Its Either Raining or It Isn’t
I can’t tell you how many times I find myself having a conversation with someone about a touchy subject and it turns to adamant opposition in mere moments. You see, everything always goes fine until you cross the invisible boundaries of belief systems. Then the big guns come out. Ready to defend, ready to go into battle, ready to risk life and limb for a belief … an opinion. Not Truth mind you, but just something someone else told you that you made a decision to believe.
For me, it is very frustrating. I just want to have an open, adult, intelligent conversation and it turns ugly because apparently I have crossed the invisible line of what is allowed as subject material. Most of these matters come down to the simple fact that it is either raining, or it isn’t. Yet, if is it raining, they will deny it it ten times to Sunday … if it is not in alignment with what they believe.
Is it fear of the unknown? Is it fear of change because new information may actually make better sense than what they currently believe? Or it is all of these things or none of these things. All I know, is that the human thinking machine is incalculable and unreliable.
In this particular instance with my friend, I explained to him what the original Greek and Hebrew scriptural words meant that we were discussing and he refuted my information. The Biblical scriptures were written in Hebrew and Greek, then translated downwards into Latin and downwards again into English and then into multiple modern English translations with multiple meanings. Denying the meaning of the original Greek and Hebrew is denial of scripture and that seemed to be ok because he had no knowledge of either, Only what the English had to say. What the original words meant was irrelevant.
I found this to be not only spectacularly ignorant, but very sad and disturbing. How can you understand what message is being delivered unless you understand how it was delivered in its original language and form? You can’t. But people are apparently willing to. As an example, let’s take the colour blue. There’s sky blue, baby blue, dark blue, midnight blue, navy blue, turquoise blue, azure blue, teal, blue … and they are all not just blue. If you wanted your bathroom painted blue, you would have to be a bit more specific that just “blue.” So it is with ancient Wisdom and spiritual teachings. Specifics, change meanings. If you are desirous of original intent, then you must study and understand the original language presentation and have a better understanding of the times and the era in which it was presented.
This is why I say it is either raining, or it isn’t. I’m sure somewhere in the world the rain is falling, but in other places, it is dry as desert bones. Al least be willing to look out the window once in a while. You might catch a glimpse of sun and rain. And while you’re at it … keep an umbrella handy. Because like the mind, it works better when it is open.
Just a thought …
~Justin Taylor ORDM., OCP., DM.
