Basic Assumptions and Our Padded Cell of a World

Posted by brand spanking new guest blogger Mommynator (and Mr. BH is seriously pumped about it):

Credit me with OCD when it comes to writing. I had this whole elaborate thing going and decided that maybe it should just be quick’n’dirty so we could get down to discussion and then get detailed.

Aristotle is credited with telling people that before discussing anything, one should Define Your Terms.

In other words, in order to communicate one’s arguments effectively, all arguers should be working from the same set of assumptions and definitions.

Then again, Aristotle and Company were not averse to trying to uncover Truth. They actually believed it existed, and Plato expanded on that idea with his doctrine of “forms” – i.e., that everything that exists has a basic form which appears in this world with slight variations (basic wooden chair vs. uber-upholstered Barcalounger).

So let me now discuss what I believe are two important universal ideas: Original Sin and Common Grace. And let me define these terms so we can all be on the same page. I realize my definitions may not be the “classic” definitions, but they are the result of much observation and thought.

Original Sin:

As I’ve come to understand this, it is not only related to the original defiance of God’s direct instructions, but is the underlying current of “wrongness” in our world – why things go wrong or break down without any apparent evil, wrongdoing or other nefarious reason.

It’s why apparently good people become ill with deadly and ugly diseases, decent relationships break down, children die, etc. There is something amiss that started on that first defiant day which continues to deteriorate our existence. In physics, it’s entropy. In biology, it’s unexplained flaws in the genome.

Common Grace:

Again, as I’ve come to understand this, it is the good things that remain and that happen to people in spite of their belief or unbelief in God. These are things that are also set into creation and still not affected much or corrupted by original sin. Things like Jesus said about the rain falling on the just and the unjust.

Now I started writing this last time because I was perturbed by people who think they can make everything comfy-cozy safe. And I’m convinced that because of original sin and the tendency for things to go wrong (sounds like Murphy), we cannot ever be 100% safe no matter how much technology and progress in medicine and other things we invent and develop and create to make things safe.

The common grace part of it is the surprise that things aren’t worse, that things don’t break down more often, that people can be kind and loving and in spite of everything, we have so much that is good in our lives.

And because we have so much that is good, it should spur us to do good as wisely as possible.

And that’s my take on this stuff.

Comments

[xtnyoda]

In spite of all our "advances" we still find ourselves in need of a savior.

Always have...always will.

Great post...thanks.

[BroKen]

Yes, Mommynator, thanks.

This strikes me as the foundation of almost everything else. Each of us must choose which side we are on, which side is fundamental to the universe, which side do we think will ultimately win, Sin (which leads to death, decay, destruction, and devilment) or Grace (which leads to life and liberty and love, etc.)

Our friend Salvage expressed the notion that the universe is pointless (but then grafted a hopeful scenario of human development to which he thinks we are inevitably progressing.)

Some people see the question unresolved and pick Dualism. And some swirl their Dualism together into One so the Fundamental Reality is both Good and Evil. (Come to the Dark Side, Luke!)

In any case, we must choose, because the nature of Fundamental Reality is, well, fundamental.

[Mommynator]

The next step is percolating in my brain even as we speak - and both you gentlemen are correct.

Thanks for the comments.