Are There Any Inspirational Bible Verses That Have Helped You with Tinnitus or Depression?

[John Mahan]

If you don't believe that people have a choice then you're 100% wrong. We all faces choices everyday.

Bible cosmology says that the world is about 6,000 years old, and anyone that believes in the Bible that also believes otherwise doesn't really believe in the Bible because you can add up the ages of all of the people back to Adam.

I don't believe in the bible and if you believe in the bible then we disagree. The bible is a story book. It has some good stories and even parables of how to live a 'proper life'.

But then there are things like eye for an eye which doesn't comport with turning the other cheek.

The bible came about pre twitter universe. Of course like fake news, it morphed over centuries after Jesus rose again from the dead when his body was stolen and a body double took over. I am pretty sure Jesus was nailed to the cross.
There is stuff in there that's likely true. Most of it isn't...or twisted lore to fit a wishful narrative about how life should be according to some.

Btw, Charles Manson didn't have a choice. He was born with a low IQ to a whore for a mother and was sexually and physically abused his whole adolescent life. He merely acted out the rage he felt about life because it was enacted on him from the time he was born. No free will.

Had Manson been born with a 150 IQ to a family of privilege whose Mom didn't take drugs while pregnant and came from a loving home and went to bordering school, he would have made completely different choices. No free will.

 

[JohnAdams]

The bible is a story book.

All true stories.

it morphed over centuries after Jesus rose again from the dead when his body was stolen and a body double took over.

that's the first time I've ever heard that theory and you have zero evidence to support that.

Most of it isn't...or twisted lore to fit a wishful narrative about how life should be according to some.

Christianity doesn't conform to anything about this world at all. It is the absolute way to live your life. There is nothing about the precepts of Christianity that aren't 100% good.

 

[John Mahan]

All true stories.

that's the first time I've ever heard that theory and you have zero evidence to support that.

Christianity doesn't conform to anything about this world at all. It is the absolute way to live your life. There is nothing about the precepts of Christianity that aren't 100% good.

John,
You will laugh but at first I thought you were kidding by what you wrote.
You being a bible thumper seems so far out of character for you. You said you were a self admitted a-hole.

Most bible thumpers believe they are more god like even though most are insufferable and ignorant a-holes...lol.

 

[fishbone]

I don't believe in the bible and if you believe in the bible then we disagree. The bible is a story book. It has some good stories and even parables of how to live a 'proper life'.

But then there are things like eye for an eye which doesn't comport with turning the other cheek.

The bible came about pre twitter universe. Of course like fake news, it morphed over centuries after Jesus rose again from the dead when his body was stolen and a body double took over. I am pretty sure Jesus was nailed to the cross.
There is stuff in there that's likely true. Most of it isn't...or twisted lore to fit a wishful narrative about how life should be according to some.

Btw, Charles Manson didn't have a choice. He was born with a low IQ to a whore for a mother and was sexually and physically abused his whole adolescent life. He merely acted out the rage he felt about life because it was enacted on him from the time he was born. No free will.

Had Manson been born with a 150 IQ to a family of privilege whose Mom didn't take drugs while pregnant and came from a loving home and went to bordering school, he would have made completely different choices. No free will.

The bible/faith gives many people inspiration, to deal with the bad deck of cards.... that they/we might be dealt and for overcoming our obstacles. Not all can agree on it or like it, it's all good. Find your inspiration and use it to live your life.

 

[Mister Muso]

I find this text to be universal, all embracing, open minded, devoid of condemnation for the unbeliever, unthreatening, godless, loving, honest and true.
I hope you like it folks.....

View attachment 21228

'The Only True Religion is LOVE'

Did you see "The Book of Joy" by the Dalai Llama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu? These spiritual leaders are also great friends, and although they disagree fundamentally on many things, the things they agree about are what unite them in friendship. They spend most of their time together laughing, at each other, at the absurdities of life, whilst respecting one another and caring for one another too.

If they can, then so can we all... Peace.

 

[JohnAdams]

Most bible thumpers believe they are more god like even though most are insufferable and ignorant a-holes...lol.

If I were such a holy perfect person then there would have been no need for Jesus to make his sacrifice for you and I. Also, I know quite a few Christians and I don't know any that fit the stereotype of ignorant yelling judgmental people. I saw a few yelling in front of the library when I was in college but something tells me they were actors trying to make Christians look bad.

 

[GoatSheep]

Thread derailed

 

[JohnAdams]

View attachment 31638
Thread derailed

Well, this thread was about Bible verses and several non believers came in and started asking questions and it's someone's duty to answer them.

 

[Lane]

There is nothing about the precepts of Christianity that aren't 100% good.

Hmmm, I'm not sure Galileo would agree with that assertion... Or for that matter, the thousands who were executed during the Spanish Inquisition.

Copernicus, Galileo, and the Church: Science in a Religious World

"During most of the 16th and 17th centuries, fear of heretics spreading teachings and opinions that contradicted the Bible dominated the Catholic Church. They persecuted scientists who formed theories the Church deemed heretical and forbade people from reading any books on those subjects by placing the books on the Index of Prohibited Books. A type of war between science and religion was in play but there would be more casualties on the side of science.

Nicholas Copernicus and Galileo Galilei were two scientists who printed books that later became banned. Copernicus faced no persecution when he was alive because he died shortly after publishing his book. Galileo, on the other hand, was tried by the Inquisition after his book was published. --- Three hundred and fifty years after Galileo's death, Pope John Paul II said in 1992 "that Galileo suffered unjustly at the hands of the Church and praised Galileo's religiousness and his views and behaviors regarding the relationship between science and religion."27.)"​

 

[JohnAdams]

Or for that matter, the thousands who were executed during the Spanish Inquisition.

Can you seriously not disconnect the damn (ROMAN CATHOLIC) Spanish Inquisition from Christianity? There is no justification from the teachings of Christ or anything written in the New Testament to justify the Inquisition(s).

 

[Lane]

Can you seriously not disconnect the damn (ROMAN CATHOLIC) Spanish Inquisition from Christianity?

@JohnAdams -- Sorry, it appears I hit a raw nerve (not my intent). I thought you might find a bit of humor in Galileo's plight. -- So, what Christain Church(s) would you say do represent true Christianty? I grew going to a Lutheran parochial school, and had Bible classes every day. I was taught Martin Luther (who started the Reformation) was this great person who took on the evils of the Catholic Church. Turns out, he wasn't much better in many ways, which his later anti-semite crusades would indicate.

 

[GoatSheep]

@JohnAdams -- Sorry, it appears I hit a raw nerve. I thought you might find a bit of humor in Galileo's plight. -- So, what Christain Church(s) would you say do represent true Christianty? I grew up in Lutheran parochial school, and had Bible classes every day. I was taught Martin Luther (who started the Reformation) was this great person who took on the evils of the Catholic Church. Turns out, he wasn't much better in many ways, which his later anti-semite crusades would indicate.

The main reason for a distinction between Catholicism and Protestantism is that Catholics believe in the Catechism which is an additional book of laws dictates by their church and thus "man made". They include such things as the Pope shares the infallibility of God.

I'm not arguing this from a religious standpoint @Lane. Just providing the info.

 

[Lane]

The main reason for a distinction between Catholicism and Protestantism is that Catholics believe in the Catechism which is an additional book of laws dictates by their church and thus "man made".

@GoatSheep -- Just to mention, the Lutheran Church that I grew up in also had their Catechism, but I don't know how it would compare to the Catholic Catechism. -- One big thing that turned me away from my Lutheran upbringing was their admonition that we fear God. I never bought into that one, and the older I got and thought about it, the more it became a deal breaker for me. -- Many other things also didn't work for me either.

 

[GoatSheep]

@GoatSheep -- Just to mention, the Lutheran Church that I grew up in also their Catechism, but I don't know how it would compare to the Catholic Catechism.

Ah, well I wasn't aware. I guess I should have said expressly the Catholic catechism.

 

[John Mahan]

If I were such a holy perfect person then there would have been no need for Jesus to make his sacrifice for you and I. Also, I know quite a few Christians and I don't know any that fit the stereotype of ignorant yelling judgmental people. I saw a few yelling in front of the library when I was in college but something tells me they were actors trying to make Christians look bad.

The most flawed people I know are avid church goers...lol.
The most well adjusted, decent, kind and 'good' people I know disavow religion on some level.

But, you need to stop hanging out with dumb people who cling to a old book of wive's tales.

Instead, start reading about the universe and the top scientists who have made some sense of it.

They all know better than all those people who tell you religion has value...pick one...there are several throughout the world. Religion is an orthodoxy. A creed. A goofy belief system.

The greatest mind of our century to his grave didn't believe in god. And then there are perhaps the worst of all. The Evangelicals who believe you will go to hell if you don't accept Christ as your personal savior. What a crock of shit...lol. Dumb people passing judgement. Hawking who did more for the planet than most...what?...because he didn't believe in God... he is now in hell because he's dead? That is rich. A wider context is, Hawking believed the universe is god but it runs itself my the laws of physics. But he didn't call the universe god, he called it the universe.

Only a suggestion:

 

[Lilah]

So, what Christain Church(s) would you say do represent true Christianty?

There is the universal church (where Christians agree on the meaning of Christmas and Easter, the Trinity, etc.), and then there is the local church where you will see the different denominations. Denominations occur because people disagree on secondary issues. I would say that there is no one denomination that would represent Christianity better than another. Within denominations there are also big divides, such as within the Baptists (such as the new wave of progressive Baptists) and Episcopalians who left the denomination because they do not agree on same-sex marriage. However, some denominations tend to draw people more conservative or more liberal than another, but in any given church you will find a wide range of beliefs on the secondary issues. No one denomination captures the jist or entirety of Christianity; some are more righteousness focused and others are more love focused, and the message leans one way or another. In the end, to me, the denomination is not of great importance, as I don't expect to agree with my pastor on everything. We have to follow our own praying and reading to get the answer.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Had Manson been born with a 150 IQ to a family of privilege whose Mom didn't take drugs while pregnant and came from a loving home and went to bordering school, he would have made completely different choices. No free will.

Countless people have been born having low IQ to bad mothers and they end up being able to control themselves and to not become murderers. Free will.

 

[John Mahan]

Countless people have been born having low IQ to bad mothers and they end up being able to control themselves and to not become murderers. Free will.

Oh brother. How many schizophrenics make good doctors and lawyers?
I get it. Mental health isn't your strong suit.

Here is a quiz. Does socioeconomic status affect decision making? Do people in the ghetto have the same free will as people born rich? If so, why don't poor people elevate themselves from the morass of poverty? Do you think they like being poor?

Do you think a natural born artist has the same free will to draw a picture as somebody without this talent?

How about your free will to play the piano? Can you play the piano like this 6 year old? Why can't you choose to hit the same notes at the same time this young person can? I know. You just don't want to play this well:

 

[Lilah]

How about your free will to play the piano?

Free will in the religious context means ability to choose between right and wrong, and does not really relate to talents or economics. In most cases, even a small child, is able to discern between right and wrong/good and evil. People with mental handicaps (not talking about a slower learner with low IQ) may not be able to discern between right and wrong, and most people/governments do factor this in and that's why someone else has to make a decision on their behalf.

 

[John Mahan]

@GoatSheep -- Just to mention, the Lutheran Church that I grew up in also had their Catechism, but I don't know how it would compare to the Catholic Catechism. -- One big thing that turned me away from my Lutheran upbringing was their admonition that we fear God. I never bought into that one, and the older I got and thought about it, the more it became a deal breaker for me. -- Many other things also didn't work for me either.

Can't we now discuss all the 'good' Christian priests that sexually abuse small children as the church looks the other way?
Nothing to see here. Everybody move along.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Oh brother. How many schizophrenics make good doctors and lawyers?

First of all, it is my understanding is that being a psychopath provides a huge advantage for doing well in most careers. Second of all, you were talking about a murderer (as opposed to someone who couldn't become a Good doctor or lawyer). Most schizophrenics don't become murderers, and most people aren't schizophrenics.

Does socioeconomic status affect decision making?

There is a difference between something having some impact on decision making and something forcing/compelling one to act a certain way. In industrialized countries these days there is absolutely no excuse to not become a well to do person via education. Most people's IQ is high enough to earn a graduate degree, and if one's IQ is too low for that, then they can make more money by learning a trade. Student loans are a thing, and so anyone can pay for their education.

Do people in the ghetto have the same free will as people born rich?

Of course. You know, we are all homo sapiens.

If so, why don't poor people elevate themselves from the morass of poverty?

People have different time preferences (some focus on the present, and ignore the future, others focus only on the future). Also, a poor person is poor in terms of money, but they might be rich in terms of all of the free time they have been enjoying and all of the fun they have been experiencing while the "successful" (in terms of wealth) were getting an education and working. You shouldn't judge success using only one dimension (e.g., money).

If so, why don't poor people elevate themselves from the morass of poverty?

Who says they don't?! They do all of the time (just like some rich people choose to do things that end up making them poor). Take me, for example. When my family arrived in North America, we had less than $1000 to our name. A year after that, my dad got diagnosed with brain cancer (at the age of 42). My mom was unemployed at the time. To make a long story short - these days I don't live in poverty (let's just say "far from it"), and neither does my mom. We (just like everyone else over the past 30 years) have had plenty of opportunities of making money in the stock market or in the real estate market. It so happened that we haven't really taken advantage of those opportunities. Most of our wealth is the result of saving what is left of the salary after all of the expenses.

Do you think a natural born artist has the same free will to draw a picture as somebody without this talent?

Unless the other person's IQ (or physical state) is low enough for them to belong in an institution, surely there is something else that that person could do successfully, besides drawing pictures.

Can't we now discuss all the 'good' Christian priests that sexually abuse small children as the church looks the other way?
Nothing to see here. Everybody move along.

The blame is with those priests and with those administrators. There is nothing in the actual Bible that promotes this behavior, so Christianity has nothing to do with it.

 

[John Mahan]

Free will in the religious context means ability to choose between right and wrong, and does not really relate to talents or economics. In most cases, even a small child, is able to discern between right and wrong/good and evil. People with mental handicaps (not talking about a slower learner with low IQ) may not be able to discern between right and wrong, and most people/governments do factor this in and that's why someone else has to make a decision on their behalf.

Problem is...society can't sort this out. Like tinnitus and concert going discussed in the other thread, mental health is more complicated than that. A perfectly healthy person...or at least on paper can make bad and contrary choices at any time from jump out of a window to shoot somebody they believe is bad.

A person's talent aka cognitive ability in any endeavor, colors or biases their decisions. This btw if interested is the whole predicate behind artificial intelligence...understanding this nexus.

Can a person be partly retarded? Definitionally yes. A person can be a high functioning autistic. There are doctors with aspergers. They don't make the same choices about empathy ergo bed side manner as a doctor without. They may make the best brain surgeons though.

People from a mental health stand point are all over the spectrum including you and me. I like to believe I have complete free will but I know I have made decisions based upon my genetics. Do all the time. I don't have the same free will to go to concerts I did when I was young. Or run.

My elderly mother isn't as smart as she once was. She was a honor student and graduated near the top of her class for gifted kids. She doesn't have the same free will she once had. Her decisions are more limited now.

 

[John Mahan]

First of all, it is my understanding is that being a psychopath provides a huge advantage for doing well in most careers. Second of all, you were talking about a murderer (as opposed to someone who couldn't become a Good doctor or lawyer). Most schizophrenics don't become murderers, and most people aren't schizophrenics.

There is a difference between something having some impact on decision making and something forcing/compelling one to act a certain way. In industrialized countries these days there is absolutely no excuse to not become a well to do person via education. Most people's IQ is high enough to earn a graduate degree, and if one's IQ is too low for that, then they can make more money by learning a trade. Student loans are a thing, and so anyone can pay for their education.

Of course. You know, we are all homo sapiens.

People have different time preferences (some focus on the present, and ignore the future, others focus only on the future). Also, a poor person is poor in terms of money, but they might be rich in terms of all of the free time they have been enjoying and all of the fun they have been experiencing while the "successful" (in terms of wealth) were getting an education and working. You shouldn't judge success using only one dimension (e.g., money).

Who says they don't?! They do all of the time (just like some rich people choose to do things that end up making them poor). Take me, for example. When my family arrived in North America, we had less than $1000 to our name. A year after that, my dad got diagnosed with brain cancer (at the age of 42). My mom was unemployed at the time. To make a long story short - these days I don't live in poverty (let's just say "far from it"), and neither does my mom. We (just like everyone else over the past 30 years) have had plenty of opportunities of making money in the stock market or in the real estate market. It so happened that we haven't really taken advantage of those opportunities. Most of our wealth is the result of saving what is left of the salary after all of the expenses.


Unless the other person's IQ (or physical state) is low enough for them to belong in an institution, surely there is something else that that person could do successfully, besides drawing pictures.

The blame is with those priests and with those administrators. There is nothing in the actual Bible that promotes this behavior, so Christianity has nothing to do with it.

Too much to respond to so I will just pick one.

You wrote:
People in the ghetto have the same free will as rich people.

My question to you is...
a. why don't they seek the same jobs as rich people so they too can be rich. Everybody has the same choices right?
Do you think poor people like being poor and living in crime infested cities?

b. why do people in the ghetto statistically engage in more crime than rich people?

You said same free will. Why do they like prison more on average than rich folks?

What about crack babies born in the ghetto? Do they have the same free will as people born to a healthy pregnancy? You think a crack baby makes the same decisions that a rich healthy baby makes?

 

[Bill Bauer]

a. why don't they seek the same jobs as rich people so they too can be rich. Everybody has the same choices right?
Do you think poor people like being poor and living in crime infested cities?

People have different time preferences (some focus on the present, and ignore the future, others focus only on the future). Also, a poor person is poor in terms of money, but they might be rich in terms of all of the free time they have been enjoying and all of the fun they have been experiencing while the "successful" (in terms of wealth) were getting an education and working. You shouldn't judge success using only one dimension (e.g., money).

why don't they seek the same jobs as rich people so they too can be rich.

I guess they are not prepared to spend the time/effort required for the education required for those jobs (like I said - the vast majority of people CAN get the education that would then give them that successful career), as well as the job itself. You talk as if you are completely ignoring the Cost (in terms of effort) of those careers.

Do you think poor people like being poor and living in crime infested cities?

You seem to be comparing the benefits of a good career to the benefits of no career, and ignoring the costs in those two cases.

 

[Earing]

Book of John 48.3 - There once was a man from Nantuckit...

 

[John Mahan]

I guess they are not prepared to spend the time/effort required for the education required for those jobs (like I said - the vast majority of people CAN get the education that would then give them that successful career), as well as the job itself. You talk as if you are completely ignoring the Cost (in terms of effort) of those careers.

You seem to be comparing the benefits of a good career to the benefits of no career, and ignoring the costs in those two cases.

My sense is...you will never be a fan of Dr. Charles Murray who has a diametric view to you

 

[Bill Bauer]

@John Mahan
You must have missed the following part of one of my posts:

Most people's IQ is high enough to earn a graduate degree, and if one's IQ is too low for that, then they can make more money by learning a trade.

Most people can earn a graduate degree these days as a result of university programs having been lowering the bar.

Note that just because they can earn a degree doesn't mean that they will choose to earn it.

 

[Bill Bauer]

@John Mahan what do you think is stopping people from becoming plumbers or skilled construction workers (e.g., crane operators) and earning over $100,000 a year?

 

[John Mahan]

@John Mahan what do you think is stopping people from becoming plumbers or skilled construction workers (e.g., crane operators) and earning over $100,000 a year?

I would prefer to use my mind instead of doing manual labor. I did manual labor jobs through college. All the older guys I worked with advised me to stay in school. That said, avocationally, I like using my body. Plumbers literally work their asses off. All skilled construction workers do. But I have a mind worthy of doing what I do and many plumbers for example can't do what I do or other people for that matter.
I have done a lot of plumbing btw. Its hard work. Even built rooms on my house. I can figure stuff out.

People with low IQ don't do what I do. All the PhD's I work with have high IQ's.

I believe in the Bell Curve and believe IQ and mental health are big factors in success in life as does Dr. Murray whom I agree with. There are other talents however that are harder to gauge. Like athleticism. But its the mind that controls the body and the best athletes have a superior mind at a given endeavor.

When I think of great success, I think of the greatest thinkers that ever lived. I think of Bill Gates who has an IQ of 170 or Elon Musk who is deeply involved in artificial intelligence and is as smart as Gates or smarter. Musk is the Tom Edison of our day.

Here is something you may find interesting. This is what transformational thinkers spend their time thinking about instead of the repetition of plumbing. They think about 30 years from now when it is forecasted that robots will be 1000x's smarter than humans and the only way for the human race to survive is to interface AI with human's:

 

[John Mahan]

@John Mahan
You must have missed the following part of one of my posts:

Most people can earn a graduate degree these days as a result of university programs having been lowering the bar.

Note that just because they can earn a degree doesn't mean that they will choose to earn it.

Funny. Most in the ghetto, don't 'choose' that graduate degree to elevate themselves out of poverty.
And you are saying that is their 'choice'. Seems ridiculous. After all, according to you, everybody has free will to make whatever choices they want. Ironic, they choose poverty and crime infested neighborhoods with a high level of gun violence and loss of life. Mother's want their kids selling drugs and running with gangs according to you because heck, most can go to college and grad school. Seems like a bad 'choice'.