Leaning on your own understanding.

[surferdude]

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

 

What do you guys think about this?

 

How can you Trust in the Lord if their is no overwhelming evidence to proof he exists?

 

Why would someone choose not to lean on their own understanding? It's all we Have! Christians use this to keep you from trusting your own critical thinking and reasoning. 

 

I've been using and listening to my critical thinking much more these days trying to undo the mess Christianity has put on me. Sometimes that verse pops in my head to try and give me some reason to doubt.

 

At this point I wanna live my life on what I believe. Not what is written in some book that was written by man that can't backed up by real evidence!

 

I don't have time to play mind games with myself. I'm gonna go by what I believe. Who really knows who's right or wrong at this point.I'm starting to care less and less about trying to be right and just live my life.

 

What are your thoughts?

[Hedge_Rat]

I once listened to a taped talk that a Christian gave on different religions/worldviews, basically just to satirize/make fun of them, and when he got to one of the meditation-practicing ones (forget which one, might have been Buddhism), he imitated the instructions for it by saying, "Clear your mind! Become stupid!" 

 

I feel those two verses you quoted would be similarly mocked by Christians if they were told those verses came from another religion. 

 

If they were told that a small religion by the name of Paradeum had a holy book that said, "If you believe our Leader over your own thought processes and do everything he tells you to do, he'll make sure that everything works out for ya in the end," they'd immediately label the religion Paradeum as being very cult-like. And they'd be right. 

 

One of those things that is easy to recognize when it's not your own group.

 

Which is also why I agree with the above ^^ , in that you have to do your own thinking, but at the same time recognize that we are all fallible to such things as biases, preconceptions, and other cognitive problems. Problems that can be minimized by actively trying to counter them.

[Orbit]

The "lean not unto your own understanding" is meant, in context, to solidify the authority of the priests. It's social control, plain and simple. "We know better, don't question us". If you're trying to figure out if Christianity holds certain truths, you can take this verse from Proverbs as your guide "Be righteous, but be not thou overly righteous; for why shouldst thou destroy thyself". (Sorry about the KJV, it's what I was raised on, so it's what I remember). This gives you permission to deviate in the name of preserving your sanity. So instead of driving yourself nuts (destroying thyself) with whether or not you can question; go ahead and question.

[surferdude]

5 hours ago, Orbit said:

The "lean not unto your own understanding" is meant, in context, to solidify the authority of the priests. It's social control, plain and simple. "We know better, don't question us". If you're trying to figure out if Christianity holds certain truths, you can take this verse from Proverbs as your guide "Be righteous, but be not thou overly righteous; for why shouldst thou destroy thyself". (Sorry about the KJV, it's what I was raised on, so it's what I remember). This gives you permission to deviate in the name of preserving your sanity. So instead of driving yourself nuts (destroying thyself) with whether or not you can question; go ahead and question.

Thank you so much for your post!

[★ Citsonga ★]

Frankly, I'd say that everyone leans on their own understanding, including Christians. Christians' understanding is very faulty, of course, but it's still their understanding of things. 

 

[surferdude]

6 hours ago, Orbit said:

The "lean not unto your own understanding" is meant, in context, to solidify the authority of the priests. It's social control, plain and simple. "We know better, don't question us". If you're trying to figure out if Christianity holds certain truths, you can take this verse from Proverbs as your guide "Be righteous, but be not thou overly righteous; for why shouldst thou destroy thyself". (Sorry about the KJV, it's what I was raised on, so it's what I remember). This gives you permission to deviate in the name of preserving your sanity. So instead of driving yourself nuts (destroying thyself) with whether or not you can question; go ahead and question.

 

42 minutes ago, Citsonga said:

Frankly, I'd say that everyone leans on their own understanding, including Christians. Christians' understanding is very faulty, of course, but it's still their understanding of things. 

 

Couldn't agree More! Thanks for your prospective!

[LogicalFallacy]

22 hours ago, surferdude said:

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

 

What do you guys think about this?

 

Often used for the very reasons you outline.

 

Also used to disparage science in some sects of Christianity. This an other verses in the bible which all suggest worldly knowledge is bad and all you need to do is fear and love the lord with all your heart. That command in itself is a contradiction and any supreme being would know that true free love cannot come while in a state of fear.

 

As to what I think about it now? I don't. It's controlling words by ancient men hungry for power and has no bearing on my quest for understanding today.