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Using your intellect, mind for God

nolidad

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I do not remember who said this, "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge" as my starting point.

A dictionary definition:

anti-intellectual
noun
a person opposed to or hostile toward intellectuals and the modern academic, artistic, social, religious, and other theories associated with them.

a person who believes that intellect and reason are less important than actions and emotions in solving practical problems and understanding reality.
Definition of anti-intellectual | Dictionary.com

There are some Christians who have pride in being ignorant on purpose.
They are happy with their exaltation of being super spiritual.
They tend to be over emotional as good and thinking as bad. They choose to view stereotype those in academics and experts as unemotional, and distant from reality.
I think they are just too lazy to think about the arguments of others who are trained before dismissing them or putting them in a pigeon hole.
They will claim that experts are "Living in an ivory tower".
Some Christians have forfeited the intellectual war and claim that things getting worse as the result is a fulfillment of Scripture.

"Anti-intellectualism is an attitude that devalues intellectual pursuits. People displaying this attitude distrust science, art, history and other things"

Interesting books and articles:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00131857.2018.1462946
Post-Conference Thoughts on "Anti-Intellectualism" | Society for US Intellectual History
https://dspace.sunyconnect.suny.edu/bitstream/handle/1951/68296/Haas, David.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
https://etd.ohiolink.edu/!etd.send_file?accession=osu1250269746&disposition=inline
https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1995&context=sulr

Out of Our Minds
The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind
Full Gospel, Fractured Minds?
Habits of the Mind: Intellectual Life as a Christian Calling by James W. Sire--- just requested this from the public library.
Jesus Christ and the life of the mind / Mark A. Noll --- just requested this from the public library.
Your Mind matters by John Stout
Habits of the Mind

I love James Sire!

"Anti-intellectualism is an attitude that devalues intellectual pursuits. People displaying this attitude distrust science, art, history and other things"

If by distrust all science and art and history I think that is bad.

But evolution is neither science nor intellect. That painting called "[bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Christ" (a crucifix in a jar of urine) is not art!

Once again it is the what of what a person is pursuing that determines good or bad. A scientist defending and promoting evolution is practicing bad science! Nopt just bad science but anti-science.
 
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nolidad

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Please define worldly wisdom.

Romans 1:21-23
For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

James 3
Two Kinds of Wisdom
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for[f] those who make peace.

Proverbs 15:21-26 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
21 Doing foolish things makes a fool happy, but a wise person is careful to do what is right.

22 If you don’t ask for advice, your plans will fail. With many advisors, they will succeed.

23 People are happy when they give a good answer. And there is nothing better than the right word at the right time.

24 What wise people do leads to life here on earth[a] and stops them from going down to the place of death.

25 The Lord destroys a proud man’s house but protects a widow’s property.

26 The Lord hates evil thoughts, but he is pleased with kind words.

I agree with al those! I also would pursuing anything that ends up leading you away form God. Being a wall street trader is not sin in and of itself, but allowing the greed to capture you is an example of worldly wisdom.

Practicing a pastorate is not sin, but using it to elevate you and make a name for yourself is an example of worldly wisdom.
 
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What is more, the “wisdom” of which he speaks is “the wisdom of this world” (v. 20), not the wisdom of God. Paul called a sophist the “disputer of this age” (v. 20). Sophist could argue for argument’s sake. This leads no one to God.
Further, Paul’s reference to the world by wisdom not knowing God is not a reference to the inability of human beings to know God through the evidence He has revealed in creation (Rom. 1:19-20) and conscience (Rom. 2:12-15). Rather, it is a reference to man’s depraved and foolish rejection of the message of the cross.
presuppositional apologetics – NORMAN GEISLER

I have a deep respect for Geisler, but Romans 1 is not rejecting the message of the cross, but a historic look at hopw early peoples had the knowledge of God and nature confirmed that evidence and they intentionally chose to ignore the proof and turned to idols and living creatures.
 
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nolidad

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"Why is there so much controversy over what Paul means by “knowledge” in Romans 1? Well, the simple answer is that a lot of Christians want to claim that knowledge of God is possible apart from reason. If you can separate knowledge of God from reason, then you can cleanly separate faith and reason––and maybe even diminish the role of reason. This move allows Christians to look down upon thinking too rationally or too philosophically about God;

Maybe what you do not understand is that, under the guise of thinking rationally and philosophically, Many Christians have veered into heresy, apostasy and false religions. Even thois present day we call "laodecian age" is simply due to reason and philosophy being elevated to the same value or even a higher value than the word of God!

So if many have a resistance to your thoughts, bear in mind this is the history we have seen and tread very carefully with those who wish to speak of reason and philosophy.

I am for both as long as we insure that the Word of Guard guards our reasonings and philosophizing!
 
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Daniel Marsh

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I love James Sire!
If by distrust all science and art and history I think that is bad.

But evolution is neither science nor intellect. That painting called "[bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] Christ" (a crucifix in a jar of urine) is not art!

Once again it is the what of what a person is pursuing that determines good or bad. A scientist defending and promoting evolution is practicing bad science! Nopt just bad science but anti-science.

I purposely wear a pro-science t shirt to events that will have both Creationists and Evolutionists. Evolutionists invite me to sit with them which is good because it lets me ask open ended questions designed to get people thinking. Somehow, my shirt always attracts fellow creationists and the evolutionists crowd around. I will purposely lose the discussion with them. But, I will correct really poor arguments. And, sometimes, I will suggest a better argument that comes from Intelligent Design.

I agree there is degenerate art from sick minds. But, there is also good art out there.

1 Chronicles 22:5David said, “We should build a very great Temple for the Lord, but my son Solomon is young and does not yet have enough experience to know how to do it well. It should be so great and beautiful that it will be famous among all the nations. So I will prepare what is needed to build it.” So before David died he prepared everything needed to build a great Temple.

Philippians 4:8
Brothers and sisters, continue to think about what is good and worthy of praise. Think about what is true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected.

Revelation 4:3
The one sitting there was as beautiful as precious stones, like jasper and carnelian. All around the throne was a rainbow with clear colors like an emerald.

Beautiful art is cool.
 
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Daniel Marsh

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What Bible institute are you at?

Once, when I was at Conservative Baptist Seminary down the road from Iliff School of Theology for Greek Classes. I would from time to time back then confuse words and we all would take off on it. Sometimes, I would call a seminary a cemetery. Someone walking across the street a Presbyterian, rather than a Pedestrian. I did not know they had the microphone open one morning at CBS because they were going to play a joke on Dr. Lewis, I asked him why the tombstone is located out by the road at this cemetery. Not realizing the microphone was on, He started pointing out the flowers, and an angel statue(which belonged to a near by neighbor). Dr France broke in about how quit it always is around the tombs where the students rest. From there others, came up with other items related to the discussion. Scott asked me how I knew that the Pedestrians are Presbyterians. I pointed out the yellow sign on the side of the road tells us that. Completely forgot where I was going with this. Some were offended that overheard all this, but most were cracking up.

I had no idea what anti-intellectualism was back then.
 
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nolidad

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I purposely wear a pro-science t shirt to events that will have both Creationists and Evolutionists. Evolutionists invite me to sit with them which is good because it lets me ask open ended questions designed to get people thinking. Somehow, my shirt always attracts fellow creationists and the evolutionists crowd around. I will purposely lose the discussion with them. But, I will correct really poor arguments. And, sometimes, I will suggest a better argument that comes from Intelligent Design.

I agree there is degenerate art from sick minds. But, there is also good art out there.

1 Chronicles 22:5David said, “We should build a very great Temple for the Lord, but my son Solomon is young and does not yet have enough experience to know how to do it well. It should be so great and beautiful that it will be famous among all the nations. So I will prepare what is needed to build it.” So before David died he prepared everything needed to build a great Temple.

Philippians 4:8
Brothers and sisters, continue to think about what is good and worthy of praise. Think about what is true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected.

Revelation 4:3
The one sitting there was as beautiful as precious stones, like jasper and carnelian. All around the throne was a rainbow with clear colors like an emerald.

Beautiful art is cool.

I agree there is many beautiful pieces of art.

I also agree that man can use his mind to accomplish much good on the earth. I am just concerned that man uses it and not glorify the one who gave him that great intellect. Bill Gates is a great man! He has done wonderful things with both his intellect and the wealth he gained from his intellect. But he rejects Christ so in the eternal viewpoint- it will have all gone to waste!
 
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Bill Gates — Heaven & Hell
Gates dies in a car accident. He finds himself in purgatory, being sized up by St. Peter.

"Well, Bill, I'm really confused on this call; I'm not sure where to send you. After all, you helped society enormously by putting a computer in almost every home in America, yet you also created that ghastly Windows '95. I'm going to do something I've never done before. In your case; I'm going to let you decide whether you want to go to Heaven or Hell."

Bill replied, "Well, what's the difference between the two?"

St. Peter: "I'm willing to let you visit both places briefly, if it will help your decision."

Bill: "Fine, but where should I go first?"

St. Peter: "I'll leave that up to you."

"Okay then," said Bill, "Let's try Hell first."

So Bill went to Hell. It was a beautiful, clean, sandy beach with clear waters and lots of bikini-clad women running around, playing in the water, laughing, and frolicking about. The sun was shining; the temperature was perfect. Bill was very pleased.

"This is great!" he told St. Peter. "If this is hell, I REALLY want to see heaven!"

"Fine," said St. Peter, and off they went.

Heaven was a place high in the clouds, with angels drifting about, playing harps and singing. It was nice, but not as enticing as Hell. Bill thought for a minute, and rendered his decision.

"Hmmm. I think I'd prefer Hell," he told St. Peter.

"Fine," retorted St. Peter, "as you desire." So Bill Gates went to Hell.

Two weeks later, St. Peter decided to check on the late billionaire to see how he was doing in Hell. When he got there, he found

Bill, shackled to a wall, screaming amongst hot flames in dark caves, being burned and tortured by demons. "How's everything going?" he asked Bill.

Bill responded, with his voice filled with anguish and disappointment, "This is awful! This is nothing like the Hell I visited two weeks ago! I can't believe this is happening! What happened to that other place, with the beautiful beaches, the scantily-clad women playing in the water?"

"That was the demo," replied St. Peter.

Bill Gates in Hell & Heaven
 
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God calls Bill Gates, Bill Clinton and Boris Yeltsin to his office and says,

"The world will end in 30 days. Go back and tell your people." so Boris Yeltsin goes to the Russian people and says: "I have bad news and I have worse news. The bad news is that we were wrong ... there is a God. The worse news is that the world will end in 30 days."

Bill Clinton goes on TV and tell the American people: "I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that the basic family values upon which we have based our lives are right, there is a God ... The bad news is that the world will end in 30 days."

Bill Gates goes to his executive committee and announces: "I have great news and I have fabulous news. The great news is that God thinks I'm important. The fabulous news is that we don't have to fix any of the Microsoft's bugs."

Bill Gates
 
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"Brussels police department, how may I assist you?"
"Uh.. yes.. I just got hit in the face with a cream pie."
"Okay, sir. Have you called the Brussels police department before?"
"No"
"Well, let me get a little information about you for our records. Your name?"
"Bill Gates"
"Country?"
"The USA"
"Native language?"
"English"
"Okay, sir. Your police department ID number is BP31415927. Please use this number the next time you call. Now, you say you were hit in the face with a pie?"
"Yes, I was just about to meet with the Belgian Prime Minister. One person distracted me while another hit me with a cream pie."
"We've had other customers report that they were hit in the face with a custard pie. Are you sure it was a cream pie?"
"Well, I have white stuff all over my face and I don't see any custard, so I really don't think it was a custard pie."
"Have you visited the Prime Minister before?"
"Yes"
"Were you hit in the face with a pie then?"
"No"
"Hmm... have you visited any other Prime Ministers in the past month?"
"Yes"
"Any pies then?"
"No"
"Okay, well.. let's try something. Go outside the building and come in again. I'll wait."
"Just a minute.."
"Okay, I'm back."
"Did you get hit by another pie?"
"Of course not"
"Well sir, I don't know what could have caused the first pie, but it looks like things are working fine now. I'll make a note of the problem, though. If it happens again, please note the exact details of the situation and call us again. Thank you for calling the Brussels Police Department.
(click)

" Now that Bill Gates has moved into his brand spanking new house in the Seattle suburbs, the following is a conversation overheard last week:
Bill: "There are a few issues we need to discuss."
Contractor: "Ah, you have our basic support option. Calls are free for the first 90 days and $75 a call thereafter. Okay?"
Bill: "Uh, yeah... the first issue is the living room. We think its a little smaller than we anticipated."
Contractor: "Yeah. Some compromises were made to have it out by the release date."
Bill: "We won't be able to fit all our furniture in there."
Contractor: "Well, you have two options. You can purchase a new, larger living room; or you can use Stacker."
Bill: "Stacker?"
Contractor: "Yeah, it allows you to fit twice as much furniture into the room. By stacking it, of course, you put the entertainment center on the couch... the chairs on the table... etc. You leave an empty spot, so when you want to use some furniture you can unstack what you need and then put it back when you're done."
Bill: "Uh... I dunno... issue two. The second issue is the light fixtures. The bulbs we brought with us from our old home won't fit. The threads run the wrong way."
Contractor: "Oh! That's easy. Those bulbs aren't plug and play. You'll have to upgrade to the new bulbs."
Bill: "And the electrical outlets? The holes are round, not rectangular. How do I fix that?"
Contractor: "Just uninstall and reinstall the electrical system."
Bill: "You're kidding!?" Contractor: "Nope. Its the only way."
Bill: " Well... I have one last problem. Sometimes, when I have guests over, someone will flush the toilet and it won't stop. The water pressure drops so low that the showers don't work."
Contractor: "That's a resource leakage problem. One fixture fails to terminate and is hogging the resources preventing access from other fixtures."
Bill: "And how do I fix that?"
Contractor: "Well, after each flush, you all need to exit the house, turn off the water at the street, turn it back on, re-enter the house and then you'll be back on track."
Bill: "That's the last straw. What kind of product are you selling me?"
Contractor: "Hey, remember, if you don't like it, nobody made you buy it"
Bill: "And when will this be fixed?" Contractor:
"Oh, in your next house-which will be ready to release sometime near the end of 1998. Actually it was due out earlier this year, but we've had some delays..."

Bill Gates Jokes
 
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