Darwinists can be so contradictory. While what I’m about to say will doubtlessly infuriate the Darwinists, it will also doubtlessly make me sound like a Darwinist. So ironic.
Human beings did not evolve in a world of instant information. Knowledge was earned, and often paid for dearly in all but the last few centuries. To put it another way, however we acquired our design, we are not designed to assimilate knowledge without effort. For 99+% of human history the process of acquiring knowledge has demanded effort, cost, and sacrifice. Since the information age got into full swing around about 1844 there has been a growing pile of steaming “knowledge” available for free! Not only is there no longer any effort required in gaining this knowledge (Daniel 12:4), but there’s more of it than any human could possibly consume in an entire lifetime!
Even our educational system has been reorganized in such a way as to be a conduit for this “global brain” of the information age. Our esteemed scientific community has initiated project “peer-review” to ensure that the gateway of information into the “global brain” is guarded by “benevolent” and “omniscient” sentries whose only “incorruptible” purpose in life is to protect the sanctity of this information.
As a Christian, I notice a terrible problem with all of this “knowledge.” The problem being, the disproportion, perhaps even absence, of wisdom in the process.
As a Christian, I notice a terrible problem with all of this “knowledge.” The problem being, the disproportion, perhaps even absence, of wisdom in the process. IMO the Bible emphasizes wisdom far above mere knowledge. While most knowledge is highly nuanced, even very straight-forward information such as, “what goes up, comes down,” effects different people differently. Wisdom is required to apply knowledge effectively. Even your pet labradoople knows “what goes up, comes down”, yet animals are arguably void of wisdom. Lack of wisdom usually doesn’t stop them from recognizing that they shouldn’t jump off of very high places. Wisdom isn’t as simple as the instinct of self-preservation. Wisdom is what allows a sentient being to build and better themselves and others by piecing together knowledge in creative ways. Inventing the first roof, to stop rain from falling on one’s head. Not likely going to come from a labradoople.
What we have with the information age is a firm societal belief that we have more and better knowledge than anyone before, and yet realistically we have less and worse wisdom than ever before. The internet’s (the global brain) attempts at manufacturing and distributing wisdom consist of “memes” and mis-attributed or out-of-context quotes from famous people. Wisdom is simply unavailable via this medium, yet this medium is quickly becoming the only medium most of society uses to gain “knowledge.”
Take a look at the picture below, this conveys an accurate analogy of the difference between the apparent beauty of knowledge available for free on the internet, and the application of that knowledge without wisdom:
Dear brothers and sisters, please feel free to attempt your own “pinata cake”, no harm, it’ll probably still taste great. Just like much of the “knowledge” on the internet that cake may be a photo-shopped hoax, How do they keep the M&Ms from melting? Wanna bet they put them in after they cut open the cake and dug a hole out because they knew it would go viral? Again, no big deal, but please raise an eyebrow before you make life decisions based on internet memes. Or internet preachers… or ME for that matter!
A crown of wisdom is earned at a price. It’s an investment of time, and heartache, not clicking whatever picture catches your eye. The internet is making fools of society in such an unprecedented way that I cannot even imagine what kind of character will be running for president in 2024. God willing we’ll have Jesus as King before we have to obey the whims of some cross between an anime action figure and a barbie doll. Sound crazy? Well, just look over your kids’ shoulders sometime and see what “knowledge” they are acquiring from the internet. We have surely found ourselves living in the end-times.
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” – 2 Timothy 3:1-5
The pinata cake was a good example of knowledge and wisdom. The knowledge of how to commit murder but the wisdom not to. I have thought they were the same, but wisdom is the ability to apply, use knowledge.
Yes, exactly uncle herbert! I couldn’t agree more, and unfortunately we live in a society full of people that believe that knowledge is enough and that wisdom is some vague and unimportant thing.
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