And They Wonder

[Guest end3]

This is from a prof I am thinking at a near Christian university. This is the kind of stuff that triggers me....Meanwhile in the faculty lounge, "yeah, I had this one kid, you wouldn't believe..." Maybe I'm reading it wrong.

 

 

I've always been intrigued and a little bothered, both on Facebook and in real life, by people who just throw out wise-sounding pronouncements as though they are self-evident. Often I see people kind of nodding along. But I think what gets me is that, most of the time, I can imagine people nodding along if the wise-sounding pronouncement had been exactly the opposite.

 

"The God whom Christians worship, is a God known only through the face of Christ." Sounds profound and vaguely head-nod-worthy.

 

"The God who became incarnate in Jesus, is the God already known to the people of Israel--and, indeed, the God who had already been making himself known to all people of the world." Also sounds profound and vaguely head-nod-worthy.

 

"It's not enough to care. We have to be able to see the system from the balcony view." Sounds profound and vaguely head-nod-worthy.

 

"We humans are tempted to try to see the system from the balcony view, but really, it's enough for us to care." Also sound profound and vaguely head-nod-worthy.

 

"God does not call you to calm the storm, but to trust him when the storm rages." Or is it the opposite? "God doesn't just ask us to trust through the raging storm; he calls us to calm the storm."

 

I guess when I see these pronouncements thrown out--and especially when I have people, in real life or on Facebook, who seem to want me to nod my head--I feel a little dizzy. Have you thought about how you would know that your way of putting is better than the opposite way of putting it? Where are you actually getting these universal-sounding insights, anyway?

 

By the way, I think what I miss is any acknowledgement of the actual sense of puzzlement that I, myself, feel. Every one of these wise pronouncements, in my extremely humble opinion, would be improved by prefixing it with "I sometimes think that it might be the case that."

[midniterider]

When you hear some baloney do you kinda nod  your head  ... then later on tell a friend or loved one that whoever said that was bonkers? I do.

 

One of my relatives think Trump is going to do a great job. I voted for Hillary so I just nod and maybe offer up some positive thing to say about him ... then my wife and I laugh together at home later.

 

Why not assemble a meme with one of those snippets of wisdom you said above and post it on facebook. Then the day after post the reversed snippet. I'm betting nobody knows the difference.

 

You could do the "Not by works, but faith!" one day, then "Faith , yes, but there must be works too!" the next day. LoL.

[florduh]

Just let people blather on with their particular wisdom. I think it's implied that such pronouncements are just their opinion.

[sdelsolray]

This is from a prof I am thinking at a near Christian university. This is the kind of stuff that triggers me....Meanwhile in the faculty lounge, "yeah, I had this one kid, you wouldn't believe..." Maybe I'm reading it wrong.

 

 

I've always been intrigued and a little bothered, both on Facebook and in real life, by people who just throw out wise-sounding pronouncements as though they are self-evident. Often I see people kind of nodding along. But I think what gets me is that, most of the time, I can imagine people nodding along if the wise-sounding pronouncement had been exactly the opposite.

 

"The God whom Christians worship, is a God known only through the face of Christ." Sounds profound and vaguely head-nod-worthy.

 

"The God who became incarnate in Jesus, is the God already known to the people of Israel--and, indeed, the God who had already been making himself known to all people of the world." Also sounds profound and vaguely head-nod-worthy.

 

"It's not enough to care. We have to be able to see the system from the balcony view." Sounds profound and vaguely head-nod-worthy.

 

"We humans are tempted to try to see the system from the balcony view, but really, it's enough for us to care." Also sound profound and vaguely head-nod-worthy.

 

"God does not call you to calm the storm, but to trust him when the storm rages." Or is it the opposite? "God doesn't just ask us to trust through the raging storm; he calls us to calm the storm."

 

I guess when I see these pronouncements thrown out--and especially when I have people, in real life or on Facebook, who seem to want me to nod my head--I feel a little dizzy. Have you thought about how you would know that your way of putting is better than the opposite way of putting it? Where are you actually getting these universal-sounding insights, anyway?

 

By the way, I think what I miss is any acknowledgement of the actual sense of puzzlement that I, myself, feel. Every one of these wise pronouncements, in my extremely humble opinion, would be improved by prefixing it with "I sometimes think that it might be the case that."

 

 

In actuality, your excellent examples are bald claims and can be more honestly expressed as personal beliefs or observations:

 

"The God whom Christians worship, is a God known only through the face of Christ." (mere assertion)

 

becomes

 

"I believe [t]he God whom Christians worship, is a God known only through the face of Christ." (statement of personal belief)

 

or

 

"Some are taught [t]he God whom Christians worship, is a God known only through the face of Christ." (empirical observation)

[Guest end3]

Just let people blather on with their particular wisdom. I think it's implied that such pronouncements are just their opinion.

I don't know the guy....it just comes off as arrogant. Kind of the king has no clothes. And you probably get a bad grade for not regurgitating the status quo in his class...betting.

[rjn]

Anything that's within quotes, coupled with a pretty picture and then posted one someone's Facebook feed - is profound, unquestionable and scientifically verified truth. I thought everyone knew this. 

 

http://sebpearce.com/bullshit/

[rjn]

"The Heart rests in the centre of the Mind. In the mind, we find peace"

- Swami Mahatira Gandhara

 

[rjn]

"The Mystery of Christ lies in our inability to grasp the meaning of our broken state, for only in imperfection can we find love, and in love, the Salvation of Christ"
- Reverend John B.S. Hyper

 

[rjn]

"They say Love is nothing more than a chemical reaction, but on the sub-atomic level, even the largest supernova is but a ripple on the great quantum ocean. Therefore, Love is at the very foundation of existence."
Prof. Heidelmann Bergstein

 

[florduh]

"The sauce is in the cube." - Gravy Train

[LogicalFallacy]

You guys have all missed the biggest load of important and wise sounding gobbelycook that means nothing of all time:

 

Hebrews 11:1-3

 

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

For by it the elders obtained a good report.

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear

 

This is possibly the first time the words faith and evidence are used in the same sentence.

 

What exactly is Paul saying here? My pastor thinks that Paul is speaking about dark matter. (So things which are seen, e.g. the physical universe, were made of things which do not appear. - e.g. dark matter and energy cause you can't see them) So this is a profound sounding set of verses that you can make say whatever you like.

 

The first verse basically says your faith is evidence of God.

 

Ok

 

Right

 

Goodnight

 

PS rjn I like your generator. I got this awesome sounding claptrap"

 

This life is nothing short of a refining paradigm shift of sentient starfire. Nothing is impossible.

[TheRedneckProfessor]

I've pretty much built my entire reputation around profound sounding bullshit. It's as much of an art as it is a science.

[Guest end3]

I just can't get over that he pleads contempt for this practice yet teaches and preaches the same way...., "where are you actually getting these universal-sounding insights anyway".

 

You've gone to church, right Doc? You attend class at your Christian university, yes?

 

Who are ego-filled teachers and preacher Alex? Stupid PhD's for $600...

[TheRedneckProfessor]

End3,

Are you not doing much the same thing when you make unfounded assertions about christian doctrine, subjectivity, grace and relationships, god's purposes, Adam and Eve, etc.?

Thanks,

TRP

[Storm]

I've pretty much built my entire reputation around profound sounding bullshit. It's as much of an art as it is a science.

And also just about every preacher that has ever walked the face of the earth...

[Guest end3]

End3,

Are you not doing much the same thing when you make unfounded assertions about christian doctrine, subjectivity, grace and relationships, god's purposes, Adam and Eve, etc.?

Thanks,

TRP

I expect so, but I have seemingly held a unique prospective that I put forth in faith. Once you get to a certain level of intelligence, it appears you then hold your ego in a higher light than you hold the perspective. And with some PhD's, they typically use it for tearing people down rather than sharing. Again, this triggers me because my father was one who used intellect as a weapon. Now he's sitting in a memory care unit thinking it's 1968....

[florduh]

Wait... it's NOT 1968?????

[TheRedneckProfessor]

So, it's the ego trumping the intelligence that triggers you?  Not so much the groundless assertions?

[bornagainathiest]

 

End3,

Are you not doing much the same thing when you make unfounded assertions about christian doctrine, subjectivity, grace and relationships, god's purposes, Adam and Eve, etc.?

Thanks,

TRP

I expect so, but I have seemingly held a unique prospective that I put forth in faith. Once you get to a certain level of intelligence, it appears you then hold your ego in a higher light than you hold the perspective. And with some PhD's, they typically use it for tearing people down rather than sharing. Again, this triggers me because my father was one who used intellect as a weapon. Now he's sitting in a memory care unit thinking it's 1968....

 

 

You said it yourself, End.

 

Intellect was used as a weapon by your father.

 

So, the real enemy here isn't intellect, is it?  

 

It's a neutral thing, that can be used to harm OR to heal.

 

The real enemy here is only it's negative usage, right?

[Guest end3]

So, it's the ego trumping the intelligence that triggers you?  Not so much the groundless assertions?

The ego in error specifically...

[Guest end3]

 

 

End3,

Are you not doing much the same thing when you make unfounded assertions about christian doctrine, subjectivity, grace and relationships, god's purposes, Adam and Eve, etc.?

Thanks,

TRP

I expect so, but I have seemingly held a unique prospective that I put forth in faith. Once you get to a certain level of intelligence, it appears you then hold your ego in a higher light than you hold the perspective. And with some PhD's, they typically use it for tearing people down rather than sharing. Again, this triggers me because my father was one who used intellect as a weapon. Now he's sitting in a memory care unit thinking it's 1968....

 

 

You said it yourself, End.

 

Intellect was used as a weapon by your father.

 

So, the real enemy here isn't intellect, is it?  

 

It's a neutral thing, that can be used to harm OR to heal.

 

The real enemy here is only it's negative usage, right?

 

It's kind of interesting trying to figure this stuff out...sometimes not. I have one sister that adamantly defends things that can't defend themselves. I think my triggers are very similar in that I tend to become angered at the arrogance used against others. Don't think there's anything wrong particularly with then information....it's in the presentation, the teaching.

[bornagainathiest]

 

It's kind of interesting trying to figure this stuff out...sometimes not. I have one sister that adamantly defends things that can't defend themselves. I think my triggers are very similar in that I tend to become angered at the arrogance used against others. Don't think there's anything wrong particularly with then information....it's in the presentation, the teaching.

 

 

Then we seem to be in general agreement, End.

 

What seems to trigger you is the negativity (arrogance, put-downs and snubs, etc.) you see in others.

 

Not the actual informational content they might use when doing these presentations or this teaching.

 

That about right?

[TheRedneckProfessor]

 

So, it's the ego trumping the intelligence that triggers you?  Not so much the groundless assertions?

The ego in error specifically...

 

Does it never occur to you that perhaps your ego gets the better of your intellect when you cling so tenaciously to your beliefs despite evidence and logical arguments which refute them?

[Guest end3]

 

 

So, it's the ego trumping the intelligence that triggers you?  Not so much the groundless assertions?

The ego in error specifically...

 

Does it never occur to you that perhaps your ego gets the better of your intellect when you cling so tenaciously to your beliefs despite evidence and logical arguments which refute them?

 

The difference is I cling firmly to things we can't yet measure....

[Shinzon]

 

 

 

So, it's the ego trumping the intelligence that triggers you?  Not so much the groundless assertions?

The ego in error specifically...

 

Does it never occur to you that perhaps your ego gets the better of your intellect when you cling so tenaciously to your beliefs despite evidence and logical arguments which refute them?

 

The difference is I cling firmly to things we can't yet measure....

 

So is this is a faith evidence of things unseen kind of things? If so, isnt that just hope even though its not tangible in any way?