The Pen and the Sword
Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me - true or false?
Words have great power, as Edward Bulwer-Lytton paraphrased a proverb from scripture,"the pen is mightier than the sword". Words nurture and comfort us. We allow words to inform and educate us. They also cause us to think good and bad thoughts about ourselves and others; they can tear us down or build us up. Words establish nations and empires and bring them great power. They can also set us against each other, brother against brother, nation against nation.
Words have power to form our conscience and guide our actions. Should we all assume responsibility for controlling our words so that we cause more good than harm? It would seem to be a reasonable thing to do if we can agree that it is beneficial to all. However, in a culture where good and bad are subjective and there is no source of validation outside the realm of the individual we find ourselves in a most unstable position. The postmodern trend is to disregard any outside form of validation that may give moral strength to ideas. To make any reasonable sense at all the postmodern has to borrow language from the objective view of morality (one based upon absolutes) in order to gain any beneficial sense of validity. Recent attempts at persuasion tend to circumvent this technique by pursuing numbers using polls as a rule by which a moral argument gains validity. Relying on the strength of numbers and/or the might of amoral government to advance a cause leads us to the place where the majority rules.
Do we want to be in the place where rules are made by a majority who have denied any ultimate authority or standard of higher law, judge or God. Without a solid unmovable standard of morality we make the mob ruled by human passion God. We know these passions are fluid and tend towards extremes. World history testifies of the 100 million slaughtered for Lenin , over 6 million for Hitler and many million more murdered for communist, socialist and marxist leaders around the world. (All of whom deny the existence of any ultimate authority save man himself.) At the other extreme we are to this day witness to the slaughter of innocents around the globe by militant Islam. If a people cannot stand upon reason they will rely upon force.
"where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty" 2 Corinthians 3:17.
How much more proof do we need that we cannot rely solely on man and his word to inform and educate our conscience. We must look to an immovable standard outside ourselves to guide our actions, direct our thoughts, inspire our imaginations, compel us toward compassionate liberty and law and to greater heights of virtue and love.
Yes restrictions of speech is necessary to protect the individual's person, character, conscience, property and rights. However these restrictions must not be guided by mans fluid passions, misguided ideas and ever-changing standards of righteousness. They must be guided in the unchanging standards and uplifting principles of truth and love found in the word of God.
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path". Psalm 119:105
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What do you mean?
Words have great power, as Edward Bulwer-Lytton paraphrased a proverb from scripture,"the pen is mightier than the sword". Words nurture and comfort us. We allow words to inform and educate us. They also cause us to think good and bad thoughts about ourselves and others; they can tear us down or build us up. Words establish nations and empires and bring them great power. They can also set us against each other, brother against brother, nation against nation.
Words have power to form our conscience and guide our actions. Should we all assume responsibility for controlling our words so that we cause more good than harm? It would seem to be a reasonable thing to do if we can agree that it is beneficial to all. However, in a culture where good and bad are subjective and there is no source of validation outside the realm of the individual we find ourselves in a most unstable position. The postmodern trend is to disregard any outside form of validation that may give moral strength to ideas. To make any reasonable sense at all the postmodern has to borrow language from the objective view of morality (one based upon absolutes) in order to gain any beneficial sense of validity. Recent attempts at persuasion tend to circumvent this technique by pursuing numbers using polls as a rule by which a moral argument gains validity. Relying on the strength of numbers and/or the might of amoral government to advance a cause leads us to the place where the majority rules.
Do we want to be in the place where rules are made by a majority who have denied any ultimate authority or standard of higher law, judge or God. Without a solid unmovable standard of morality we make the mob ruled by human passion God. We know these passions are fluid and tend towards extremes. World history testifies of the 100 million slaughtered for Lenin , over 6 million for Hitler and many million more murdered for communist, socialist and marxist leaders around the world. (All of whom deny the existence of any ultimate authority save man himself.) At the other extreme we are to this day witness to the slaughter of innocents around the globe by militant Islam. If a people cannot stand upon reason they will rely upon force.
"where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty" 2 Corinthians 3:17.
How much more proof do we need that we cannot rely solely on man and his word to inform and educate our conscience. We must look to an immovable standard outside ourselves to guide our actions, direct our thoughts, inspire our imaginations, compel us toward compassionate liberty and law and to greater heights of virtue and love.
Yes restrictions of speech is necessary to protect the individual's person, character, conscience, property and rights. However these restrictions must not be guided by mans fluid passions, misguided ideas and ever-changing standards of righteousness. They must be guided in the unchanging standards and uplifting principles of truth and love found in the word of God.
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path". Psalm 119:105
Next Post....
What do you mean?
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