A few weeks ago I sat down with a friend for a beer. Although we have a lot of things in common, belief in Bitcoin is not one of them. As conversation progressed onto the topic, he warned me profusely of Bitcoin’s dangers. He proceeded to bring up one form of FUD after another. It went something like this:
- “Bitcoin will be killed by the government!”
- “It will collapse due to Tether regulation.”
- “The SHA-256 algorithm will be hacked.”
- “Quantum computing will enable a 51% attack!”
- “Bitcoin will be outcompeted by other cryptocurrencies!”
- “Bitcoin is too old and slow!”
- “It is irresponsible of you to hold too large an investment in one thing… diversify!”
- And of course, “Bitcoin is terrible for the environment!”
He moved through each of these arguments at such a rapid pace that I could barely get a word in edgewise. He left the conversation convinced that he had single-handedly dismantled Bitcoin. I’m sure he slept like a baby that night having put it out of his mind.
This was obviously frustrating for me. This is not a good way to have a conversation. On the one hand, I left annoyed, wishing I could had come up with the perfect come-back zinger. On the other hand, I care about my friend and I’m saddened to see that he will miss what I believe is the opportunity of a lifetime.
Strangely, as I replayed the conversation in my mind, I kept having deja-vu. I felt as if I had had this conversation before… but it wasn’t about Bitcoin.
Talking with “non-believers”
This conversation with my friend made me recall other similar conversations I’ve had about Christianity. I’ve had many conversations over the years with people who do not hold the same beliefs as I do. Some of those conversations are respectful and civil, but others reminded me of my talk with my friend. What was so similar? Something I call “machine gunning”.
When you “machine gun” someone, you make multiple arguments at once without allowing the other person to respond. Once you’ve made your first point, you make your second, then your third and so on. It’s a classic debate strategy. If you don’t allow room for the other person to refute your arguments you appear to be right.
There are many classic arguments that opponents use against Christianity, such as:
- Science has disproved God
- The Bible is just a myth
- If God is all good and all powerful then why do bad things happen to good people?
- How could a loving God send people to Hell?
- How can Christianity claim to be true when there are so many other religions
- Christianity has a history of being harmful
- Christianity is unhelpful and irrelevant
There have been several times when I have been discussing one of these topics, when the other person quickly switches to another argument, derailing the conversation.
What fascinated me the most is that before my recent conversation with my friend, I had thought “machine gunning” was a unique strategy used by opponents to Christianity. But there I was having a conversation with a fellow Christian, and he was “machine gunning” me on Bitcoin!
I realized that we are all prone to use such techniques. The problem arises when we elevate our own reputation above a conviction to search for truth. Most of us would rather appear to be right than to actually be right, if it means looking foolish for conceding a point.
I will show you a more excellent way
In order to pursue truth, we need to show love to the other person, which means listening well in a posture of humility. This is Rule #9 from Jordan Peterson: Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t. (12 Rules for Life)
We need to fight against our innate bias. A great way to do this is to enter into an imaginative exercise with the other person. Encourage them to imagine with you that you are right and paint a picture of the possible implications. Allow them to do the same, but from their perspective.
Let’s try it! Imagine with me that Bitcoin is true, and by that I mean that it is actually the future of money. What does a world that has adopted a Bitcoin standard look like? What does it bring? Here are a few potential things:
- Convenience – Anyone with an internet connection can send any amount of money to anyone instantly at nearly no cost.
- Prosperity – Our work is more meaningful since our purchasing power increases over time, instead of being debased through inflation.
- Equality – Anyone with an internet connection can opt in early, securing wealth for generations to come. Bitcoin doesn’t discriminate. Period.
- Honesty – The principle of sowing and reaping is honoured (whereas a debt base system attempts to reap before sowing).
- Freedom – Totalitarian regimes are starved as citizens build wealth that cannot be stolen from them. Those in dangerous areas flee with their wealth memorized in a passphrase or on a usb to jurisdictions that uphold more human rights. Jurisdictions known for human flourishing attract the most people and wealth.
- Peace – War is disincentivized as property becomes nearly impossible to confiscate (see Can Bitcoin bring World Peace?).
Now, before moving into all the reasons as to why Bitcoin may fail, can we just pause for a moment and ask the question: don’t you want this? How could anyone not want these values to permeate throughout our troubled world?
Now let’s exchange Bitcoin with Christianity. Imagine with me that Christianity is true, and by that I mean that Jesus actually rose from the dead (note: Christianity’s plausibility wholly hangs on this event being true in human history).
If Jesus physically rose from the dead this has some serious implications for us:
- Hope – There is life beyond death and it’s available to anyone (John 3:16).
- Peace – There is peace between us and God available to anyone (Romans 5:1).
- Security – Even if we lose everything we own, those who trust Jesus will have treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:20).
- Freedom – God cleans our conscience from guilt and shame (Hebrews 10:22). He removes all of our sin from us (1 John 1:9).
- Purpose – Jesus invites us to join us in his mission of bringing restoration to a broken world through his power (Act 3:19).
Much more can be said here, but I can imagine some pushback. “Christianity has been tried before and failed,” or “you’re just cherry picking the positive elements and forgetting about the regressive and harsh things the Bible says.” These are fair points. But I would argue that the points I’ve made are real. Check out the scriptures and see for yourself. Therefore, other arguments must be made with these principles in mind.
Just as if you were to ignore Bitcoin, there are even more serious implications to ignoring Jesus’ message. Therefore, I would ask you to pause and consider these implications before jumping into pushback. I would also recommend finding a group of people who will explore these ideas with you. Go to a local church, or find an online Alpha group.
Summary
Ultimately we are our own worst enemy when it comes to searching for the truth. Love of our own reputation can easily get in our way.
The message is this: have the courtesy and humility to treat other people the way you want to be treated. Consider that they may have something to say that you don’t know yet. As a result, we will have better mutual understanding, and in the process, you just may learn something that will change your life.
HODLing Jesus 