What Do You Mean?

      Language is a precious ability. To be sure, other non-human living things communicate, but not with the range and clarity of homo sapiens. But words can be misunderstood or misused. They can enliven or kill. Because of this, we must take great care with the use of language lest we convey unintended meanings. The fallacy of the old sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones adage points out the need to think carefully about what one might wish to say (and whether to say it or not), and then choose words that suitably translate the intended meaning of those thoughts.

      Several examples highlight the necessity for language precision.

      The terms conservative and liberal are thrown around helter-skelter like a game of dodgeball . . . or an attempt to stone an individual or a group to death. The first precision-seeking step is to identify the issue at hand. For instance, all my life I have been, and am, an extreme conservative when it comes to the consumption of alcoholic beverages. And, again, all my life I have been a raging liberal with respect to physical fitness. So the application of either of those terms depends on the subject matter.

      When it comes to politics or religion, there is such a wide spectrum of approaches that it is imperative to identify specifics when applying either of these terms. Fundamentalist extremes in either direction are just that: extremes. When someone identifies him/herself to me as either a conservative or a liberal, my first request is to identify specifics . . . what position do you embrace on any of dozens of potential subject areas.

      One specific label that begs clarification is Christian. Anyone can think s/he is one, and blatantly apply the appellation to him/herself. My question to such a claimant is: what does that mean to you? There is such a wide variance (think: Grand Canyon) between aspirants that either there are different Bibles being used, or the users are from different planets. As an illustration, The Ku Klux Klan has historically claimed a Christian identity and rationale, and used Christian language and symbolism. For another example, many self-identified Christians assume that I, as a Lutheran clergyman, embrace the same theological understandings as they do, when, in fact, we are light years apart.

      A huge percent of the problems we create are the consequence of misunderstanding or misusing words. Which begs reinforcement of the necessity to choose the words we use carefully, and to seek clarification with respect to the choices others make.