Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Loss of Critical Thinking - British Heritage Forgotten

Sent by a reader, aimed at ELDONA.
There is a story that Wescott or Hort said this, "In chess, too,
a bishop moves obliquely."  The cartoonist knows that
few can define oblique today.

I bought a History of England from Folio Books and read many of the volumes. One time, I read a section to Mrs. Ichabod (nee Jackson) - about the typical Englishman of the 17th century. I said, "This is me!" I enjoyed the part about joking around and devotion to gardening. I even had a part in my front teeth, until the dentist fixed it.

LI said that a shovel appears as soon as we arrive in a new location, and plants are put in the ground.

Terry-Thomas stole my earlier look;
I am not sure if gap teeth are especially British.


Our country owes a vast debt to England and its history of law and justice. For example, to oppose tyranny by those in power, no one had the authority to arrest, try, and execute a supposed criminal. Arrest, prosecution, and execution were separated. If someone asked for a jury trial, he was entitled to be judged by his peers, that is, from his own class. The jury tries the facts in the case.

Critical thinking is directly related to our system of justice, and lawyers help in protecting the vulnerable from the tyrants of today.

I have noticed that many students have no concept of critical thinking in the classroom. Opinions and feelings are sacred, not to be bruised or offended in class. As one plagiarizing student said in anonymous comments, "All he cares about is plagiarism."

Some basic elements in arguing a case, an opinion, a thesis are:
  1. Stating the actual argument clearly.
  2. Gathering research for and against the argument.
  3. Using research to back up the argument.
  4. Stating the opposite side fairly and providing a reasonable refutation.
  5. Summarizing the argument and ending with the conclusion.
England did not invent this, as we can see from Thucydides, who practiced this in his analytical history of the Peloponnesian Wars. Pericles argued this way too, so this is the fruit of the Athenian foundation for Western Civilization. The English knew this, because education meant studying the Greeks and Romans, not coveting the Kardashians.

A theory or argument may be entirely wrong, but a good presentation of it helps everyone understand the issues involved. That is what debate societies do. The American legal system assumes there are two sides to every case.


Compare the Low State of Lutherdom
Lutherans do not debate issues, but simply start with what the bosses are promoting. There is only one position. As the French Emperor said, "One king, one law, one faith." It rhymes beautifully in French. WELS and Missouri would modernize this as, "Ein Reich, Ein Volk, Ein Fuehrer!"

UOJ is true because Pope John the Malefactor, Matt the Fat, and Mirthless Mark say so. Therefore, gather all the arguments for absolution without faith and dismiss Luther, misquote the Book of Concord, and laud Bishop Stephan's pimp, CFW Walther.

Define Lutheran orthodoxy as those who teach Halle Pietistic rationalism. No need to bother with the issues, Luther, the Apology, or Chemnitz. As Jon-Boy Buchholz solemnly declared, UOJ is "settled doctrine." 

 We don't know what we believe and teach
until the Bishop has spoken. One priest had a question.

He has since disappeared.

 The Chief Article did not mean anything
when ELDONA was schmoozing with the Rolf Synod.

 Here is a woman preaching to Jay Webber's alma mater,
the online seminary run by ELCAts and Romanists.

 It was good enough for Walther
and it's good enough for me.
Gimme that old time adultery,
Gimme that old time adultery...

 This is a Jay Webber Facebook page.
UOJ facilitates all kinds of contradictions and nonsense.