Faith

Salomons True Riches

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If a genie appeared and offered you one wish…

What would you choose?

Common choices might be:

  • Health
  • Wealth
  • Love
  • Fame
  • A new house, car or some other coveted material object.

According to the old story, the Genie of the Universe appeared to a man named Salomon in ancient times, and made this ultimate irresistible offer.

“…the Lord appeared to Salomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.” read more

Why read the Bible in 2024 as a non dogmatic, practical, thinking person?

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Reading the Bible is a goal I’ve set for myself and have been reading 4 chapters a day for some time now.

Here are my motivations.

  1. The Bible, with all of its beauty, contradictions, shock points and question marks, serves and has served as a foundation for much of western civilization. In one sense, to be “civilized” might include some understanding of the ideas that have guided and shaped civilization.
  2. For many people, The Bible is an authoritative book, and is often used as a way to influence self and others to think, believe or behave in certain ways. Knowing what’s actually in it might serve as a protection against those who would use it as a tool for unjust power or influence over the ignorant. I don’t want to be ignorant.
  3. It’s a classic. A classic is a piece of content that persists over time because it continues to speak to the hearts, minds and ears of people, over and across generations. To me, this says there’s something in it worth finding.
  4. I believe humanity needs God, and the Bible seems to be at least 1, very strong pointer to this grand higher ideal. My friend Brett likes to say “you can take the spiritual path or the psychopath.” People have used The Bible (and probably all religious texts) as a justification for both, but the fact remains that morally, we humans seem to need something solid to stand on, and something “higher” to point ourselves toward. From my studies so far, there seems to be quite a bit, in this old book, that maybe we can keep standing on as we move higher into the future together.
  5. It’s a spiritual language we can learn to communicate more effectively with others. When I went to Taiwan, I learned Mandarin Chinese so I could communicate with the beautiful souls who lived there. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a “Christian” wouldn’t it be wise to understand and be able to understand and “speak the language?”

The same, I think, is true for all spiritual paths and I intend to read other works of faith so I can be a better communicator with as many people as possible.

If we humans are going to continue to thrive and unify over time, understanding each other seems like might a great place to start. read more