Sientir's Blog

  If virtue is a good thing, how is it that the pursuit of it causes so much pain and suffering? “Virtues” are the things—qualities and behaviors—that a society or culture deem to be Good. Virtue is how we earn a good reputation, social acceptance, and the praise and accolades of others, but perhaps more significantly, it’s how we protect ourselves: it wards away the threat of becoming an outcast or pariah. Different cultures do have their own sets of things that are considered virtues, though there are a few commonalities: being beautiful or attractive, having a respected job, going to a prestigious school, coming from a well-regarded family or region, and being wealthy are all examples of common virtues. Of course, what things cause someone to be seen as beautiful or attractive will be culturally dependent, what jobs are highly regraded may vary, as do other reputational markers (e.g. family, prestigious schools, etc.), and many cultures have other things they consider virtue...

  I’ve been having a discussion with my pastor, and it’s prompted me to put into words how I view the Bible. So let’s start with an important question: How much authority would I say the Bible has? This is a trick question. The Bible, it turns out, is a book! Inanimate objects, such as books, cannot have authority, and to assign authority to the Bible is to anthropomorphize it: to treat it as a person. There are several serious dangers to this, not the least of which is turning the Bible into an idol. Remember, God is the one who has authority! This issue of authority is important, so I’m going to start with the dangers that can stem from it before delving into my views of the Bible more broadly. The most significant danger is, as already mentioned, turning the Bible into an idol. The Bible does not save us, Jesus does. The Bible does not speak, the Holy Spirit does. The other major danger is using the Bible to steal God’s authority for humans. This will require some explanat...

Imagine you're Satan, fighting against God. Your goal is to make as much of God's creation His enemy as you can. You especially want to turn God's chosen people against Him. At first, you led His people Israel into idolatry, and that was going great (overall) until He punished them with the Babylonian Exile. They came back more dedicated to Him than ever, so it was time to change tactics by switching to Legalism. By getting them so caught up in the appearance of "holiness" (though it's really just a fabrication of your own design that you've convinced people is holiness, clever you), you fill them with self-righteousness and judgmentalism—the self-superior judging of others. And then God sends His son, Jesus, to earth in the form of a human being. You don't want Him to reestablish the Kingdom of Israel, with Jesus sitting on David's throne, so you hatch a scheme to tempt Him, to make Him fall into sin. That plan fails, but it was always kind of a l...