IF I SAY I DON’T FEEL GOOD WHAT I MEAN IS CALL THE CEMETARY AND ASK IF THERE ARE ANY OPENINGS

23. July 2009 by Frank.

Perception.

How you interpret what I say depends on a vast number of factors.

Do you pick up on sarcasm or are you more literal minded?  Is your sense of humor as warped as mine is?  Are you serious and do you take things seriously?  Do you need emoticons in online messages to make things clear?  Have you read so much you have no problem reading between the lines?  Have you read enough of my posts to have a good idea where I’m coming from?  Does my attitude completely baffle you?

I have no delusions about being a great writer, I know that I’m not.  I enjoy expressing myself with words but I am painfully aware that what I think is absolutely crystal clear is anything but to other people.  I’ve been blogging for many years and I’ve had a great deal of misunderstandings about the things I write.

Professional writers know how to use words in such a way that there is little doubt what they mean to a vast majority of people.  But even then what may be the most wonderful work of fiction ever written can be total dreck to someone else.  It all depends on the perceptions of the reader.

And those can vary wildly.

A preacher once came to candidate for the position of pastor at our Baptist church.  During his sermon he quite clearly declared that he was just testing the waters; he was also considering teaching at a religious college.  Despite his plain honest statement several members of the selection committee (who were quite taken with his personality) declared that he obviously didn’t mean what he said – he wanted the job, no questions asked.  They were quite shocked when he ultimately turned them down.  It was quite obvious to me that he never really had any interest in the position but they were baffled beyond belief.

People see and hear what they want to see and hear.

Which is the problem.  I can prove practically anything I want using nothing but the bible.  I can prove that you are saved by faith alone.  I can also prove that you can only be saved by faith and works.  I can prove that speaking in tongues is the only sign that you’ve been saved.  I can also prove that tongues died out long ago.  I can prove that baptism is just a ritual and I can prove that if it isn’t done just right you aren’t saved.  I can prove old testament laws are still in effect and I can prove that they aren’t.  I can prove that obeying the law is the only way to god and I can prove that just calling his name is all it takes.  I can prove you have to repent of all your sins and I can show you where repentance isn’t required at all.  All from the same bible.  And that doesn’t even require different translations.

How is it “the owner’s manual” is so vaguely written that there can be that much variation?

This is why I don’t care much for the atheist sites that want to dabble in logical arguments all the time.  You can show a true believer contradictory passages in the bible that there can be no doubt are real contradictions and they will not see or acknowledge whichever part goes against their belief.  How do you think logic and reason is going to have any effect on someone like that?

What kind of all knowing god would make people with such radically different reasoning and interpreting abilities and then give them his rules which are so vague they can be interpreted in a myriad of incompatible ways?  The bible even teaches believers to avoid all contact with other believers who don’t hold the same teachings.  Who has the correct set of beliefs?  They all claim they do.  Who’s right?

There are ways to use words which clearly convey the original intent of the author.  But even the most expertly written prose is still going to be interpreted by the reader.  If the writer is an unrepentant jokester and the reader has no sense of humor, will there be any understanding?

Do you think the title of this post is a true statement of how I think?  Or am I just being facetious?  Consider how much I talk about living in pain.  If I start feeling sick in addition to that isn’t it possible that’s what I really mean?  I also speak sarcasm fluently.  So which is it?

You decide.

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