Whatever interpretation you put on Acts 11:26 I think Bill East has reached
the nub of the issue for me which is that 'christian' is also a perjorative
term.
I agree with Graham Jones that to use language you have to understand the
bounds within which one's terms operate . My example was intended to
illustrate how applying a term loosely would impair or distort one's
perception of the underlying process and I'd be the first to admit it
misfired! There is a need for precision of meaning in academic debate. And
language is inherently fuzzy.
One of the purposes of discussion is to facilitate a consistent
understanding and appreciation of those bounds, to enable all individuals to
operate within the current guidelines. By talking to one another we
calibrate our language. Proscription is not the answer. Proscribing words
is a bit like those management training exercises in which a positive
approach is taught by banning all use of negative expressions. It works
in the seminar room, but is much harder to apply in the wider world of real
life. (Obviously if you're in a training situation it's a very useful
technique to make students really think their way round a concept.)
I'm sure all those who have participated understand the problems associated
with defining the concept we are trying to describe. Indeed I have been
taken aback by the number of variations you can get on a theme...
Lastly, if 'pagan' derives from the area outside a town, or equates
roughly to 'paysan' where does 'heathen' come from? Without reaching for a
dictionary, it looks as though they could be remarkably similar.
Backwoodsmen and hillbillies beware! You may be the pagans of the new
millenium! Now there's a word I could with less of...!
Regards
John A.W. Lock
----- Original Message -----
From: Bill East <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 1999 10:02 AM
Subject: Re: pagans vs. gentiles
>
>
> --- damon knight <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > I think it is idle to look for a non-pejorative substitute for
> > "pagan."
> > Such well-meant attempts never work, because the new word soon
> > acquires
> > the pejorative meaning of the old one. Rather than abandoning
> > "pagan,"
> > we should use it in non-pejorative ways and hope to influence its use
> > by
> > others. BTW, I know a few people who refer to themselves as pagans.
>
> Quite so. There is now an official Pagan chaplain at the prison where
> I am the Catholic chaplain. Pagans do not regard "pagan" as a
> pejorative term. Incidentally it would appear from Acts 11:26 that
> "Christian" was to begin with a pejorative term.
>
> Oriens.
>
> ____________________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Get your free @yahoo.co.uk address at http://mail.yahoo.co.uk
> or your free @yahoo.ie address at http://mail.yahoo.ie
>
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|