Me: What’s your take on the Bible?
Her: I like most of its morality. Society was better in some ways with religion at the core
Me: What don’t you like about it? When was there such a society?
Her: Dark ages anarchism. Little kingdoms all over Europe. The cruel testing. Like book of job. God should be just shouldn’t he
Me: How was God not just with Job? Didn’t Job end up with much more by the end of the book? Not that he was owed anything. Belief is already the reward and what in this world is of any lasting profit? I don’t know if there has ever been a society with The Bible at its core. The only history I can trust is contained therein, and it describes maybe a brief period under the rule of king David during which this quality may have been present
Her: I dunno. I wish ppl were family oriented. Dunno if bible helps or not. Everyone is only out for themselves now
Me: what’s “family oriented” ? Like trying to start one? The Bible says not to seek a wife, but that it’s better to marry than to burn with passion. Sorta like either way, don’t try too hard. God causes all things and we should just be thankful no matter what.
Her: I didn’t know that. Are u thankful
Me: Yes. I need to get my blog up already, this conversation gave me an idea for a good article
This conversation took place over a month ago, and I have since forgotten whatever idea it inspired. Nonetheless, I saved it in a draft. I figured either I’d recall the idea, or at least tie it into a similar situation. And hey, it costs nothing to sit on a draft. Well today it struck me that such a situation has happened: the mega-drama, lead chiefly by Jonathan Keefe and against Mircea Popescu, in #bitcoin-assets over a BitBet payout.
I participated in the conversation here and there, but mostly kept out of it, my head swimming with conflicting presentations of various speculations and evidences. At one point, Johnthan took aim at lord after lord, airing grievances like it was festivus. i Before I could inquire as to what are my faults or qualities, he fired a shot. I can’t even disagree with his assessment, except to add that I was unashamedly tooting Mircea’s horn ii before having received any compliments.
There was finally a break for lunch. I checked that my Eulora character was set to keep crafting disgusting goop, iii and took leave. On my way to the local diner iv it occured to me that I am thankful for the conflict God has caused in the world of bitcoin. v If not for these kinds of trauma, I might get too comfortable in this temporary world, perhaps even forgetting that all have sinned. vi Stanislav calls Mircea a pope. This doesn’t offend me, for one because he doesn’t mean it in a Christian way, and for another because Catholicism leads to hell anyway. It’s not even a characterization to which I object; The Most Serene Republic does (and rightly so) hang on the man’s every word. But he does not believe in The Bible, and despite sharing with it more points of ethics than I care to enumerate in this article, he ultimately lacks faith. Not to single out Mircea; I seem to be the lone believer in the Republic. vii
As good and pure we lords like to imagine ourselves, our republic is not founded on Biblical principles. Its very declaration of sovereignty lacks my signature for exactly this reason. viii Therefor, I am thankful God has created division among us so that I may love Him more, wishing to be in His kingdom where there is goodness and purity. I’m also thankful when all is well in the Republic; I am thankful for all things. ix No matter what happens, whether it be the collapse of MPEx and bitcoin with it, or the exoneration of Mircea and a restoration of order, I shouldn’t fret x because God is the cause either way.
- A fictional holiday created by George Costanza’s father in Seinfeld, the world renowned television program. He created it as an alternative to Hanukkah and Christmas. Family and friends gather around a metal pole to perform feats of strength, and to tell them off. ^
- so to speak ^
- I recently hired a noob to gather for me enough low quality rotten fruit to use up the last of my low quality diagrams. The spicy moss and crumbly rock, already aquired. ^
- Frankies in Bridgeport, Connecticut : they have daily lunch specials and I wanted to try the stuffed pepper. Just my luck, monday was the right day! ^
- the real world that is tmsr : nothing else matters in bitcoin; this much I still believe. ^
- Romans 3:
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Emphasis added. ^
- I imagine myself to be like the historical Daniel: the prophet who found favor in the Babylonian kingdom. Daniel 1:
18 Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. 20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. 21 Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus.
- No it’s not the part about taxation, or how it exists in opposition to rouge states that might see signing as an act of treason. It’s the seemingly innocuous line about how men are “not created but born.” If not for this sentence fragment, I probably would have signed it. Here is the verse to which I believe it stands in contradiction, from Genesis 1:
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Emphasis added. ^
- Ephesians 5:
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
Emphasis added. ^
- And I certainly have reason to fret, being a shareholder of BitBet. My stake isn’t much, but it’s a lot for me. My whole savings is in bitcoin. I guess I’ll slowly divest (I’m surely not going to buy more any time soon), but I share Stanislav’s concern that anything go to Lizard Hitler. ^