Saturday, May 13, 2023

New York Times Opinionator column






The New York Times Opinionator column for a period carried a five-part essay by Errol Morris entitled ‘The Anosognosic’s Dilemma: Something’s Wrong but You’ll Never Know What It Is’. He leads with a story of a bank robber named McArthur Wheeler in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was told that if he rubbed lemon juice on his face, he need not use a mask to avoid detection, because his face would be invisible to the cameras. He bought a Polaroid camera and a couple of lemons, squeezed them and applied the juice to his face. Pointed the camera at his face and clicked, rotated the camera and clicked. What he finished up with was a photo of the ceiling but no image of his face and fully believed that the lemon juice did the trick.

A detective that viewed the security tapes of the Banks he robbed said that Wheeler walked into the Bank and searched for the cameras and deliberately looked at them and smiled, completely deceived into thinking that the ploy worked. The Police put out an identity picture and soon had a name for the culprit and arrested him. Wheeler admitted the ruse and was summarily dealt with. This story prompted Errol Morris to ask the question, ‘Was Wheeler too stupid to realise that he was stupid?’

He also referred to David Dunning Professor of Psychology at Cornell University about knowing what you don’t know, Morris said, Knowing what you don’t know? Is this supposedly the hallmark of an intelligent person? Dunning replied, That’s absolutely right. It’s knowing that there are things you don’t know that you don’t know. Donald Rumsfeld gave this speech about “unknown unknowns.” It goes something like this: “There are things we know we know about terrorism. There are things we know we don’t know. And there are things that are unknown unknowns. We don’t know that we don’t know.” He got a lot of grief for that. And I thought, “That’s the smartest and most modest thing I’ve heard in a year.” 9/11 epitomises Rumsfeld’s comment about the non-existence of absolute intelligence in relation to terrorism.

In Morris’s fifth article he deals with the subject of self-deception, that is a denial of truth that has been revealed, including wilful ignorance, not wanting to know what is knowable. This involves the will of the individual who chooses not to know. In spiritual terms that is the position of the atheist, he does not want to know about God, whereas the agnostic person does not know God because he has not believed as yet, truth from the Bible presented to him/her.

Last night I was talking to an older man who in recent weeks had been saved. He had just listened to a man teaching the scriptures from Romans ch.11. He said, “I will never know the Bible as he knows it!” I told him the position where he now is, by telling him about the blind man in John.ch.9. Jesus sent the blind man to the Pool of Siloam and to wash his eyes. He obeyed and came back seeing. “Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.” The man replied, “Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” At that point he did not know of the impeccability of Christ, that it was impossible for the Lord to sin, but he would learn that later. What he did know is that he could now see, he was changed and could see things that he had never seen before. I explained to my friend that he has started on the road of knowing the unknowable, he is at the “one thing I know” stage but that will soon increase.

In contrast to the new converts position, the Apostle John wrote his gospel in uncomplicated language, using words that a child can understand and believe, but those words carry truth that very intelligent people do not understand or refuse to believe. For example, the first three verses read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” The majority of those words are single syllable, easy to understand, the truth that they convey is that Jesus is God the Son and that creation was made by Him. Richard Dawkins, the man allegedly rated the third highest intelligence in the UK, refuses to accept John’s words as truth, this is willful ignorance. This ignorance and arrogance reminds me of Pharaoh’s words to Moses in Exodus 5:2, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? (arrogance) I know not the LORD (ignorance), neither will I let Israel go (disobedience).

John concludes his gospel with “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.” Of course, how can finite man exhaust words to set forth the Infinite God?

People who have faith in God can say with Job, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.” Paul said, I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” He also recognized that in this life his knowledge of God is incomplete, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
Christ said, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and
Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

This is eternal life and knowing the unknowable! Have you got it? 

For more information and further explanations of the message of the bible via videos, blogs and podcasts please visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk


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8 comments

Felix Jarikre's Blog said...

To know that you don't know is a wise man's safe house! Eternal life is an unimaginable universe where even the best of science known to man cannot even dare to probe!

Stephen Baker of Seek the Truth said...

Hi Felix, thanks for your comment. If there is no God and we are restricted to only knowing what we can discover and research personally (or cumulatively as a race) I would agree with your comment. Bring the revelation of God (in nature, conscience and the Bible) and the revelation in Jesus Christ into the equation and we face a completely different scenario. The scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation and faith comes by hearing the word of God. My YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/StephenGBaker) and podcasts (www.seekthetruth.org.uk) address some of these questions. Keep in touch if I can help any more. Thanks, Stephen

Stephen Baker of Seek the Truth said...


Hi, thanks for your comment. If there is no God and we are restricted to only knowing what we can discover and research personally (or cumulatively as a race) I would agree with your comment. Bring the revelation of God (in nature, conscience and the Bible) and the revelation in Jesus Christ into the equation and we face a completely different scenario. The scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation and faith comes by hearing the word of God. My YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/StephenGBaker) and podcasts (www.seekthetruth.org.uk) address some of these questions. Keep in touch if I can help any more. Thanks, Stephen

Stephen Baker of Seek the Truth said...

Hi, thanks for your comment. Death is only sad if you do not have the assurance of knowing where you will be in the next life. Jesus came into the world to reveal the truth and to bring us to God. The reason we die is because of sin (sin when it is finished ends in death). The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. If you would like more answers to your questions please visit my YouTube site (https://www.youtube.com/user/StephenGBaker) or my web page (www.seekthetruth.org.uk). I’d love to help you if I can. Kind regards, Stephen

Stephen Baker of Seek the Truth said...

Hi, thanks for your comment. People do indeed have two eyes but they are spiritually blind when it comes to God and spiritual matters. Jesus taught that people love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. Satan has blinded people’s minds but Jesus made the supreme sacrifice by dying for our sins and rising from the dead to open our eyes to the truth. If you would like more answers to your questions please visit my YouTube site (https://www.youtube.com/user/StephenGBaker) or my web page (www.seekthetruth.org.uk). I’d love to help you if I can. Kind regards, Stephen

Stephen Baker of Seek the Truth said...

Hi, thanks for your comment. It depends how you define success. The Bible says that the ‘love of money is the root of all evil’. Jesus taught that life is not the sum total of what you possess. Jesus came into the world to reveal the truth and to bring us to God. He came to give us abundant life by dying for our sins. If you would like more answers to your questions please visit my YouTube site (https://www.youtube.com/user/StephenGBaker) or my web page (www.seekthetruth.org.uk). I’d love to help you if I can. Kind regards, Stephen

Stephen Baker of Seek the Truth said...

Hi, thanks for your comment. There are many stories in this world but few of them are truth. Jesus said ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life no man comes to the Father except through me’ Jesus came into the world to reveal the truth and to bring us to God. The reason we die is because of sin (sin when it is finished ends in death). The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. If you would like more answers to your questions please visit my YouTube site (https://www.youtube.com/user/StephenGBaker) or my web page (www.seekthetruth.org.uk). I’d love to help you if I can. Kind regards, Stephen

Stephen Baker of Seek the Truth said...

Hi, thanks for your comment. The biggest problems we have are our mortality, our wrongdoing and our conscience. If you do not have the assurance of knowing where you will be in the next life then life becomes fearful and fragile. It’s all ok until we face sickness and death. Jesus came into the world to reveal the truth and to bring us to God. The reason we die is because of sin (sin when it is finished ends in death). The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. If you would like more answers to your questions please visit my YouTube site (https://www.youtube.com/user/StephenGBaker) or my web page (www.seekthetruth.org.uk). I’d love to help you if I can. Kind regards, Stephen

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