Learned Lunatics

The icon for a learned lunatic!

I ran across the expression "learned lunatics" on the Orthosphere blog. They define their title as a sphere of influence that expresses right, correct, and straight teaching. The authors are all Christians: Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox who share their thoughts about the disordered societies of the West. I was intrigued by the article A Shifted Attitude: What Gender Ideology is All About describing a summer English class at Texas A&M where the gender unicorn did gyre and gimble in the wabe. The author described the learned lunatics among his colleagues.

The description of "learned lunatics" is apt today, especially on college and university campuses; in psychiatrist and counselor offices; in courtrooms where lawfare is the order of the day, the blindfold ripped off Lady Justice; and, of course, in media and corporate offices where editors and CEOs skewer the truth with lies, bias, and exaggeration. 

Many learned lunatics have long alphabet suffixes after their names. They think that proves their superiority to lesser humans, i.e., less intelligent, less enlightened. (Dr. Science comes to mind.) Like the little boy who proclaimed, "The emperor has no clothes," we stand on the sidelines trying to awaken the crowd to the hoax being perpetrated on them by these learned lunatics, often to no avail. It seems that people have an endless capacity to be hoodwinked. P.T. Barnum may have never said, "There's a sucker born every minute."but it's true. COVID illustrated that in spades!

So what's my point? I think it's a virtue to be a skeptic. You hear something or you read it on social media. Is it true? Did it really happen? Are the nice stories that keep you glued to the screen AI generated with that purpose in mind? Can you trust the movers and shakers? Or should you follow the advice of Ronald Reagan, "Trust, but verify."?

We are called to be wise as serpents and simple as doves. [Matthew 10:16] What does that mean? Snakes are cautious. A few weeks ago I saw a copperhead on the bridge over the dam. I thought it was dead but, strangely, it wasn't flat like it had been run over. I took its picture, but fortunately I didn't try to pick it up or touch it. When I got home I showed the photo to my husband who said it sure looked alive. When I magnified the photo I could see the wide open eyes, but not even a ripple showed it was alive. 

Copperheads, it turns out, react to threats by staying perfectly still. The gospel calls us to be prudent. Don't look for a fight. Be like that serpent and cautiously approach situations looking for an opportunity, an opening to speak the truth. Another passage tells us not to cast our pearls before swine. Hoggish behavior is to snort and stomp. We need to recognize the moments when truth may be accepted rather than rejected with further sins of blasphemy and ridicule. Trying to preach to a raging mob is pointless. Having a one-on-one conversation with a lost soul can be a blessing for them. Prudence is one of the cardinal virtues. I know how much I need it and pray for it often.

And what about that being "simple" as doves. That's a metaphor for innocence and gentleness. We need to eliminate any unrighteous anger or malice in our actions. We need to foster that love for enemies Jesus talks about. It's not easy. Yesterday, Charlie Kirk was murdered. His killing followed only days after the stabbing murder of a pretty young immigrant on the subway train in Charlotte. Anger is a natural reaction and a justified one. But it should never lead us to abandon the faith and embrace vengeance. Justice YES! Hatred and revenge NO! 

When the "learned lunatics" start spouting their gun control mantra remember that many of them have security details with guns and live in gated communities. Some, like hypocrite liberal columnist Carl Rowan, have unregistered guns for protection. When they start their sanctimonious blather, don't cast your pearls before swine. Go to the gun range and practice.