Opus 2022-348: Simple Words

Words are important.  We don’t notice how many are used improperly and the consequences of that inaccuracy.  Take “Democracy” for instance.  Democracy is a form of government or organization which decides everything with a vote of the people involved and the majority, 50% plus one, gets to make the rules.  I recently saw a meme poster of Dorothy, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion making a bonfire out of the scarecrow and saying they voted on it.  Another one is defining democracy as two wolves and a sheep voting on whom to eat for dinner.  We are not a democracy.  That was done on purpose.  We are a federal republic with checks and balances to make it difficult for the majority or a minority to ride rough shod over everyone else.  We have a democratic form of government but are not a democracy.

Words are important.

I get really tired of people claiming that the Bible contradicts itself.  Most of the times that is a simple lie but there are places where logic and science need to be suspended.  It can be called paradox.  The concept exists in science as well as literature.  If you do a search it comes up with all kinds of examples.  The concept is that you have two statements of truth that seem to contradict each other but they are still true.

Words are important.

If you can’t explain something is it a mystery or are you simply ignorant?  There are many things we will never know.  Some we don’t know because we limit the discussion.  For instance, what caused the beginning of the universe.  Yes, we have theories like the Big Bang but that doesn’t explain how or why it started, just guesses at the process.  Yet here we are.  Unless you go to metaphysics and get theological you will never have an answer.  

And theology doesn’t have all the answers either.  How do you explain the idea of the Trinity?  How do you understand the dual nature of Christ?  These are mysteries.  I personally think we are supposed to keep trying to figure them out but I am content with the idea that I will never arrive.  It is like someone who is color blind trying to understand a Monet painting.  It is a mystery.  I look forward to my first view of creation in a resurrected body.  I have no idea what stereoscopic vision is and the colors I see are not the ones you might see.  It will be awesome.

Or take the difference between the Christian understanding of hope and what the general public means.  For the Christian, hope is an assurance.  It is an attitude based on trust in God and His providence.  For the man on the street it is closing your eyes and wanting the genie to grant your request.

Words are important.

That is one of the reasons that the modern system of thought is into the philosophy of deconstruction.  They want to redefine words to mean what they are trying to achieve.  Thus racism becomes only something white people can exhibit.  Tolerance no longer means putting up with someone you disagree with but looking up to their nonsense.  This is why we are seeing online dictionaries rewriting their definitions.

We need to be careful to know what our words mean and when we are dealing with people who lack good faith, make them define everything.

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