Today is September 30, 2024. This rant is about authority, significance and importance of words that we say or write. It is popular to say words matter but whose words? What words?
The truth is this: what you or I may say as individuals is generally ignored by everybody. Almost nobody really knows or cares what you or I think or say. This is true for everybody, no matter how popular or well known a person may be. This truth may not sit well with some that rank high in their own eyes, of course. There is a scale of importance and weight in regard to our words, what we say and what we write. The range of importance and value is independent of most common considerations.
The Bible, the Word of God, has authority, significance and value that is unique. Its words are important whether understood or not understood. Whether its words are clear and simple or clouded and obscure they need to be honored and respected.
But why? Why is that true? How can this be true? Many reasons can be given, some based on feelings and some based on logic. But one reason seems prominent to me.
The value of a given word, phrase, sentence, paragraph or larger work can be traced to its source but also the amount of regard it is given by other people. The number of people that honor those words and whether they are preserved reflect their value.
If a measure of pride and arrogance is cultivated it is natural to disregard or ignore reason or the opinions of others. Logic and common sense indicate that the judgment and opinions of others should be considered before taking a stand on an issue, for or against.
The words of the Holy Bible sit at the top of the heap. The words of the Bible are significant, important and authoritative.
They have been handed down from generation to generation over many years. Hundreds and thousands of people have heard these words. They have read these words, thought about them, considered and meditated on them and thought them worthy to be preserved and repeated.
Intelligent and educated people have gathered to discuss and pontificate on their meaning. Whether a particular writing is to be included or not included in the body of the compilation was argued and decided.
We live at the tail end of all this activity and benefit from the accumulation of derivative works. These activities and the products of this activity are evidence that the words of the Holy Bible are authoritative, significant and important.
This is one of the reasons why I have begun to create a series of videos and a website to organize and present these videos. Not because my words are particularly important but to direct the thoughts to the words of the Bible. I want to emphasize the viewpoint that the words of the Bible are important and significant and there are many important points that are clear and simple that spring from the Bible words.
There are important points related to philosophy, psychology, philology, semantics, semiotics and other topics in the Bible. I hope to present my opinions of these topics in an accessible manner. I hope to encourage viewers and readers to take the words of the Bible seriously and align their lives with the words of the Bible as they apply them to themselves in real life.
Consider this a blog post. It was prepared as a personal diary entry but is posted publicly in case it is of some value to someone else.