Don't trust, verify.

In God we trust. All others pay in bitcoin.

Bitcoiner’s are trusting that good will overcome evil. Bitcoin will overcome fiat. But we don’t trust the software we use. Christians trust in God’s plan to overcome evil.

Trusting in God also means embracing the systems he set out for us that bring truth. Systems like family. Systems like Leviticus 19 (written on the Liberty Bell). Systems like supreme judgement. The last paragraph of the Constitution states that, “We appeal to the Supreme Judge of the universe” (paraphrase mine) and Revelations says Jesus will judge the Earth on his throne. Systems like our justice system. Our justice system is born out of Biblical principles (blind justice, presumption of innocence, and jury of your peers). I could go on. I think the point is that the Bible teaches us to trust in Jesus for salvation. It doesn’t say avoid using systems. I see nothing wrong with using Bitcoin as money from a moral position. There are laws of nature and nature has been created by God. Fiat distorts time and energy, stealing from those farthest from the money printer. Bitcoin embraces the laws of nature.

We are to trust in God for salvation and not in princes or chariots or anything else that cannot save. Trust more broadly—a reasoned belief in the reliability or truthfulness of a person or thing—is essential for all areas of life. Civilization requires high trust societies and those societies include trustworthy neighborhoods, institutions, systems, etc. As for bitcoin, one can trust in the immutability and integrity of the network because one can verify it. That is, in some sense, the irony of the "don't trust, verify" slogan. It rejects blind trust, which is proper. But real trust happens when one is confident in the reliability of a thing, and confidence occurs through verification. So in other words, we CAN trust bitcoin is a sound and reliable monetary network because we CAN verify it for ourselves. And this trust is not in contradiction with the Scriptures. Ehat contradicts and violates Scripture is when a man pits his trust in bitcoin for salvation. And there are people that indeed do that. But that isn't a problem of trust in general, it is a problem of idolatry in particular.

The Bible teaches a lot about money. There are many important principles that work, and God blesses despite the world's chaos and overcomes it, but the fiat system tries to make them impossible. (Saving up for things without debt, parents raising their own children, giving abundantly, etc.) Before I learned about Bitcoin, I believed that doing things God's way would work, somehow, and that He'd make a way, because I knew Him well enough to know He would. I just didn't know what the way would be. Of course I'm more hopeful now that I can see that solution, and I'm far less wound up about the evils of our economy now that I know there's an answer, especially one I can share with others. But my hope is in Jesus, not Bitcoin. Bitcoin's just a tool I'm grateful He provided. There's always a remnant, always a way of escape. Our God makes a way. There are still ways to misuse Bitcoin, but Bitcoin stewarded God's way is a powerful tool. The focus on truth has been part of some people's journeys to God.

This response made me feel kinda silly 😅 You’re right! How could I forget.

Well said. Thank you 🙏🏼