My brother just emailed me scans of a book about our family (not the Puritan ne'er-do-well that got kicked out of Massachusetts and started his own religion side of the family, but another Puritan Massachusetts Bay branch) written by an ancestor in 1925. The following quote is something I've thought repeatedly and with great frustration, especially during my university history courses. How funny for me to read it today, written in the words of my ancestor.
Quote:This is a history of common people. This world is filled mostly with the doings of the common people, but the pages of history are crowded with the butcheries of the soldier, the follies of kings and the cruelties and humbuggery of the priest. Common worth has passed by unnoticed. Billions of law-abiding men are forgotten while the small minority of the vilest of our race disgraces the pages of our books.
And this is just too weird because I've thought this very thought myself as I tried to deal with my bosses buying $20,000 season tickets to Phoenix Suns games!
Quote:My neighbors relished prize-fights, base ball and being humbugged more than my offerings of economic and political wisdom and my work demanded my time.
How much of my thoughts are genetic?
(06-23-2010 07:08 PM)Here Am I Wrote: [ -> ] (06-23-2010 04:14 PM)Lynne Wrote: [ -> ]How much of my thoughts are genetic?
Interesting 'thought'. Other things we do appear to be genetic:
I've been told I laugh just like my grandmother. I didn't copy her, so where did it come from, if not through the genes passed down to me?
Sometimes my son acts just like his grandfather, my dad, but he's never been around him more than a few days a year. Is it a coincidence, or genetics?
Yes, I wonder. I'm thinking about the sin in the garden passed down, Cain, our recent discussion about Noah's sons, family "curses," generational sin, and the disease of depression.
(06-24-2010 01:21 PM)Lynne Wrote: [ -> ]Yes, I wonder. I'm thinking about the sin in the garden passed down, Cain, our recent discussion about Noah's sons, family "curses," generational sin, and the disease of depression.
I've had those thoughts before too. I don't know much about my family history of depression because people didn't talk about it, but the Bible is clear that the effects of specific sin get passed down from generation to generation.
Based on personal observation, I don't think that's confined to the OT period under the Law.
Exodus 20:5
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Numbers 14:18
The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
Deuteronomy 5:9
Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,
(06-24-2010 01:31 PM)Laura Wrote: [ -> ] (06-24-2010 01:21 PM)Lynne Wrote: [ -> ]Yes, I wonder. I'm thinking about the sin in the garden passed down, Cain, our recent discussion about Noah's sons, family "curses," generational sin, and the disease of depression.
I've had those thoughts before too. I don't know much about my family history of depression because people didn't talk about it, but the Bible is clear that the effects of specific sin get passed down from generation to generation.
Based on personal observation, I don't think that's confined to the OT period under the Law.
Exodus 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Numbers 14:18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
Deuteronomy 5:9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,
Those were some of the exact verses I was thinking of, Laura.
I've not had children and one of the very, very comforting thoughts I've had about this situation is, "The craziness stops here with me."
Lynne Wrote:I've not had children and one of the very, very comforting thoughts I've had about this situation is, "The craziness stops here with me."
Those very thoughts have been part of my rationale behind not having children too.
(06-24-2010 06:41 PM)Laura Wrote: [ -> ]Lynne Wrote:I've not had children and one of the very, very comforting thoughts I've had about this situation is, "The craziness stops here with me."
Those very thoughts have been part of my rationale behind not having children too.
No Children? Please girls, throw caution to the wind and join me in my joy/ misery..and have some !
I take after the temperment of my Grandad.
He's the Ogre under the bridge that nobody in my family wants to admit they take after..annoyingly outspoken and bitterly impassioned.
(06-24-2010 07:53 PM)InnSpectre Wrote: [ -> ] (06-24-2010 06:41 PM)Laura Wrote: [ -> ]Lynne Wrote:I've not had children and one of the very, very comforting thoughts I've had about this situation is, "The craziness stops here with me."
Those very thoughts have been part of my rationale behind not having children too.
No Children? Please girls, throw caution to the wind and join me in my joy/ misery..and have some !
Way too late for that, unless I end up giggling in the tent like Sarah.
(06-24-2010 01:21 PM)Lynne Wrote: [ -> ]Yes, I wonder. I'm thinking about the sin in the garden passed down, Cain, our recent discussion about Noah's sons, family "curses," generational sin, and the disease of depression.
No. No, no, no.
The concept of "generational sin" does not exist in the church age, under the New Testament. The only Christians who claim otherwise are Charismatics, who actually teach that even demons themselves can be inherited. They are so hung up on the arcane mysteries of evil, and the hidden depths of Satan, that they allow these things to obscure their view of the blessings we have in Christ - - - and of Christ Himself. That's the whole point, of course: to focus our attention away from Christ, and onto the Enemy. It is also an "occupational hazard" among conspiracy theorists, who become so concerned with the Illuminati or the Club of Rome that they don't even think about Jesus Christ. I'm not trying to twit
you, Lynne; I'm thinking of Christian conspiracy theorists who go off the deep end, like Texe Marrs, or almost go off, like (I regret to say) Bill Grady.
It is true that certain things, like a predisposition to substance abuse, can be inherited. So, perhaps, may Depression. But these are medical and chemical phenomena, not spiritual ones. None of us would make the old Medieval mistake of saying that "all mentally ill people are demon possessed." Neither should we edge in that direction by saying that inherited conditions are spiritually produced. It's bad theology and bad medicine all rolled into one.
As for refraining from having children because "the craziness stops here," I'm sympathetic to the feeling, God knows. But it is not valid for a Christian. The Bible teaches that children are the Lord's reward, and that the man who has a bunch of them is highly blessed. The worldlings may (and many white people do) eschew parenthood because of the sad state of the world, or because of personal fears for their children; but a Christian has no place thinking that way.
And no, I'm not saying that it's God's will for every Christian to be a parent. But it's a blessing from the Lord, and my earthly Father's excesses, while
affecting me and my sons, were not inherited by us. Nor was his punishment or "reaping." His account was settled the day he died. Mine was settled the day I came to Jesus Christ.
(06-24-2010 08:03 PM)William Wrote: [ -> ] (06-24-2010 01:21 PM)Lynne Wrote: [ -> ]Yes, I wonder. I'm thinking about the sin in the garden passed down, Cain, our recent discussion about Noah's sons, family "curses," generational sin, and the disease of depression.
No. No, no, no.
The concept of "generational sin" does not exist in the church age, under the New Testament. The only Christians who claim otherwise are Charismatics, who actually teach that even demons themselves can be inherited. They are so hung up on the arcane mysteries of evil, and the hidden depths of Satan, that they allow these things to obscure their view of the blessings we have in Christ - - - and of Christ Himself. That's the whole point, of course: to focus our attention away from Christ, and onto the Enemy. It is also an "occupational hazard" among conspiracy theorists, who become so concerned with the Illuminati or the Club of Rome that they don't even think about Jesus Christ. I'm not trying to twit you, Lynne; I'm thinking of Christian conspiracy theorists who go off the deep end, like Texe Marrs, or almost go off, like (I regret to say) Bill Grady.
It is true that certain things, like a predisposition to substance abuse, can be inherited. So, perhaps, may Depression. But these are medical and chemical phenomena, not spiritual ones. None of us would make the old Medieval mistake of saying that "all mentally ill people are demon possessed." Neither should we edge in that direction by saying that inherited conditions are spiritually produced. It's bad theology and bad medicine all rolled into one.
As for refraining from having children because "the craziness stops here," I'm sympathetic to the feeling, God knows. But it is not valid for a Christian. The Bible teaches that children are the Lord's reward, and that the man who has a bunch of them is highly blessed. The worldlings may (and many white people do) eschew parenthood because of the sad state of the world, or because of personal fears for their children; but a Christian has no place thinking that way.
And no, I'm not saying that it's God's will for every Christian to be a parent. But it's a blessing from the Lord, and my earthly Father's excesses, while affecting me and my sons, were not inherited by us. Nor was his punishment or "reaping." His account was settled the day he died. Mine was settled the day I came to Jesus Christ.
As to not having kids, they just didn't come along for me. God blessed me in so many other ways and I'm 90% at peace with it, more or less, depending on the day.
So good to read what you wrote about generational sin. I've been thinking about this for a long time. Thanks for your good guidance (as always!)
I had a pastor who often said when we're born again, we get the DNA of God. I think, but I'm not sure, he was speaking metaphorically. Would you say that's a good way to think about it?