Proverbs 23

Proverbs 23:9 Speak not in the ears of a fool:

for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

I often engage in online discussions and I find essentially four kinds of people. First; the informed whom I may or may not agree with. Second; the uninformed (ignorant) whom I may or may not agree with but who developed their opinions in some other way than through the acquisition of information such as through life experience, upbringing, intuition, etc. Three; the uniformed (ignorant) whom I completely disagree with, but who are ready to receive information and have a pleasant discussion. Four; the willfully ignorant who desire neither information or a pleasant discussion, but instead only want to attack me and argue with me. The willfully ignorant are usually pretty easy to recognize right away and my advice is to avoid engagement with them. It is just a waste of time. We will call the last kind the “swine type” for reasons you will see.

You can recognize the swine type by their arguments being personal (ad hominem) attacks, topically irrelevant or misleading (distraction or misdirecting is called a non-sequitur), grossly exaggerated (called bombastic or hyperbole), simply false (called lying), overly argumentative (called sophistic or plainly rhetorical), or only linguistically based (called semantics), numerical based on information that was gathered from biased sources such as government agencies or collegiate “studies” and voluntary surveys or census (called statistics), the use of slogans and talking-points without being able to explain their meaning or origin (called propaganda), and more. While there are other signs of the swine type that is enough for now. Just know that God forbids Christians from re-engaging the swine type in argument once they be found to be of this type. At the most two engagements (such as a few written responses or back and forth dialog or whatever) should be enough to determine this. If they reject basic information and premises then they are swine and they will not hear any sound except the call, “sooey,” from their masters who ever they may be. I call those the “swine-type” for that is what Jesus Christ called them. Likewise there is another type who are also willfully ignorant, but are not swine, but rather rabid dogs. These kinds attack verbally (not merely ad hominem but threatening an act of violence) or actually do end up physically attack a person, shouting at them, standing aggressively to intimidate them, etc. Christ spoke of them also.

Matthew 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Philippians 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.

Second Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.
12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;
14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
17 These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Leave a Reply