If there's one thing that we seem to be insatiable about, it's trying to make ourselves the heroes of our own narratives. Some of our egotistical methods are painfully obvious. Others however are fairly subtle, especially when we employ gaslighting. I believe moralism is one of these methods. Today we will be discussing the various flaws, corruptions and destructive tendencies of moralism.
The topic of bafflegab and needlessly controversial Christian conversations has been brought up a few times before. Today I bring them both up again, but in a new light. These can also be used as a distraction and a smokescreen. "To what, and for whom?" you may ask. Find out in today's episode!
Among the many deep words that we have rather weak definitions of, joy certainly is. I've been thinking about and answering questions (my own and others') about what joy really is. Recently I've had a few more revelations about it, and today would like to share these thoughts with you.
What really is belief? Is it what makes us confident and sure? Should it be? Is there anything beyond and greater than belief? I think that knowledge is what lies beyond belief, and not only is it reasonable to pursue, it is what Christians are invited to. In today's episode, we'll be discussing what that transition looks like.
There is a difference between what people believe and what a culture accepts as its collective belief or orthodoxy. America has gone through a couple pendulum swings at least in its cultural orthodoxy, all of which have been authoritarian and oppressive as they always are. Today we'll be taking a theoretical journey through those swings. I hope you find it engaging!
Anxiety can be quite crippling to us in life. Preventing us from everything from potential relationships to entire career paths. So where does it come from? Is it a good thing or bad? What can we learn from anxiety itself? Today we'll be exploring some deep human psychology and connecting some subjective feelings to objective realities.
How many people have you known who seem to have a skill to take the energy out of almost any idea, or plan, or whatever? Don't they seem rather proud of themselves? In my opinion however, such people, pessimists, are among those most to be pitied. In today's episode, we'll be going through why I think pessimism is an ominous trait.
Have you ever noticed that people can often use the word "fear" in one of at least two ways, but we are rarely given a definition? The more obvious definition would have to do with being afraid, but what is the other? Today, we'll be exploring two primary ways that fear is expressed by human beings, and what that means.
Have you ever encountered a very giving person, and felt that there was something deeply wrong about their supposed generosity? Did you get the feeling that what they were doing was more about them than it was about whoever they were being charitable towards? Having had a dream recently which addressed this topic, I thought I'd share some thoughts on this with you all.
Anyone who has made a point in life to pull their own weight has experienced the vexation of those who habitually try to get away with as little as possible. It is a whole other level however when these same people not only justify their sloth, but consider themselves good for their laziness. On today's episode, we'll be exploring how some say with a straight face that they are good and even holy people for doing as little as they can with their lives.
Today we'll be running through a somewhat niche area where Christians consider merely feeling bad to in itself be evil. While also opening this up to the general concept as such, we'll also be talking about the deep dangers of such avoidance and moralizing.
Recently I was inspired to notice a hypocrisy within the typical church view on judgement. Not only are such paradigms and practices often nonsense in themselves, sometimes when you look at two such examples in tandem, you'll notice that they so contradict each other that only cognitive dissonance could allow for both to exist in the same supposed paradigm. We'll be exploring one such contradiction in today's episode.
We use the word "immature" on a fairly regular basis, especially with a negative connotation. Do we really understand its meaning? Is it even an insult or negative as such? Today, we'll not only be exploring this question, but also some areas where immaturity hides under the guise of graveness.
Perhaps one among the saddest trends of modern day is that our own sense of what it means to be good and generous often leads people into positions where they become drained and taken advantage of. Persecution is one thing, if you are a Christian, but almost seeking to be abused and making that your lifestyle is something else entirely, and very dark indeed. In today's episode, we'll be discussing how these conditions come about.
Having spoken about repentance and forgiveness before, there still remains the question: what do we do within ourselves about those who have both done us wrong, and have not admitted they did wrong, let alone repented of it? I believe the Bible provides good instruction on this as well, but modern people, especially Christians, get this muddled among all the scriptures about the topic. I'll be trying to clear up some of the disputes and talk of what we should do in such difficult situations in today's episode.
Integrity is a less commonly used word today, and yet it is in my opinion the backbone of any society. Without it, more than just trust among people breaks down. Even some of the very core components of culture decay without integrity. We'll be exploring why I think this is in today's episode.
Given my many years of musing over how people tick and specifically how it would fit within a Christian worldview, how would I finish the adage of "there are two kinds of people in the world"? My answer has to do with two trends of life that everyone is on, without exception. We'll go into this in more detail on today's episode.
What does it really mean to deserve things in life? Is it just a set of arbitrary standards, or is there an objective and philosophical way to define deserts? Most of us face obstacles to this not from the outside world, but from within ourselves. Join me for today's topic, discussing how we can know that we deserve good things.
Most people in the west today believe that things like loss, pain and grief are simply bad in themselves, and should therefore be avoided or otherwise not be acknowledged. This I consider to be a tragedy. While loss is not something that should be sought out or wallowed in, there is great gain to be had in accepting and acknowledging it. That is what we'll be talking about in today's episode.
Today, the world abounds in what we call "intellectuals", but are such people really the masters of the mind? Are experts and professionals those who have mastered the skill of thought? I do not think so, so what is it that is the stuff of good thinking? We will be exploring this question in today's episode.