TST Trainer
Takeaways
MODE:
~
6 minutes
Religion.
10 random takeaways.
1.
Hasty generalizations extend evidence beyond the reasonable. Nearly 60% of humanity today identifies with one of the three Abrahamic religions. Also, about one in five humans accepts the story of Noah’s Ark as literal history. That God brought wrath upon the Earth, killed everyone except Noah and a few to make a point. They believe God killed ordinary people simply living their lives, and that all modern humans are descended from a single surviving family.
2.
Quote:
- Thomas Aquinas.
- circa 1265.
From History:
Life does not always give us peaceful people or clean choices. Sometimes you must respond. But living well means resisting the urge to escalate. Situational ethics reminds us that a proportionate response protects dignity, limits damage, and keeps pain from multiplying. Even when you must push back, do not let someone else’s wrong turn you into more of the same.
3.
From History: 1644
The main philosophical idea taught by Williams, Locke, and Montesquieu was that power needed to be checked, which in turn protects individual liberties. Williams split state and church. Locke established natural rights and split King and Parliament. Montesquieu came along and said let’s split government into three branches of checks and balances.
4.
Article summary:
If you use the modern definition of separatist that includes intolerance of others, then Roger Williams was not a separatist. Furthermore, he supported all people living, and working together in the same community for the common good. Sometimes people forget the context of the time and conflate his desire to separate from the Church of England run by the government with the separatist movement based on races. I think some with a desire to promote white supremacy do this on purpose.
5.
Quote:
- Roger Williams.
- May 6, 1682..
The exact birth and death dates of Roger Williams has been lost to history…so far at least. We think he was born around 1602, give or take a few years. We know he passed in 1683, and by April 1st. We also know he was alive on January 15th. We also believe he was about 80 or 81 when he passed. It’s interesting how much is lost to time for even the famous just a few hundred years ago.
6.
From History: 2080: 60 Years From Now (+/- 10 years)
Promote the idea that as scientific literacy expands, the bulk of humanity will converge on a common empirical account of its origins. This does not eliminate spirituality or meaning; it allows them to thrive in their proper place. A shared origin story grounded in evidence strengthens cooperation, reduces tribal conflict, and supports long-horizon flourishing, all while preserving space for the unknown and unknowable.
7.
King Shuruppak, an ancient Sumerian ruler, is not Noah’s father but is linked to the Sumerian flood hero, Ziusudra. This story predates the biblical tale of Noah’s Ark by centuries and parallels it so closely that it may have influenced the later biblical account.
8.
Quote:
- William Kingdon Clifford.
- 1877.
From History:
Belief is not just private. What you believe shapes you and the world around you. Although his suggestion is stricter than most like, I think he wants you to treat belief as a responsibility: seek evidence where you can, stay humble where you cannot, and do not let wishful thinking do the work of truth.
9.
From History: 1654
The labels you carry shape the life you live. When a word reduces another person, it also trains your own mind toward judgment, distance, and harm. Learn to live with more care: see the person first, release the harmful label, and choose words that preserve dignity.
10.
A true believer clings. A true skeptic withholds. The empiricist navigates between them—accepting what is reasonable, revising when necessary, and resisting both blind certainty and endless doubt. Wisdom is not found at the extremes, but in disciplined calibration between confidence and humility.
The End. Refresh for another set.
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(c) 2025-2026 TouchstoneTruth.
Writing and coding by Michael Alan Prestwood.
(c) 2025-2026 TouchstoneTruth.
Writing and coding by Michael Alan Prestwood.
