Thus said Archimedes, bragging about levers.  But to move the people of the world, no fixed points are needed.

Honestly, it is FAR too easy to sway people... maybe it's because logic is not much taught in public schools today... maybe people just don't like thinking...

This thought just came to mind yesterday as we were listening to Ya Got Trouble from The Music Man. 

For anyone unfamiliar with the plot of the movie, Harold (the Music Man) is trying to convince the people that they need to form a band.  To aid him in this endeavor, he lights upon the new pool table in town as a cause of all sort of immorality, which will certainly entrance their young people if they don't have something productive to do -- such as being in his band.

His *cough* logic leaves much to be desired.

The grand finalle sums up many of his best points.

Are certain words creeping into his conversation?
Words like 'swell?"
And 'so's your old man?"
Well, if so my friends,
Ya got trouble,
Right here in River city!
With a capital "T"
And that rhymes with "P"
And that stands for Pool.
We've surely got trouble!
Right here in River City!
Remember the Maine, Plymouth Rock and the Golden Rule!
Oh, we've got trouble.
We're in terrible, terrible trouble.
That game with the fifteen numbered balls is a devil's tool!
Oh yes we got trouble, trouble, trouble!
With a "T"! Gotta rhyme it with "P"!
And that stands for Pool!!!

How does T rhyming with P have anything to do with the evils of pool?  And what in the world does Plymouth Rock have to do with pool?    The song just cracks me up. 

I've had plenty of experience with people listening to rhetoric more than what the rhetoric is saying...  this is often really, really obvious during quizzing challenges.  The judges are good about paying attention to what the challenges are, but I've heard at least one time in so many words, "I'd just give up and say, OK, you win!"  And it was an awful challenge!  It was just made by a good quizzer, and he knows his stuff, and it sounded educated... but it had nothing to do with the question!

And then there was the wonderful night at youth group a while back when they not only put Antion and me on the same team (big mistake for debates), they also gave us his younger brother Josh.  Antion and I were doing well in defending the point (which we did NOT agree with) that grades are not as important as having fun in school, between telepathy, good notes, and the book of Ecclesiastes, when we hit a lull.  Josh to the rescue:  "Look, JESUS said, 'take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry'." (Luke 12:19)  Talk about out of context; it's from the parable about the foolish man who build bigger and bigger barns and said to himself, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry."

It may have been taken seriously by our opponents if we had been able to restrain our laughter.  But we weren't.

I (who pride myself on my logical abilities!) have fallen prey to rhetoric... thanks to CarpeBanana, a few years ago, and the DHMO website.  >_<

So, a warning and a reminder.  Beware of what you hear.  It is easy to take things out of context, easy to be misled if your beliefs are not grounded in the Word of God.  And as our pastor pointed out today, we cannot be grounded God's Word unless we know it, and we cannot know it unless we spend time in it.   Jesus is the "fixed point" and Rock of our salvation, which can move the world.  Don't settle for anything less.

Good point.

Hello