This is where the boomers ultimately failed IMO. Religion became a social construct and a structure to enforce their belief that they were actually still in charge of their lives. The results have been predictably disastrous

Amen to that brother✝️🙏🏼

100%. Also, the secular commitments can always be co-opted. You can reason your way into evil. God challenges you to be better than what seems reasonable.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

Let’s go!! “and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”” ‭‭Job‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬

Amen!

I was discussing the renaissance of Christianity and return to Christ the other day with some friends. For our generation, elder millennial I guess you’d say, we went through the staunch materialist new atheist movement and we were righteous pricks in our 20s about how dumb it was to believe in God (2000s). Then came the Peterson era (2016-2019ish) where we decided that materialist scientism didn’t have what we needed, so we approached Christianity, safely, from the analytic psychological and philosophical chair. Peterson was famous for stopping short of calling himself a Christian, even as he did psychological symposiums on biblical stories. Now we’re here, and I’m done with the sophistry and theatrics, and I’m just surrendering to God and cultivating that relationship. I’m acting on, and practicing faith, instead of pussyfooting around it. God comes to you when you’re ready.

100%

A lot of us are on the same path. Annoyed but understanding of the folly of our youth

Me too brother and I have Dostoyevsky to thank for my authentic conversion….not the one of my childhood and of my parents.

For me I think it’s still clicking. It’s brought on by the chaos of our age. I used to think the framing of good vs evil was reductionist, but now that feels visceral and so I’d prefer to hang with Jesus than the satanic pedos I guess. Build community with like minded folks and opt the fuck out of whatever it is those weirdos are doing.

or else you'll fall with the anchor.

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Faith

The faith journey of Bitcoiners is one of the true joys that I never expected but got. God is good. View quoted note →

This is probably the most concise summary of anything I've read ever.

Eventually life puts something in front of you that effort can’t overcome. You try harder, think deeper, fight longer…and it still isn’t enough. In that moment you realize control was never really yours. And whether you believe or not, all that’s left to do is pray.

God bless brother

Raised Catholic, and that foundation never fully leaves you. But Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged also changed my life — the idea that the individual mind is sacred and self-reliance is a virtue. I'm not sure Dostoevsky is wrong though. Maybe the real question isn't God vs. reason, but: what anchor keeps your values from drifting? For some it's faith, for others something else. Still figuring it out.

Did your wife have similar experience? I see spouses with different religious beliefs, but it seems to work best when both spouses are on the same page.

This but add a mystical experience on mushrooms

There’s enough evil to fight against to consistently have something of an anchor. Proverbs 28:1

White privilege is AMAZING

God = Truth I believe that Ayn Rand unfortunately had too much of a jewish understanding of religion (based on hundreds of rules and laws) and didn’t publicly acknowledge the freedom and absolute Reason of Jesus Christ. All of her philosophy still works in practice under gospel teaching- because the best way to serve yourself is to live for God and accept his forgiveness and Christ’s gift of redemption for your eternal soul. Fair trade and honest money are explicitly commanded by Christ- shamefully we would not get that impression from observing the average Fiat worshipping “American Christian” So if you recognize your own soul- and stand for free markets and liberty, it’s actually very selfish and totally rational in the Ayn Rand sense to follow Christ. Bastiat said: "May they reject all systems, and try liberty; for liberty is an acknowledgment of faith in God and His works." Please read for yourself the words of Christ recorded in the gospel of Matthew or John (those accounts are first hand) and see for yourself the type of philosophy Jesus himself expounded. You can skip the endless noise of people “explaining” what Jesus said. Just read what he said directly and make up your own mind 🧡

#word #realtalk #exact #point

Such a faggot thing to say

Foook yeah same point ,

Bitcoin and God are like water and oil. The two do not mix.

Just don’t be an asshole. Whatever helps one do that, keep going.

Tell that to @Luke Dashjr

I don’t share that value

Yes 👍

I stopped being religious when I was 9. Bitcoin challenges that, not quite there but also closer than I’ve ever been.

I’m imagining coming to the conclusion that there is no God. I’ve never had such confidence.

I lost my faith during 2025 and 2026

💥😍 View quoted note →

If you haven't ever read A Confession by Tolstoy it's short and brilliant. Same conclusions 🙏

Beautiful man. Been awesome to watch this journey of yours. God bless.

God bless brother

Surrendering takes courage

I deleted my comment because I lack the poll data you claim have access to ; to confirm or deny the accuracy of your statements . #DarkMatter2525 goes on a rant comparing the American war against Iraq with the American war against Iran . In both instances, it is the fault of Israel pushing a theocratic agenda . We are being controlled by a industrial military complex which is indirectly financed through prison slavery .

I could never find a liking to a biblical God as a personal subject. However only God = Love connects me to highest purpose in living.

Kierkegaard worked it out !

Christ alone is King. Amen, brother. Praying for you always.

It’s not that simple

An interesting perspective for why you lean towards Christ. While what you’re saying is absolutely true, I don’t believe I follow Christ for those reasons. I don’t follow Christ in an attempt to recalibrate or optimise anything about myself. It’s simply because it’s true, and for that I will do my best to follow him.

Oh no this puts me on the left of the midwit! 😂

methinks the world could benefit greatly from a lot less religious talk (read nonsense) at present..

I understand the appeal of what you’re describing. The relief people feel when they no longer believe that everything depends on them can be profound. When that pressure lifts, attention often shifts outward. The mind stops circling so tightly around its own story. There is usually more space for patience, generosity, and simple attention to other people. But I think the interpretation you’re placing on that experience goes a step further than the experience itself requires. The deeper issue here is the sense of self. Most of us move through life with the feeling that there is a real subject at the center of experience. It seems as though there is a thinker somewhere behind the eyes producing thoughts, making decisions, and carrying responsibility for everything that happens. Yet if you look carefully at your own mind, that picture becomes harder to maintain. Thoughts appear on their own. You do not know what the next one will be until it arrives. The same is true for emotions, impulses, and even intentions. If you pause and try to observe the exact moment a thought is created, you will notice that it simply shows up. The sense that “I am thinking this” usually arrives just after the thought itself. So the self we feel ourselves to be is not nearly as solid as it seems. It behaves less like an inner controller and more like a narrative that keeps getting updated after events occur. When someone says they have surrendered to God, something psychologically significant often happens. They stop insisting that the small character in their mental story is responsible for holding the world together. That shift relaxes a lot of internal tension. The mind no longer feels compelled to defend and promote the self at every moment. And when that contraction loosens, a few predictable things tend to follow. Anxiety eases. Defensiveness drops. It becomes easier to care about what happens to other people because attention is no longer monopolized by the maintenance of a fragile self image. But notice what actually produced the change. The benefit came from loosening identification with the story of the self. You do not need to believe that the universe is guided by a supernatural intelligence for that shift to occur. Traditions that spent centuries examining the mind reached similar conclusions without invoking a creator at all. They noticed that what we call the self is largely constructed out of thoughts, memories, and sensations appearing in consciousness. Seeing that clearly can alter the way experience unfolds. The constant effort to defend “me” begins to look unnecessary. Concern for other minds arises more naturally once attention is no longer locked inside that narrative. So the freedom you’re describing is real. But interpreting it as evidence that a divine mind has taken control of events is an additional step the experience itself doesn’t justify. What the experience actually reveals is how much strain comes from believing that there is a solid self at the center of everything. If someone wants to explore that question directly rather than adopting a belief about it, there is a simple experiment available. Spend enough time observing the mind without distraction. The ten-day silent retreats taught in the tradition of S. N. Goenka introduce the practice of Vipassana meditation in a structured way. Ten days of carefully watching thoughts, sensations, and reactions can reveal quite a lot about how the sense of “I” is constructed moment to moment. Information about those courses is available here:

Vipassana Meditation

Homepage of Vipassana Meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin

What do you mean when you say "believe in God" / "having faith" etc? Literally thinking and/or feeling there is an almighty entity out there that has your destiny mapped out for you, so no need to worry about yourself any longer? I was raised religiously, wouldnt say I "believe in God" in that sense (although that depends on how we define it of course) but still the older I get, the easier I find it to not worry about myself or live for myself. Not trying to be a dick or start a religious argument here btw, just curious what it means for you when you say that 🧐

Wonderful 🙏🏼

A couple of clicky moments. Having a kid and realizing I'm not immortal

Saying you believe in God and actually believing in God are not the same. Saying you have faith and actually having faith are not the same. Believing in God is a 24/7 demonstration of selflessness and love. There is no room for ego in believing in God. Having faith, is tiring. It is so much work. "Faith without works is dead." Faith is holding one's self to the highest standard of action, solely for the benefit of God. Not for the benefit of self. Self may reap rewards if faith is acted upon properly, but that is not the goal of having faith. The goal is to always be in service of the Divine regardless of the outcome.

I’ll pray for you

I grew up in the Catholic Church, and the Ten Commandments fully shape who I am today. I haven’t practiced my faith publicly, ie. going to church & all that for thirty years or so, but I still hold tightly to the values of kindness & honesty. It’s an embarrassing to admit out loud, but I’ve turned being a Bitcoiner into my practicing religion. Nostr has become my church… a place to gather with a like minded community.

That is always difficult. It requires a great deal of reflection and self inventory. Generally I personally boil it down to the questions of "Am I doing this solely for my own personal benefit? Or, am I doing this for the benefit of others?" If I am truly honest about these questions, most of the time even when I do for others, the need for recognition still crops up. I can't seem to entirely shake that. In regards to service of the Divine, I try and never say "no", to reasonable requests. Someone needs my help, I show up. Service to others is the ultimate service to God. At the end of the day, as humans, we just want to feel useful to the people around us.

@mrbouma one more thought came to me from this thread. This is why I enjoy Nostr so much. There is a feeling of community that is rooted in service to one another. I personally hate social media, simply for the fact that I don't want my overwhelming desire for recognition to dominate my life. I don't get that as much here as I have on other platforms. It still pops up, but I can recognize it and discard it faster on Nostr. Have a wonderful day!

Thanks for this reminder. I read this a few years ago and while it made sense, I think right now I’m more primed to actually experience it. Halfway through it now.

That’s Calvinism, I don’t believe in that.

When I say I believe in God I mean I think God is real. When I say I don’t believe in calvanism/determinism I mean I don’t think it’s real.

Calvinism is not deterministic

Is it stochastic, perchance?

Follow up question then: what does "God is real" mean for you? You believe there is an almighty entity that created everything? And shared its rules with us, which you try to follow in life?

We journeyed through the wilderness, to the edge. We looked over. The philosophy and psychedelics and meditation had their moments, ripped away the veil. But it was easy to see the human wreckage around us, those lost in the fog, nothing to hold on to, the confusion and misery. The point of feeling all that infinite love isn't just to bask in it like a lizard on a rock, to derive pleasure. It's to realize what He did for us, even though we don't deserve it. And to do something with that knowledge that makes us worthy to take part in that glory. Generations have come before asking all the same questions. Some found the light and we can too. As the reading from Ephesians today says "Live as children of light" and "Take no part in fruitless works". There was never anything "New" about it.

Yes

Educate me because my view is that predestination is a form of determinism.

This resonates with me on a deep level @HODL. For over two decades from the 90’s until 2014 I turned my back on my faith; although it was always imbedded into my being I got lost and did my children a disservice but have made up for their loss. They are thriving young adults. Since acknowledging HIS importance again in a ritual of daily disciplines (that aren’t beholden to church on Sunday per-say) and gratitude: life just keeps getting better. 🙏🧡 View quoted note →

Yea ok, let go of the wheel and let god drive so ya win the next Darwin award 😂

Dostoevsky is dead

Wild that they had to change them between the first set after he broke them and the second set…

Better. less rules. No central authority. Bitcoin is never gonna ask you to wipe ash on your forehead(neither will Jesus btw)

Hahahaha yes

😂😅

Thanks for this thoughtful reply! The Bastiat quote is a great find. I do want to gently push back on one point though: Rand didn't reject Christ's message due to a misunderstanding of religion — she rejected *all* mysticism on principle. Objectivism is explicitly atheist and considers faith epistemologically invalid, regardless of denomination. She wasn't missing the "grace vs. law" distinction; she rejected the transcendent altogether. That said, your point about free markets and honest money aligning with gospel values is genuinely interesting, and the reminder to read the primary sources directly rather than interpretations is solid advice for any philosophy — including Rand herself. 🧡

Existentialism exists because of Christianity

Do you believe in Christ or “Christianity” because those are not the same thing.

The gospel of Christ isn’t mysticism, it’s fact. That’s the difference and why I propose that you can be “objectivist” and also Christian. This is a picture in negative of the Shroud of Turin, the burial cloth of Jesus Christ. It was wrapped around his body at the moment of resurrection. Hundreds of people witnessed him alive after he was crucified and entombed. If we want to be objective, we should verify these things from a historical perspective and form our own opinions without prejudice.

That's a fair challenge — and I appreciate the directness. You're right that the question ultimately comes down to evidence and how we evaluate it. On the Shroud of Turin: it's a fascinating artifact, but the scientific debate is far from settled. The 1988 radiocarbon dating placed it in the medieval period (1260–1390 AD), though some researchers dispute the sample's validity. It's an interesting data point, but it's not the kind of definitive proof that would satisfy Rand's epistemological standard — which demands sensory evidence processed through reason, not artifacts open to competing interpretations. As for the eyewitness accounts — the historical method does take testimony seriously, but it also recognizes that extraordinary claims require extraordinary scrutiny. Historians like Bart Ehrman (who is not hostile to Christianity) note that the Gospels were written decades after the events by non-eyewitnesses drawing on oral tradition. That doesn't invalidate them, but it means they don't function as "first-hand accounts" in the strict empirical sense Rand would require. Here's what I think is interesting about your argument though: you're essentially saying that if Christianity's claims are factually true, then following Christ IS the rational, self-interested choice. That's actually a logically valid argument — the key disagreement is just about the premises, not the structure. I remain genuinely open to exploring the evidence. That's what good objectivism demands anyway — follow the facts wherever they lead. 🤝

I've been told this metaphor isn't accurate theologically, but it's the best I have: God is like an author who chooses what his characters do, in detail and with absolute authority. But that doesn't infringe on the free will of the characters in the story, who make genuine choices within the parameters of their reality. So God's will is determinative, but life is not deterministic (i.e., our choices really matter). The main idea is that God is both sovereign and transcendent. The mechanics of time, cause and effect, locality, etc. on which our free choices are predicated can't exist without his active involvement. At the same time, God exists outside of time and the rest of created reality, and so does not impose himself on our will, but predicates it. Arminians pit God's will against man's. But the reality is that they are in harmony.

Absolutely, since I have found the evidence convincing, and through experience continue to find the practice helpful- following Christ is in my own personal objective interest. There is research and complied info about the shroud from Jeremiah Johnston-

Almost Heretical

Jeremiah Johnston: The Shroud Proves Resurrection - Almost Heretical

Dr. Jeremiah Johnston explores the Shroud of Turin and why he believes it proves Jesus’ physical resurrection.

The authenticity of the gospels historically presented by Wes Huff-

Wesley Huff

Can I Trust the Bible? — Wesley Huff

I hope it is also fair to ask your opinion of the arguments in the short book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I think Lewis is worth the quick read, especially the first page where he explains his premise based on observable human behavior.

Internet Archive

Mere Christianity CSL : C.S Lewis : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Book on theology and religion

God bless!

Amen

Yes! Thank God!!

God and the transcendent existed long before the Christ story or the Jehovah stories were written and do not depend on them.

You must be referencing set the Egyptian god of chaos, storms and disorder. Or perhaps tlaloc the Aztec god who ruled the drowned afterlife realm and who demanded the tears of sacrificed children. Or maybe you’re thinking of moloch. You’re free to reject Christ and believe in any of those things.

So... "God is longsuffering, not willing that any should parish" would seem to be at odds with "God is like an author who chooses what his characters do, in detail and absolute authority". Unless God is just cosplaying the longsuffering bit for his own amusement and benefit.