Blog - Various Topics

February 22, 2025

Below, you’ll find diverse ideas, commentary, editorial opinions, and other content. While these may explore topics that do not directly relate to the website’s core purpose, they all align with our mission to provide helpful content in other areas of life, how they may or may not relate to religion.

This website primarily focuses on religious topics, which could help Christians wishing to return to a life where God is at the center. This blog page contains posts that may relate to Christianity but are outside the website’s core purpose. Areas will probably include laws, rules, regulations, ethics, morality, truth, reality, etc.

New posts will be added at the top of the list. Index numbers are provided to simplify content reuse elsewhere on the site.

Note

There are valid reasons for using the King James Version of the Bible. Some Christian groups place their trust in its authority above other versions. However, it’s important to note that modern language speakers may need help understanding the meaning of many passages written in rarely used versions of English. Versions written in people’s everyday language are more likely to be understood by the average reader.

When conveying thoughts about governments and Christianity, we strive to select politicians and instructors who prefer teaching and training instead of outlawing. We oppose adding regulations and laws preventing certain behaviors when those behaviors can be taught. Given no other information, we oppose all that removes personal freedoms and eliminates personal responsibility. In the website section BnB, there is content about Bible versions.

1050

Truth

Thirty years ago, the motivation for this post probably would have been discerning truth in advertising. Today, it is discerning messages about current events. These may come from informal conversations with friends, professional news sources, and statements by elected public officials. Other influence’s are in this category as well. Although the current motivation for this post comes from outside of religion, it may have application in a religious setting as well.

Be careful with agreeing quickly with a Bible interpretation that sounds right, feels good, or may cause fear. In small group settings, it may serve a purpose to imply agreement but later give it additional research and thought. Agreeing with what seems harmless may conflict with a belief you hold dearly. Take your time, and pray about it. Consult a commentary (tradition) and others in the field as needed.

What feels good is not always good. Think about it. If the topic is important then try to objectively evaluate the facts, the case or reasoning, and then finally the feel-good statement.

Warnings can cause fear. It is always good to listen to warnings, and then take action as required. Note that it is easier to frighten people then to ‘unfrighten’ them.

Many people are employed in technical professions. Technical jobs require analytical, logical, and critical thinking. In our use, critical does not describe the emotional character or attitude. Below are a few introductory ideas for performing a critical analysis.

  1. Note each keyword in the statements you are examining. Define each keyword. In the context the keyword was used, is the meaning reasonable? Are the keywords associated with words that affect the message?
  2. Consider the audience. Reconsider each keyword how you think the average audience member will understand it.
  3. With the above in mind, what do you think the speaker intends to transfer to the audience? An emotion? A fact? A belief?
  4. With the above in mind, what do you think the speaker’s literal message is?
  5. What message will the average audience member receive? What will their emotional response be?

Critically assessing a Bible verse includes critically evaluating each word. This is not quick and easy. This website is intended to offer ideas to Christians who have issues with the faith, and sometimes, that is how the faith is described by theology. Beliefs can hold people back from spiritual growth. Without spiritual growth, faith in God stagnates Christian life. Verse 80 is about Jesus.

In the next paragraph uses a technical word in philosophy: absurd. This word means completely unreasonable, not sensible, and wrong. As used in this context, there is no implication of intense emotion. It is intended to indicate confidence in a statement being wrong. An article on John Humphrey Noyes stated that he made a case for modern-day Christians living in the Biblical millennium now. He had a case for that, but many would consider his conclusion absurd. Based on that and more, he said Christians cannot sin today. Something about this may play a role today for Christians growing closer to God and moving into a life marked by power.

Classic teaching in critical thinking includes logic. Classic teaching in logic may consist of paraphrasing: the conclusion must be reasonable, not oppose common sense; to be accurate, it cannot be absurd. Why does this matter? Men and women studying theology may be able to make a case for a specific belief, but the belief must pass the reasonable test.

This website will make cases for the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. But that must come with or as we work to meet the founding purpose of the website. Our hope and prayer is for you to experience God exhibit the power of God for the benefit of many people.

Index No. 1040

Who Benefits?

Sometimes news media reporting includes stories of people who are angry. Perhaps they are protesting something that should be protested. Sometimes we know what they are protesting and why. This is all perfectly reasonable, actions, words, and emotions that most of us would understand. Our position on the matter may become the same as those reported by the news. But sometimes the anger and actions do not seem to be justified by our understanding of the facts. This of course is our perspective, from within our context (worldview).

Try putting yourself in their position. Would you have the same intense anger they do? Would you engage in the same actions they do to draw attention to their cause?

Have you observed anger in a group of people which seems disproportionate given the known facts? When the expressed emotions do not seem to fit the cause, consider the possibility that something else is going on. So what might that be? Something to do with money? Something to do with ideology?

Index No. 1030

Child Sacrifice

(2Ki 21:6 KJV) And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

There is clear agreement among scholars that child sacrifice existed in ancient times. But to pass through the fire may mean to literally pass through or over a fire quickly without harm to the child. We read about Moloch in the Bible but other gods existed in ancient times as well and some ancient beliefs included the the idea that a god can be tricked, thus sparing the sacrificial child from harm.

  • Foot notes from The NET Bible refer readers to M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266-67.

Index No. 1020

Fitness

  • If others depend upon you, take care of yourself.
  • If you provide emotional support to others which improves their enjoyment of life, take care of yourself.
  • If you provide physical (health, safety, security) support to others which improves their enjoyment of life, take care of yourself.

We all need you.

(Mat 6:27 NIV)  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Take care of yourself before fear forces you to.

(1Pe 5:6-8) Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Index No. 1010b

Authority

(Mat 18:21-22 KJV) Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

If anyone is hurting you and you think it qualifies as emotional or physical abuse, then consider the possibility that they sin against God if they use verses 21 and 22 to keep hurting you.

(Mat 18:15 KJV) Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

If you do not feel safe telling the person they are hurting you the injury must be reported to someone, perhaps an authority outside of the group you/they associate with. If you tell the person they are hurting you and they continue, the injury must be reported to an external authority.

(Mat 18:6 KJV) But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

If a person who is injuring you (or anyone else) emotionally or physically, says that you will be guilty of gossip if you report it to an external authority, then know that they are not speaking God’s truth to you. They are guilty of corrupting God’s truth.

Abuse that qualifies as a crime, whether or not you understand how you might be injured, must stop. It should be reported to an external authority who will know what to do. No one understands how every harmful behavior injures, which may be why seeking outside help can be difficult. The authority may be the person you see for a health checkup to get cough medicine, a school counselor, or the police.

If a person tells you that reporting the wrongdoing will cause significant stress on younger children and/or other family members, then that person is saying that right is wrong and wrong is right. Seek help and advice outside your group for determining right and wrong. Privately, know that God is on your side and cling to Him, your spirit in communion with His Spirit, and you will be saved.

(Isa 5:20 KJV) Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

DO NOT DOUBT YOUR PERCEPTION OF REALITY BECAUSE SOMEONE TOLD YOU THAT WHAT YOU THINK IS REAL IS NOT REAL.

IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL AS THOUGH YOU HAVE DONE WRONG, SEEK EXTERNAL GUIDANCE.

Index No. 1000

Raising Children

Our children must be properly loved, shown proper affection, nourished, trained, educated, and protected. Children should have fun, enjoy life, feel safe, have peace when they need it and be instructed for how to behave as a good citizen of their country and the world. How adults treat one another is greatly influenced by childhood experiences. Consider professional help when destructive experiences shaped your childhood.

Notes

Bible Versions

A goal for site content is to be independent of the Bible version. This is the reason many articles contain quotes from several versions. A concept in an article may conflict with one type of church. When we can, we try to pick a version of the Bible that the denomination prefers. See Bible Interp - 1 in the BnB section.