Favorite bible verses

[P30]

One of mine is: "Don't be afraid!" Jesus said this many times.

Yesterday I watched a talk between two doctors - one in history (Daniele Ganser) and one in biology/brain research (Gerald Hüther). The video is in German, so probably not of much use for most of you. They said, bad governments and bad leaders enlarge and maintain their power by fear. Especially by a kind of fear in which they mislead their people. They gave examples, mainly demonization of alleged enemies who are humans, too, and most times not so different from ourselves (Jews in Nazi Germany, communists in the cold war, ...). Where they agreed big time was about three values: Love, courage and the truth. These values are a very good remedy against bad leaders and good medicine for a happy life.

They did not talk much about how to implement or realize these values. What helped me a lot against propaganda is this wikipedia section: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_techniques#Specific_techniques. It lists many of the dirty propaganda tricks. Many of these tricks are used in order to mislead the people and to produce fear in the masses. If we know the tricks, we are less vulnerable against them.

What helps me to be more courageous is focussing on helpful techniques, e.g. in paragliding and paramotor flying. If I focus on useful things, the brain has not so much capacity left to kid me with useless thoughts and feelings.

I would like very much, if you add more Bible verses and write about why they are important to you. Helpful verses from other religions are also very welcome. And what helps you to apply the wise verses.

[SAWBONES]

Thanks for the propaganda techniques link; it's a very useful review, since I now recognize that many of the logical fallacies listed are indeed used as propaganda techniques, though I'd never thought of them in that perspective before, rather only in the context of argument.

As a Christian and student of the Bible for over fifty years now, I'll happily contribute:
...the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His”...

Wishing all here a joyous Christmas.

[2xAGM114]

Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will also help you, I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Isaiah 41:10

I'm currently OCONUS on a work trip. Being away from home for the holidays is tough, in addition to the living conditions. These little reminders are crucial right now.

[Wayne Dobbs]

I read this and stood on it every day overseas:

Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

[RJ]

I've always been partial to Isaiah 6:8.

...Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”..

I'm not a missionary, and don't like people proselytizing me, so I tend to avoid discussing my faith in public. I'd say I was more spiritual than religious.

To me, Isaiah 6:8 means The Lord has asked me (me, specifically) to go about my day in a helpful manner. I'm far from a perfect person, but if I can answer that call by helping out someone else, in some small way, I try to do that.

[P30]

One of mine is: "Don't be afraid!" Jesus said this many times.

I want to add something: Of course talk is cheap. I mean, I can record the verse on a stupid machine that constantly repeats the verse. No big deal. But it would not help and would only be annoying.

The point is: If a wise person you can trust says something, then there is most likely some truth to it. And Jesus said it really often. He knows us and how the world works. And I believe, he also knows the devil and evil. So he knows how fear and hate is put into our hearts. And that these feelings do much more bad than good. This is why I find this Bible verse so important and useful. Because Jesus said it many times.

Little joke

[snow white]

As some may have gathered from my thumbnail picture
and quote In my postings I am not Christian. I do however love Jesus and his teachings the same as i love other holy beings. We are all walking in the same direction even though we choose different paths to take. Love everyone.


"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

[pooty]

"But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence."
1 Timothy 2:12


keep them hoes in check
no women cops or judges or bosses or teachers
repeal the 19th : no democrat preznints minus the female vote

[P30]

To me, Isaiah 6:8 means The Lord has asked me (me, specifically) to go about my day in a helpful manner. I'm far from a perfect person, but if I can answer that call by helping out someone else, in some small way, I try to do that.

A few weeks ago I old fart learned a new trick:

"Es ist wichtiger, das Richtige zu tun, als etwas richtig zu tun."
-- Peter Drucker

My humble translation (not a native English speaker):

It is more important to do the right thing than to do something right.

Is this good English? Of course there must be a balance, "Do no harm" comes to mind. But the proverb above helps me, who is a perfectionist, a lot. Because perfectionists are in risk of doing nothing because they are afraid of doing it not perfectly.

[Moylan]

"Do no harm" comes to mind. But the proverb above helps me, who is a perfectionist, a lot. Because perfectionists are in risk of doing nothing because they are afraid of doing it not perfectly.

To me, the English is not good. I think better would be "It is more important to do the right thing than to do the thing right," or something like that.

The provided translation, "It is more important to do the right thing than to do something right," sounds to me like it's saying you've got to find the one right thing and do that, instead of doing something that may be right but not "the best." And I'd think that the more important lesson to learn is to do something right, drawn from among the often vast selection of good things one might do in any given circumstance, rather than being paralyzed by searching for "the best" thing to do. In many or even most circumstances, there's a wide array of right things to do (IMHO, as an Aristotelian virtue ethics guy rather than someone who adheres to awful modern moral theories like consequentialism), and no such a thing as THE right thing.

BTW, the guy in my avatar, GK Chesterton, wrote "if a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly." Not as an excuse for not trying, but as a defense against excusing yourself from trying. It's more or less my motto, because I'm bad at a lot of stuff.