The Most Dangerous Idea of All

I hate superlatives.  When I use them, they usually bite me in the ass.  And frankly, I use them way too often.  One of my friends once joked "Every time you discover something new, you think it's 'the best thing ever'!"  Guilty as charged.

So here I go again.  I'm going to assert that the following is The Most Dangerous Idea I've ever heard, all wrapped in a meme with a quote from a very popular (and very wealthy) woman.

I really do try to see where people are coming from when they state a position (sometimes more effectively than others).  When I'm at my best, I ask clarifying questions to help me better understand what they're saying, why they're saying it, and what gives them this point of view.  When I'm at my worst, I write them off, deem them idiots because of the lack of merit I find in there statement without bothering to dig deeper.

This statement, however, is so off-putting on so many levels, I'm struggling to find further inquiry as necessary.  Let's break it down, shall we?

"I once asked the Lord why so many people are confused and He said to me, 'Tell them to stop trying to figure everything out, and they will stop being confused.'  I have found it to be absolutely true.  Reasoning and confusion go together." - Joyce Meyer, Battlefield of the Mind for Teens

I really don't have any problem with her assertion that she thinks she spoke with "the Lord" through Q&A.  My opinion is that she's delusional if she really believes this, but that's just an opinion; her statement is neither verifiable nor falsifiable, so it doesn't even qualify as a theory.  Whatever.

His "response" however, is so meritless, unworthy of praise and acceptance that I'm left almost paralyzed with incredulity.  In what circumstances would seeking answers to your questions be a bad thing?  What I hear her saying: You are to believe what I tell you to believe, including this very statement, because I said that I got it from The Lord; instant credibility.  I'll give you the answers, tell you where my justification came from, and you should accept it without question.  I'll wrap it so that you'll believe it's coming from The Lord, but it's my guidance that will carry the day.  Don't question, don't reason, and you won't be confused.

Think of all the circumstances we find ourselves in during our daily lives.  We have countless decisions to make that affect our safety, health, relationships, prosperity, future, etc.  Why wouldn't we seek answers to questions which advance us in all of these areas?  Why would we not seek answers and truth, without ceasing, until we were satisfied with the answers we're finding?  Are we really all powerless, mindless drones, controlled by a spirit in the sky?

If indeed Joyce has a hotline to The Lord and He answers her questions, then good for her.  After over 40 years of seeking, praying, studying, and trying my level-best to attain such a relationship, it didn't happen for me.  If Calvanism is true, then I'm not one of the chosen, predestined ones.  Bummer.  For me, that faith journey was more wandering in the desert than finding the promised land.  Not asking the right questions and challenging the answers and rationale for those answers had enormously negative implications for me.

So, for the record, this message is for my kids and anyone else who will listen:  IF ANYONE TELLS YOU TO STOP ASKING QUESTIONS AND SET ASIDE REASONING SO AS TO AVOID CONFUSION, RUN LIKE HELL IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

If there is a God, He gave you a mind - Use it.  Life is not easy.  Learning, applying knowledge, adapting to change, using reason and sound rationale will lead you to a better path, not accepting dogma as interpreted and preached by another.  I've found no guiding divine voice that gives me all the right answers, helps me make better decisions, wants me to prosper, and thereby removes my need for reason.  Quite the opposite.

The sooner you learn this lesson, the better.  As for me, blindly accepting dogmatic answers to life's questions was like packing a can of snakes, for decades.  The snakes were going to come out eventually, and they did.  To use another metaphor, it's like ignoring an embedded thorn;  The longer it's not dealt with, the longer it will fester.  When it's released, it's going to be ugly.  I've been dealing with that ugliness over the past few years.  I believe my life would have been immeasurably better had I asked more questions earlier and dealt honestly with things as they came rather than packing them away.

You cannot consider yourself a seeker of truth if you are unwilling to ask questions and reason your way through to a logical conclusion.  You will fall victim to those who sell you their version of the truth if you set reason aside.  You'll become sheep.  Unfortunately, there are many who will tell you that becoming more like sheep is a good thing.

Peace my friends.