What Religion Does

“It is one of the greatest blessings of mankind, though many denounce it as a curse. Not only does it touch the deepest springs of man’s life, but it also controls his thoughts and feelings and desires.” -Louis Berkhof, Summary of Christian Doctrine

Emotions Don’t Think, They Borrow Thoughts

“Remember, emotions don’t think—they merely respond. Emotions have to borrow thoughts in order to stimulate feelings from them. Therefore, whatever controls your thoughts also controls how you feel.” -Tony Evans, 30 Days to Overcoming Emotional Strongholds

BTW NOTE: I partially agree with this… or I may completely agree with it, but it depends on what Dr. Evans means by ‘thoughts controlling emotions.’ If this includes ‘thoughts that are so deeply instilled that I don’t think them they just happen’ (a kind of pre-cognitive thought), then I would agree. I say that because there are some emotional responses that we have that are not the result of active thoughts, but assumptions and viceral ways of understanding that are so deep in us, we don’t realize exactly what we are thinking as we think them. They may still be thoughts, but not thoughts we intend to think. They are more automatic than that. BUT the way to battle them is increased knowledge of the light of truth that can show things hiding in our darkness.

Emotions are Like Bodily Senses

“Healthy emotions are to the soul what the senses are to the body. They reveal the way we feel about life’s circumstances.” -Tony Evans, 30 Days to Overcoming Emotional Strongholds

 

Not Your Heart, His truth

“Your heart is not the compass Christ saileth by.” -Samuel Rutherford, Letters of Samuel Rutherford

 

Mysticism is Not Super-Religious It’s Sub-Religious

“It is to that sub-human, non-personal level that the mystic seeks to degrade our communion with God.” -J. Gresham Machen, The Person of Jesus: Radio Addresses on the Deity of the Savior

Just a Feeling?

“Pure feeling, if such a thing exists, is non-moral. That can be observed in the sphere of human relationships. What makes my affection for a human friend such an ennobling thing is the knowledge that I have of the character and the needs of my friend. Am I indifferent to such knowledge? Am I indifferent to base slanders which are directed against my friend’s reputation? Not if I am a friend worthy of the name. Human affection, apparently so simple, is in reality just bristling with doctrine; it depends upon a host of observations, stored up in the mind, regarding the object of affection.” -J. Gresham Machen, The Person of Jesus: Radio Addresses on the Deity of the Savior

BTW NOTE: In other words, to make God a mere feeling is to make him, not more, but less than we are. And as with all things that are ‘less’ than us, a God who is just a feeling is easy to manipulate. One way we see this is in how God always seems to agree with our opinions. He’s gets fashioned in such a way that he always agrees with us.

Half-Truths Promote Unhappiness

“Similarly, when I counsel people who are depressed, I certainly ask how they are feeling and express sympathy for their emotional suffering, but most of all I want to gather facts, detailed and comprehensive information about their lives. Usually when we do that together, we discover that at least part of the problem is that the depressed people are telling themselves a lie, a half-truth, or only half the truth. It’s usually not deliberately deceitful. Some people can be so fixated on something that they blow it out of all proportion, or else they unintentionally exaggerate and distort reality.” -David Murray, The Happy Christian

One Way to Get a Handle on Negativity

“Brain scans show that putting words to feelings almost immediately diminishes the power of negative emotions, improving well-being and enhancing decision-making skills. Verbalizing the stress and helplessness you are feeling is the first step toward regaining control.” -David Murray, The Happy Christian

 

Unhappiness Comes From Too Much Focus on Feelings

“Our hopes of living positive lives depend largely on getting our thoughts about the facts right. Most unhappy people are unhappy not because of their situation but because they let their feelings rule their thoughts, or they think about things in the wrong way.” -David Murray, The Happy Christian

The Power of Feelings

“Feelings have big muscles. They are often the most powerful force in our lives. They can bully our minds, our consciences, and our wills. They can even knock out the facts and bring truth to its knees.” -David Murray, The Happy Christian