RedTailHawk on Nostr: Exactly. Most Christians do not understand the parable of the rich man and the eye of ...
Exactly. Most Christians do not understand the parable of the rich man and the eye of the needle or how it relates to logical fallacies but it does and in a very important way.
The eye of the needle was a narrow passageway through one city's wall. In order for a camel to get through the eye of the needle, the saddlebags would have had to have been removed. Saddlebags are where a rich man would keep his wealth.
If the rich man removes his saddlebags so his camel can squeeze through the eye of the needle, his saddlebags are likely to be heavily taxed by the guards, if not stolen outright. The rich man KNOWS he will be eating a loss if he enters the city.
What the rich man does NOT know is what treasures lay within the city. Inside those city walls may be even greater wealth than that which he would sacrifice in order to enter. Inside those city walls may be the love of his life, his long lost child, or the guru who is able to help him achieve higher levels of spirituality, love and wisdom.
When Jesus says that it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, he's pointing out that it is very important to be open minded and explore. People who are too lazy or afraid to explore new things will, like the rich man who will not eat a loss by entering the city, never discover what they might have discovered had they actually explored new things.
So how does that tie into logical fallacies?
Many people have "Momma Boucher" syndrome. Momma Boucher in the Adam Sandler Waterboy movie, regularly referred to anything she didn't understand as "the devil!". To her, even football was the devil. Women were the devil. Everything was the devil.
That's the exact opposite of how to be. Her fear of becoming associated or familiar with "the devil" drove her to isolation and ignorance. If people are armored, however, by the armor of discernment, they are more willing to go explore new ideas. Discernment most definitely includes logical fallacies.
That said, I think that being aware of logical fallacies emboldens us to go explore. Exploring is how we can love our neighbors by looking at things they think are significant or important. By treating people as though they have something of value to offer, we may wind up finding what that value is. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take, though.
The eye of the needle was a narrow passageway through one city's wall. In order for a camel to get through the eye of the needle, the saddlebags would have had to have been removed. Saddlebags are where a rich man would keep his wealth.
If the rich man removes his saddlebags so his camel can squeeze through the eye of the needle, his saddlebags are likely to be heavily taxed by the guards, if not stolen outright. The rich man KNOWS he will be eating a loss if he enters the city.
What the rich man does NOT know is what treasures lay within the city. Inside those city walls may be even greater wealth than that which he would sacrifice in order to enter. Inside those city walls may be the love of his life, his long lost child, or the guru who is able to help him achieve higher levels of spirituality, love and wisdom.
When Jesus says that it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, he's pointing out that it is very important to be open minded and explore. People who are too lazy or afraid to explore new things will, like the rich man who will not eat a loss by entering the city, never discover what they might have discovered had they actually explored new things.
So how does that tie into logical fallacies?
Many people have "Momma Boucher" syndrome. Momma Boucher in the Adam Sandler Waterboy movie, regularly referred to anything she didn't understand as "the devil!". To her, even football was the devil. Women were the devil. Everything was the devil.
That's the exact opposite of how to be. Her fear of becoming associated or familiar with "the devil" drove her to isolation and ignorance. If people are armored, however, by the armor of discernment, they are more willing to go explore new ideas. Discernment most definitely includes logical fallacies.
That said, I think that being aware of logical fallacies emboldens us to go explore. Exploring is how we can love our neighbors by looking at things they think are significant or important. By treating people as though they have something of value to offer, we may wind up finding what that value is. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take, though.