3 - No! That's Not In The Bible

08 - To Thine Own Self Be True

Meaning:

The meaning of this phrase has evolved over time, but it generally emphasizes authenticity, honesty, and staying true to oneself. In modern usage, it encourages individuals to act in accordance with their beliefs and desires, avoiding self-deception.

Source:

VIDEO: 0 - Gilligan's Island Polonius' Advice to Laertes sung to the Toreador Song

VIDEO : 1 - To thine own self be true Meaning - Poem Analysis

The quote is one of the best-known excerpts from the play, and one of the most commonly used today. But, it reveals a great deal more about the character who speaks it, Polonius, than comes through in contemporary contexts. Polonius is a scheming, backstabbing, hypocritical character who eavesdrops and gets himself killed. He provides his son with the advice included in the long monologue.

“To thin own self be true” can be found in Act 1, Scene 3 of Hamlet. The quote is on line eighty-four of that scene. The line falls near the end of a monologue in which Polonius is speaking about staying true to ones’ self and sharing other, seemingly good, life advice. Here is the quote in context within Polonius’ monologue:

Neither a borrower nor a lender be,

For loan oft loses both itself and friend,

And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.

This above all: to thine own self be true,

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Farewell. My blessing season this in thee.

In the Bible:

Simply, ‘to thine own self be true” is not in the Bible. “To thine own self be true” has become the “life verse” for millions of people (young & old) who not only are ignorant of what the Bible says, but they don’t think it’s true anyway.

In fact, the statement is problematic as it represents on of the tenants of “Moral Relativism”. The concept of Moral Relativism says something is right if it feels right for you. Once our nation was guided by Biblical moral standards based on the truths of the Bible — today anything goes.

09 - Let your conscience be your guide

Meaning:

The phrase "let your conscience be your guide" means to trust your moral principles and make decisions that align with them.

VIDEO: 2 - Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket - Always Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide!

Source:

“Let your conscience be your guide.” No, that’s NOT in the Bible. Do you know the source of that saying? It was included in a song from the 1940 Disney movie “Pinocchio,” as Jiminy Cricket sings to the puppet boy, “Take the straight and narrow path; and if you start to slide–give a little whistle, and always let your conscience be your guide.”

In the Bible:

The Bible does not have a verse that says "let your conscience be your guide". However, the conscience should be our guide in making decisions and taking actions. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit, and Jesus are infallible guides. 2 Corinthians 5:11 says "What we are is clear to God, and I hope it is clear to your conscience as well". Proverbs 14:12 says "There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death".

Moral Relativism

Moral relativism is the view that moral judgments are true or false only relative to some particular standpoint (for instance, that of a culture or a historical period) and that no standpoint is uniquely privileged over all others. It has often been associated with other claims about morality: notably, the thesis that different cultures often exhibit radically different moral values; the denial that there are universal moral values shared by every human society; and the insistence that we should refrain from passing moral judgments on beliefs and practices characteristic of cultures other than our own.

Relativistic views of morality first found expression in 5th century B.C.E. Greece, but they remained largely dormant until the 19th and 20th centuries. During this time, a number of factors converged to make moral relativism appear plausible. These included a new appreciation of cultural diversity prompted by anthropological discoveries; the declining importance of religion in modernized societies; an increasingly critical attitude toward colonialism and its assumption of moral superiority over the colonized societies; and growing skepticism toward any form of moral objectivism, given the difficulty of proving value judgments the way one proves factual claims.

For some, moral relativism, which relativizes the truth of moral claims, follows logically from a broader cognitive relativism that relativizes truth in general. Many moral relativists, however, take the fact-value distinction to be fundamental. A common, albeit negative, reason for embracing moral relativism is simply the perceived untenability of moral objectivism: every attempt to establish a single, objectively valid and universally binding set of moral principles runs up against formidable objections. A more positive argument sometimes advanced in defense of moral relativism is that it promotes tolerance since it encourages us to understand other cultures on their own terms.

Critics claim that relativists typically exaggerate the degree of diversity among cultures since superficial differences often mask underlying shared agreements. In fact, some say that there is a core set of universal values that any human culture must endorse if it is to flourish. Moral relativists are also accused of inconsistently claiming that there are no universal moral norms while appealing to a principle of tolerance as a universal norm. In the eyes of many critics, though, the most serious objection to moral relativism is that it implies the pernicious consequence that “anything goes”: slavery is just according to the norms of a slave society; sexist practices are right according to the values of a sexist culture. Without some sort of non-relative standard to appeal to, the critics argue, we have no basis for critical moral appraisals of our own culture’s conventions, or for judging one society to be better than another. Naturally, most moral relativists typically reject the assumption that such judgments require a non-relativistic foundation.

10 - · God Moves in Mysterious Ways

Alternate Versions:

· God Moves in a Mysterious Way

Meaning:

The phrase means / implies that God’s intentions are not always clear. It is often used humorously or sarcastically to suggest that a bad event or situation may bring unexpected advantages.

Source:

"God Moves in a Mysterious Way" is a Christian hymn, written in 1773 by the 18th-century English poet William Cowper. It was written by Cowper in 1773 as a poem entitled "Light Shining out of Darkness". The poem was the last hymn text that Cowper wrote. It was written following his attempted suicide while living at Olney in Buckinghamshire. John Newton published the poem the next year in his Twenty-six Letters on Religious Subjects; to which are added Hymns (1774).

The phrase emphasizes God's goodness, sovereignty, and wisdom, even when we don't understand the reasons behind His actions. It reflects the idea that God's direction in our lives may lead us down unexpected paths. 

VIDEO: 3 - God Moves in a Mysterious Way #88

"God Moves in a Mysterious Way" by William Cowper — circa 1773

God moves in a mysterious way,

His wonders to perform;

He plants his footsteps in the sea,

And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines

Of never failing skill;

He treasures up his bright designs,

And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints fresh courage take,

The clouds ye so much dread

Are big with mercy, and shall break

In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust him for his grace;

Behind a frowning providence,

He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding ev'ry hour;

The bud may have a bitter taste,

But sweet will be the flow'r.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,

And scan his work in vain;

God is his own interpreter,

And he will make it plain.

In the Bible:

Ecclesiastes 11:5 (Living Bible):

5 God’s ways are as mysterious as the pathway of the wind and as the manner in which a human spirit is infused into the little body of a baby while it is yet in its mother’s womb.

When you understand what it means to be indwelt by Christ the emphasis and focus is no longer on “me” or “I” but on Christ in me.