be prideful. We’re all guilty of it. Sometimes I’m a little full of myself, and I don’t always like giving my money to other people. I also don’t always work as hard as I should. It’s just a part of being a flawed race.

Part III coming soon. View Part I HERE.

The Bible is Alive

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Ever since I started reading, or more so studying, the Bible I’ve had a few profound moments. It’s like whenever you pick it up, no matter what page you turn to you’ll find something that pertains to whatever is happening in your life. It’s kind of a mysterious book that way. It’s more than a book – it’s spiritual.

The most recent odd Bible reading experience happened a few nights ago. I usually go to church on Saturdays, but this Saturday I’m working until 5:00 – exactly when the service starts. I usually get there 10-15 minutes early too, so this kind of put a fold in my plans. I also have a gig this Saturday about 45 minutes away. I have to get off work, shower, and head up north. So, I thought I had a legitimate excuse to skip church this week.

It just so happens that I was reading Hebrews later that night. A lot of the book has to do with Christianity breaking many of the old Jewish traditions, rituals, and rules. However, Hebrews makes a point of saying that church is still very important, whether you’re a Jew or a Christian. In the notes section below, the book explained that we should try harder to go to church when it’s inconvenient. How weird is that? I think about skipping church, and then I read that verse. So, that settles it. I’ll leave work a little early, make it to church, and just hustle to get to the gig.

I was talking about this with a coworker and he shared a weird Bible experience with me. One day he was talking to his wife on the phone and she was having some troubles. He told her to pick up her Bible, and he picked up his. When he asked what chapter she turned to she told him and he said…. seriously? That’s the exact same chapter I just turned to! How does stuff like that happen? Two people open their Bibles to the exact same book and chapter while on the phone. Kinda creepy, almost.

It’s just a little way of knowing that there is really something special about the Bible. It’s like it has a mind of it’s own. God works in mysterious ways…

 

Reading the Bible

Posted by Tim on

I like to think of myself as a fairly well read individual. I’ve picked up quite a few books over the past couple years and I’ve just about managed to completely fill up my bookshelf. I got really into exercise and diet and all that mumbo jumbo, and I also went through a Larry Winget phase – reading his own stuff, as well as Zig Ziglar and Dale Carnegie. I’ve picked through Jim Collins’ business books, Michael Gerber’s entrepreneurial “E-Myth” books, and a couple Malcolm Gladwell books that you’d probably classify under some arm(pit) of sociology.

I then decided to look into some deeper stuff – political theory, economics, and ohh…. the boring one – philosophy. Maybe I just picked the wrong guys to read, or maybe I should have picked up a book titled “basic philosophy” for “philosophy for dummies”. I didn’t. I just dove head first in Ayn Rand’s “Objectivist” stuff and Friedrich Nietzsche’s (God is dead, anyone?) “Will to Power”. Needless to say, I didn’t get far.

Then I thought – what the heck am I doing bothering with these guys, when most of what they’re saying, and everything I’m searching for, was in another book. A book that we so often seem to pass over, despite it being the most famous and influential book in the world. No, I’m not talking about Adam Smith’s “Wealth of Nations”, (which I might put in a personal second place). I’m talking about the Bible.

All of the self help and motivational books are going to be rehashing old ideas that were said 2000-3500 years ago. We keep looking for advice in new places, when all the answers have already been spelled out for us. Whether you have problems with work, with money, with your love life – advice is in the Bible. And yet, so many of us continue to neglect to read it. I did myself for a long time (even though I still called myself a Christian, I might add. More on that later.) I’ve met a lot of really smart people – I mean really smart people – who completely overlook the Bible. Why is that?

I think there are a couple reasons why people don’t read the Bible. For one, the Bible is a religious book, and a lot of people look at religion as a downer. Some “god” is just going to tell you what to do and make you feel guilty about supposed “sins”. Because people have a distaste for religion, they see the Bible in the same light, and write it off without reading it. This is a true shame, because even people of other religions would have something to gain by reading the Bible. You don’t need to be a Christian fundamentalist to read the Bible, enjoy it, and use it in your life.

The other reason I think people don’t read the Bible is because they don’t understand it. Much of what is written is kind of confusing. The old testament (which seems to be where people start if they try reading the Bible) comes off as pretty dry. A lot of names, history, prophesies; all sorts of stuff that gets people confused. It wasn’t written in modern times. Hey – even books that were written a hundred years ago can be troublesome. Imagine a book written 3500 years ago! For people who find it painful to try to comprehend what the Bible is talking about, “Study Bibles” are a great option. Along with the original text are notes explaining what the text it saying. Don’t understand a verse – here’s a guide that’s written in plain english to help you along.

So, the ultimate book to read? The one book I’d take if I could only keep one? The Bible. Plain and simple – it’s the best book ever written, and it’s the only book you need.