THOUGHTS ON THOUGHTS. (13 FEB 2017)

The goal of this post is to stir up our thoughts on thoughts. According to the Word of God our thoughts precede our words(A) and actions.(B) Definitely, our thoughts are important. As the story of Balaam illustrates, our motives are just as important as actions. There are many other views on thoughts, and many perspectives. Alex Rosenberg, an atheist, wrote The Atheist’s Guide to Reality. This perspective likes to think that our thoughts are merely the end result of chemicals, neurons & genes. This perspective believes there is a violent gene, a selfish gene, an altruism & God gene…there is no true will. These atheists like to think that they are on the cutting edge of science with this. Yet creativity and consciousness have given these scientists fits, because they are really unexplainable by their perspective, but they have still given some lame explanations, as of course they would not want to concede that their thoughts on thoughts are wrong. They might tell you that creativity=imagination, inference & guessing…now how do we define those intangibles?? The problem is that there is a lack of any specific definition for such things. We have an idea what they are, but no specific definitions—true science would have such definitions.

PRO-SCIENCE VIEW OF SCIENCE. “…There is a body of facts to which we must submit. Science is a submission, science is being guided by the nature of things, scrupulous regard for what there is, non-deviation from the facts, understanding, knowledge…”(C) In other words, science is superior to any other form of thinking because it is scrupulously based on facts…so much so that we must submit to it. While this is the ideal of science, the history of science shows that it is not the case. Facts that don’t fit the established politically correct view of reality according to the accepted view of science get ignored or suppressed. Science today is as much faith & dogma as religion…except religions admit it, and science pretends that their ideas are rock solid. For example, take the entire “science” of psychology, as well as their Bible, which has been the various DSM versions, the latest is DSM-5. Critics immediately complained that there is no empirical support for much of it, and the classifications were broadened so that doctors working w/ big Pharma could justify giving more people drugs. While supporters of science say it is rock solid, and the Christian Bible is put out in many contradictory translations…they should apply the same standard to science as they do the Holy Bible. The Bible has remained rock solid for centuries…it is science that is constantly invalidating their previous views, with shifting explanations of what is true…hence we are on DSM-5, very different than the original.

MATURITY. People & their thinking mature, both secular thinkers & Christian thinkers. Several Bible verses encourage us to become mature thinkers. King Saul put off changing for the better; his weak character & lack of spiritual maturity cost him his life & the life of his 3 sons.(D) If we look at maturity in general (for anyone)…perhaps the first pt. would be to be able to accept oneself as one is. This means sizing oneself up instead of having a fantasy view. It means noting the good, the bad & the potential. Once one is able to accept oneself, you are ready to accept others. People with low opinions of themselves find ways to have low opinions of others. Mature people can get joy from work, and welcome doing productive activity. They also can enjoy life, both the present and its simple pleasures. Immature people simply live in fantasyland.

One way that mature people deal with life is they keep a sense of humor, laughter being a medicine.(E) When we accept others, we lose our fear of being dependent upon them…which in reality we must all do at some pt. My Webster’s dictionary explains that “mature” means “to bring to full development or perfection”….advancing toward perfection…exactly what the Scriptures ask us to do. And one of the results of this is to create win-win situations for the people in our lives. Learning to find the best in others, and understanding them without condemning them. Right is right, but so often the immature make lots excuses for themselves and don’t cut others any slack. There were reasons why we are to take the log out of our own eye before worrying about the splinter in someone else.

CAN WE IMPROVE OUR THINKING? This is where I have always thought differently than the “experts” who have typically held that we are born with our intelligence. Rubbish. With proper intervention and the right teachers, I believe intelligence can be greatly improved…it is not merely a matter of genes. And further, godliness and grit can improve a mediocre intelligence—in terms of what it can accomplish. I would rather have a godly persistent believer of average intelligence with grit than a super smart one who lacked grit and godliness. The less intelligent one will excel far beyond the other. And I would much rather work with a God-centered brother than a self-centered one.

Perhaps you can add some more thoughts on thoughts in the thread. May God continue to bless you my friend…

(A) PHIL 4:8, TIM 1:5 (B) MK 7:20-23 (C) Berlin, Isaiah. The Roots of Romanticism. 1964. pg. 118-19. (D) 1 SAM 31:4 (E) PRV 17:22