Hello, blessed friends!
Here I am with another opportunity to share something very good that happened to me and has helped me grow and become stronger, especially in the Word of God.
We live in a time when we are flooded with information of every kind and from every part of the world, and we end up unable to absorb much of this content.
So what do we tend to do?
We tend to look for ready-made, straightforward explanations, that is, answers that quickly remove any doubts we may have. We stop at the first result found in a search. Consequently, we end up believing, repeating, and taking as truth a large number of mistaken opinions, concepts, and ideas about a subject.
We do not do this on purpose.
We have the feeling that the days are “getting shorter.” We cannot accomplish even a third of what we planned on certain days because of a “lack of time.”
Usually those who give us this information are acquaintances, relatives, leaders, and friends, and they are in the same process as we are, passing along content without having sought to learn more about it.
I warn you, however, that some people use this device for their own purposes, which are not always well intentioned.
It is very important that we filter and analyze everything we hear and read.
In the Bible we find teachings that instruct us to meditate on the Word.
As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as though he would go farther. But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for evening is coming; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took the bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. Luke 24:28-31
And he said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms had to be fulfilled.” Then he opened their understanding so that they could comprehend the Scriptures. Luke 24:44,45
From this we can see that even those who know Scripture, whether religious leaders or not, may make a mistake if they do not meditate on it. Our eyes need to be opened so we can understand Scripture.
Until recently I was very influenced by opinions about Prosperity Theology, which will be addressed in another article, and as a result I always had contradictory ideas and did not know what to take as a true foundation. Then, through a lesson from one of my mentors, I learned something that has helped mature my way of thinking and acting.
This lesson is based on three points: DOUBT, ANALYZE, and CRITIQUE.
It is not as simple as it may seem, because this is a foundation for logical reasoning, which requires effort and practice to use well.
1 – DOUBT
If you believe everything you see or hear… you are probably running a great risk: being easily manipulated.
Let us look in the dictionary to see what is said about the verb doubt: Not to believe, not to accept.
Starting from the premise that something is not true, we begin to “assemble” a foundation for forming our opinion.
When you doubt something someone told you, you are not questioning their authority,
integrity, or friendship, but beginning a process of logical reasoning.
“There are many reasons to doubt and only one to believe.” Carlos Drummond de Andrade
2 – ANALYZE
You have already doubted, and now you want to know whether that information is true. So the time has come to collect data to construct a critique.
Let us look in the dictionary to see what is said about the verb analyze: To study, break a whole down into its parts, examine.
This stage consists, as mentioned earlier, of collecting data on the subject and examining it to understand its functioning or structure, underlying ideology, intentions or reasons for use, and so on.
So far you have doubted and analyzed, and now you need to conclude the logical reasoning with a critique.
3 – CRITIQUE
Most people do not know the true meaning of the verb critique. They conclude that critiquing something or someone means saying negative things about that thing or person. Some informal dictionaries also support this mistaken opinion.
Let us look in a formal dictionary to see what is said about the verb critique: To examine, evaluate, analyze a work to highlight its qualities and/or flaws.
Remember that we are talking about critiquing ideas, opinions, and concepts. We should not judge people.
Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. For in the same way you judge, you will be judged; and the measure you use will also be used to measure you. Why do you notice the speck in your brother's eye and fail to notice the beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” when there is a beam in yours? Hypocrite, first take the beam out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Matthew 1:1-5
I am not suggesting that you evaluate something with scores, as film critics do, for example.
When forming an opinion through logical reasoning and maintaining an argument about a subject, it is suggested that you make not only a subjective analysis but also an objective one, using the data and facts collected.
As Christians, we should take the Bible as our foundation and greatest example, meditating on God's Word to construct our critiques.
An unfounded critique is always destructive and should be avoided.
“The ridiculous situation of someone who criticizes what they admit never having read is already enough to disqualify their criticism.” Voltaire
I hope I have managed to convey to you what I learned and adopted as the basic style of reasoning for my life.
May God bless you!
Wishing you success!
João Victor
I wrote this post on January 21, 2011