Quote from Johanna. I was lamenting some usual business items that have actually made me feel ill today and this was her comment. Well, it made me smile.
Teleporters would indeed rock.
Today I go visit my old stomping ground, PLD, to catch a musical... It's called "Seussical" and is based off of the works of Dr. Seuss... I am looking forward to it. I did [technical] theater every semester when I was in high school. It will bring back a lot of memories, especially since I'm going with a friend who was a fellow techie.
Tomorrow I am going to see "End of the Spear," and a review may or may not follow. I've read plenty of reviews already, so I probably will not actually write one now that I reflect on it, since non-conformity is what leads to transforming... but maybe I'll give it a few sentences. Heh.
Now, that brings me to another topic: my reference to non-conformity was indeed Biblical... HOWEVER... it was a clear inaccurate representation of the source text... I came across this the other day when a Belarussian friend asked where the phrase "ivory tower" came from... to be honest, I had only heard the expression maybe once and have never used it personally. Then I was directed here for a meaning, which also indicated that the idiom "ivory tower" was of Biblical origin:
Kings 22:39. Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
Song of Solomon 7:4. Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bathrabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.
Yet it is not in the least clear to me how this idea of "intellectual isolation" was derived from either of these verses... but somehow, that is what happened.
Parenthesis: I also discovered this site's list of minced oaths, many of Biblical origin... warning: foul words contained therein brother! :P Interesting all the same.
The intended meaning of the text forgotten, a new meaning imposed, and yet it is still Biblical. Not accurately Biblical, I daresay, but nonetheless, the fact that it is "Biblical" still stands, even the if use of the word "Biblical" seems erroneous by many individuals. I find the same thing occurs with the word "catholic." The word "catholic" is accurate to describe Christians of many backgrounds. I, myself, belong to the one holy catholic church. However, nowadays, you say "catholic" and it is assumed that you mean "Roman Catholic" even if this is not the case at all. In fact, many Roman Catholic churches I see have dropped the "Roman" and simply announce their "Catholic"-ity instead. I also know what they mean, that they are a Roman Catholic church, and also catholic, but again, I daresay it is not the entirely accurate use of the word "catholic." Hence, again nowadays, if I tell someone, "I belong to the one holy catholic church" I would get quite a few quizzical looks from Protestants and Roman Catholics alike for thinking that I have aligned myself with Rome. So the meaning of "catholic" has sort of been assumed to be something else, that is, to mean "Roman Catholic" just as the word "Biblical" has sort of been assumed to be something else, that is, to mean "accurately Biblical." Am I making sense?
Language is weird.
addendum: I've now come across the Pope's Encyclical where he discusses a problem of language, and I was pleasantly amused! HT to BHT.
3 comments:
language is weird indeed. reminds me of a Calvin and Hobbes quote: "Verbing weirds language."
I think we have even kind of got the same sort of phenomenon you're talking about with the word "Christian." You know, like you call yourself a Christian, and some people assume that this means you voted for Bush and you're against gay marriage (maybe even assume you're an intolerant obnoxious bigot when it comes to homosexuals), and a host of other things which may well be true but which are beside the point. We pledge allegiance to a country without borders, without politicians--we have a spiritual kingdom with a King who died to save it. All these other things are, in a sense, accidental. Not quite the same as the confusion that would emerge if we were to tell people we were members of the one holy catholic church, but I think you can see the similarities.
ah, yes, I knew I could count on you Rhonda for some good-hearted dissension! ;) Thanks for your thoughts.
my brief reflections:
I will go further and say that I am in the spiritual and physical One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church as well. And linguistically speaking, since it is linguistics I am concerning myself with more here, the capital C is indeed a proper usage...
Drop the "Roman" qualifier if it suits you; I find it helpful when making myself understood, when pressed upon for explanation, which has not happened often. But if you don't like it I can understand as well; I wouldn't like it. After all, we're followers of Jesus, a great privilege if you ask me! :) The Gospel is what I treasure.
I also recognize my "history" as in the Catholic Church, both Roman and otherwise. And as Jackson said, we pledge allegiance to a country without borders.
catholic from Kata and Holos (or whatever the right ending is)?
According to the whole?
That's what Lutherans say
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