For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
(Ecc 1:18)
I just wanted to put this out there. If at any time I experienced "mental issues" concerning rules, laws, policies, contracts, Terms of Service, and the like, it is because I was made more aware of them, thus the verse. Before, I didn't believe my "mental issues" were sorrows, but I do now.
“Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.” (Jeremiah 17:5, KJV)
A while back, I've mentioned a man named Darwin Fish, who was the former pastor of A True Church (he is no longer the pastor because, as he says, one of his daughters left the faith; he cites I Timothy 3:4 and maybe 5). To many people, he is a cult leader, mainly because he tells people that he knows of no other group of believers in the Truth, seeing as all those he has encountered (Catholic, Protestant, KJV-Only, Orthodox, virtually everyone in mainstream Christendom) are false churches leading people to Hell. Yes, even American Baptists, of which he has a page on (he cites ABC-USA's rejection of the death penalty (of which he cites Genesis 9:6, Numbers 35:31-33, and cites other examples), among other things, as proof of their heretical status).
But what about to me? I am not quick to call him a godly man, in order to not violate Jeremiah 17:5. Anyone who APPEARS to be a leader of the only true church (to be fair, I haven't seen him use such language) and essentially tells people that everyone else is wrong and going to Hell, can spark a bit of favoritism (which reminds me of James 2:9 and the like).
Still, I cannot help but appreciate his hermeneutics, which he takes to its logical conclusion, which is a more literal exegesis, or interpretation, of Scripture, especially in difficult passages.
But again, I must look up Scripture for myself. I've been trying to do this, even using AI (I currently use Google Gemini, not an endorsement), and asking it to strictly stick to literal exegesis. I don't know, maybe that's even trusting in man (how do you think AI is trained?)
Finally, to be fair, and in the sprit of I Thessalonians 5:21, his website is atruechurch.info .
That's all I think I may have for now without going off the rails.
So, I now work at Walmart as an overnight stocker. I've been there for around three weeks. Now, I still have a bit of OCD concerning handling of grocery items, sometimes, I accidentally damage food product/packaging (I almost never have it happen now), and it freaks me out. I also wonder what counts as "working off the clock" (I'm not talking about clocking out and catching up on stocking, that's obvious, but rather the tiny things, like trash pickup, or holding a door for a fellow worker, the former has not happened, the latter has been dealt with to where off the clock work, if it counts as such, virtually never happens again).
Proverbs 28:13 (on hiding sin vs confessing and forsaking sin) has really been hitting me lately, even in things that may just be in my head, and/or things that aren't really sins. For this, I need to refer to James 1:5 (on seeking wisdom).
Maybe I should also listen to Matthew 6:25-34 and the like (on anxiety). I still sin in this, and must repent.
“Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.” (Luke 6:30, KJV)
Democracy Now! is an independent journalist organization that relies solely on the support of their readers. Thus, they ask for donations all the time. Yet, I am torn about this organization, because of their bias in favor of abortion "rights" and those of the LGBT. It is obvious in their headline wording, implying "reproductive rights" and the "rights" of the LGBT.
The Bible commands us not to murder (Exodus 20:13, among others), and also commands against homosexual acts (Leviticus 18:22, among others) and effeminacy (which is what many, if not all transgender people born men practice, against I Corinthians 6:9).
So, in addition to Luke 6:30, which is not limited to financial giving, there's also this Scripture:
“Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.” (1 Timothy 5:22, KJV)
So, while I applaud the concept of independent journalism, I cannot in my current conscience support this organization. Am I wrong on this? (Proverbs 6:23)
“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” (John 13:14-15, ESV)
I asked Google Gemini for a Scripture-only interpretation on whether or not foot washing is to also be done to non-Christians. It told me that the practice is limited to Christians because of the "one another" line, and the notion of having a "part" in Christ (John 13:8).
However, Gemini did cite sources from sermons and commentaries, among whom was Hopewell Church (Calvinist), Working Preacher from Luther Seminary (appears to be Lutheran), Providence Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian), For The Church (their SOF is the Baptist Faith and Message), and Life, Hope, and Truth (Church of God). This I wanted to avoid, because it feels a little like a Galatians 6:6 thing, and because of what I learned about the prevailing world of false Christianity, I doubt any of the churches cited are in the Truth (which reminds me of I Timothy 5:22). I don't have all the evidence (I should "prove all things" says I Thessalonians 5:21), I am mainly admitting my doubts.
Besides all this, another bit of insight: Jeremiah 17:5 says:
“Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD.” (Jeremiah 17:5, ESV)
I thought I could work around this since AI is not man, but machine. Yet, I forget one thing: AI is TRAINED by man. I asked Gemini if it is capable of performing Biblical exegesis without commentary? The short answer, no. As Gemini itself says:
While I can avoid quoting specific commentaries, my "understanding" of the text is still derived from the patterns and insights found in the millions of pages of scholarship I was trained on.
Now, the source used for that answer was one website: drcone.com, which is the website of Christopher Cone, who appears to be a theology professor. Upon further examination (I Thessalonians 5:21), it appears that he is a Calvinist (per the book title "Forged From Reformation: How Dispensational Thought Advances The Reformed Legacy") and that he promotes Psychology (per the book title "Biblical Foundations of Psychology and Counseling"). I believe such positions are heretical (Calvinism promotes "limited atonememt", which is against Hebrews 10:10, 2 Timothy 3:16 refutes Psychology as the answer to problems)
As for the other churches mentioned in this post (This is a work in progress):
Church of God: According to one doctrinal statement on their official website, they say the Bible is against drinking alcohol, yet John 2:1-11 promotes wine, and I Timothy 5:23 says "use a little wine" concerning health.
Lutheran: According to the Wikipedia article on Lutherism, they appear to be ecumenical, meaning, they consider and partner with those whose Biblical interpretations differ. This is dangerous, because by logic, all but one, if not all, are believing false teaching, this a false Christ, which cannot save (see John 1:1, 1:14, I John 1:1, I John 5:7, Revelation 19:13, also see Luke 8:12 to prove that the Word saves, also see 2 John 9).
Southern Baptist (from which the BFM drives): One of their entities is LifeWay (LifeWay affirms this), which publishes books that I have doubts on their doctrinal faithfulness. Further examination is pending.
Presbyterian: According to their Wikipedia articles, not only are they ecumenical, they also approve of homosexuality (against Leviticus 18:22, among others).
I think that's all I know for now (I Corinthians 13:9). I welcome any and all correction (Proverbs 6:23).
I'm sorry, but I have to do this, so I can be at peace. You know all those times when a website Terms of Service contract says something like, "By continuing, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the Terms"? I haven't always read the Terms. Lately, I've been more diligent to do so, but I haven't in the past.
Also, my failure to read the fine print has also extended to outside the Internet. Last night, I was looking over my vehicle contracts from the dealership, and I discovered that I haven't read everything, even though I tried to at the dealership. This morning, I recall that I probably didn't even read the fine print at all for my previous vehicle financing.
And, just to be more complete, there may be other times when I didn't read the fine print when I said or represented that I did.
In short, I lied.
I'm sorry, my conscience has given me great trouble these past few weeks, and I just wanted to make a confession to satisfy my conscience. I apologize to any and all parties with whom I may have broken my word, including Google And Blogger.
