Babel

Man uses words to convey an objective meaning. It is all he really has. The biblical account of the Tower of Babel demonstrates what happens when that meaning is lost. To this day, even the most heated and passionate disagreements must come to terms with an understanding of what is being said, whether one agrees or not. The consequences otherwise were ably described in the Book of Genesis.

And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of men had built. And the LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. (11:5-8)

If you read last Thursday's editorial at uscatholic.org entitled "A ridiculous mountain of red silk", what is particularly telling are the comments, for it is here that words mean whatever anyone wants them to mean. Indeed, they are used less for their meaning, than as a stick with which to bludgeon their opponent over the head. Such antagonists may call you all manner of names, and make whatever assumptions about you that they wish, but as long as they claim to be spreading the Vatican II message of peace, love, fairy dust, or whatever other cliches come to mind, their get-out-of-jail-free card is firmly in hand.

If you are already predisposed toward their conclusion, nothing they do or say would dissuade you. But if your search for some semblance of objective Truth is sincere, you will be convinced by their merits.

Or repulsed by the lack thereof.
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