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*Gonna change my way of thinking. Make myself a different set of rules. Gonna put my best foot forward, stop being influenced by fools. (2853) (Bob Dylan, Gonna Change My Way of Thinking) (Many times the Bible tells us to repent. Some people might have the idea that “to repent” involves a violent emotional experience, giving away most of your possessions in a fit of guilt, or sudden, drastic, irreversible changes in your associates or lifestyle. They might even be afraid it means confining yourself to a convent or monastery. But “repent” simply means to change your way of thinking. After you have changed your way of thinking and real truths solidify in your mind, you will, no doubt, experience new emotions, a new sense of responsibility towards others, and an irreversible determination not to go back to your old lifestyle.) *I am a brain – my body a mere appendage. (2017) *There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world; and that is an idea whose time has come. (2773) (Victor Hugo) *It is estimated that in a lifetime, a brain can store a million billion “bits” of information. Isaac Asimov (2487) *I think – therefore I’m pro-life. (762) *Teaching their children to think for themselves is arguably the greatest gift parents can give. (2027) *Logic – the science that investigates the principles governing correct or reliable inference. (2514) (Webster’s Dictionary) ( Thinking is not just reacting to stimuli. Logic is a way to use thinking to sift through both sides of an idea until you discover truth, or studying the different ways through a problem to a solution. Most schools no longer teach logic. That’s rather illogical unless their goal is to produce a generation of citizens who cannot think for themselves.) *God gave us minds to search out the answers to tough questions. (2747) (Chuck Colson) *[F]aith is founded on well-tested fact and on what God has clearly done. It encompasses the mind as well as the will and emotions. (2789) (Dr. Hugh Ross) *There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything, or to doubt everything. Both ways save us from thinking. Alfred Korzybski (2460) With all of today’s multitudinous distractions, entertainments, and professional news-tellers, thinking is becoming a lost art. That is a sad fact in itself, but it is also going to lead to the destruction of our country. In the choosing of our elected officials, think-less people play a major role. President Teddy Roosevelt called them “the immense mass of dull unimaginative men [and these days— women] who simply vote according to the party symbol.” These think-less voters continuously vote, by the tens of millions, to keep electing politicians whose voting records prove their ultimate goal is the weakening of our Founding Documents and our military, and the weakening of our morals and national cohesiveness. The end result can be nothing less than the toppling of our sovereign republic. Among Christian brethren, think-less people are especially dangerous. Millions of us are undermining the teachings of God’s word by voluntarily abandoning our right to think and reason (and our duty to study) because we find it easier to blindly follow our preachers’ dictates. If we are the light of the world, but all we do is mindlessly soak up the decrees of a preacher who has twisted or subverted the Bible’s truths, simply because he is ThePreacher, then all we are doing is basking in the reflected glory of an exalted human. We might never be able to know what it’s like to have God’s light shine from within us. *We find comfort among those who agree with us – growth among those who don’t. F. Clark (2492) (Frank A. Clark) *INK makes the world THINK. (2236) *A public opinion poll is no substitute for thought. Buffett (2459) (Warren Buffett) *Whatever things are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy, think about these things. Phil. 4:8 (1691) *Sometimes I just sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits and thinks about thinking. (2335) *There is safety in a multitude of counselors. Proverbs 11:14(b) (and) 24:6(b) *If you think you can or if you think you can’t – you’re right. (418) (Henry Ford) *The mind’s the standard of the man. (2237) (The last phrase of John Merrick’s (the “Elephant Man”) autobiography.) |