Sun, 2008 Dec 14

Detecting Lies

Posted in Christianity at 07:30 by jmorgan

To begin: I’ve been very frustrated this recent election cycle with the willingness of Christians to easily accept lies. For example, the “Obama is a Muslin” thing. Quite aside from the fact that I, as a Christian, am more than willing to vote for someone with differing religious beliefs (I voted for Bush in 2000 on the theory that I felt more confident that he had similar beliefs to mine and later concluded that was a mistake), the reality is that that rumor is a lie. And not a very difficult one to uncover. It was also a lie spread by Christians with the clear aim of deceiving other Christians. How utterly sick is that?

For the record, as a Bible-believing Christian, I hereby disown the religious right. Not all the people who consider themselves as such, but the certainly all the politicians and pundits who take advantage of that identity.

Anyway, sorry, way off topic. What I’m actually thinking about is recognition of lies. James 1:5 tells us, “If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking” (CEV). So, number one and cheif is asking Yahweh for wisdom.

But another element, one right beside that, is a willingness to be aware of lies. Or, to put it another way, I must make a decision to test even those ideas and purported knowledge that fit my prejudices. Paul, in closing on his first (at least first listed in the Bible) letter to the church of Thessalonians, throws out a series of general instructions. One of them is simply “Test everything” (1 Thessalonians 5:21, CEV). Now, for a one liner, it’s probably best not to make sweeping applications, but it is a reminder to not let my prejudices determine my belief.

It’s easy to research to death claims with which I disagree, finding any reason to reject those claims. Just as easy (indeed, easier), is to see a purported fact that is “what I want” and add it to my “base of knowledge”, thus exagerating the support for my pre-conceived ideas. There is no doubt a balance between being too quick to find problems with any idea and being too quick to accept an idea.

Perhaps, then, one key is simply taking time to consider. If I don’t let any new piece of purported knowledge into my general accepted knowledge of a subject for at least, say, a day, I have a much better chance of evaluating it properly. If I instead accept or reject it immediately, my pride (which is yet another issue) dictates that I now find any reason to support the claim I’ve already accepted. No good, that.

So, ask God for wisdom, examine new information regardless of my prejudices, and wait before accepting any new information as definite fact. That’s a start, there.

Mon, 2008 Dec 01

Discipline

Posted in Christianity at 14:10 by jmorgan

Discipline seems to have been a theme lately in my life. At a home church sort of group that my wife and I are a part of, it’s been a major topic the last month or two (ironically, we’ve missed the past few weeks). And it has been a key part of several recent sermons by our pastor. It’s also something I’ve thought a lot about lately in terms of money, having recently coordinated a Financial Peace University class at church, and also in my own emergent adventures with stock trading.

And, of course, my wife and I have a son on the way.

Discipline’s a hard concept because, at least from some approaches, it’s easy to overdo or misapply entirely. That is, I find myself asking, “In what situations and to what extent should my decisions be flexible?” Certainly, in some situations, they must, and in others (related to God’s commandments), they must not.

Some situations are tricky, though. Say in stock trading. I’ve decided to sell at X, but the stock is trading in an unexpected range. How long should I wait? Or should I stick with the strategy? Is that discipline or stubborness?

It’s not always easy to tell.

I want to be chiefly disciplined in my obedience to God and my relationship with him. Then there are disciplines related to my family and to my health. And then those related to my career and other financial matters (note, things like keeping a budget are disciplines related to my family). And it seems easier to judge when a discipline is appropriate higher up that ladder.

Just thoughts.