Two interesting word origins
I was reading the Keeping the Home blog again this morning. Interesting stuff. Though there’s some places I disagree, the author’s posts are always thought-provoking.
Today’s post is next in the husband’s series on Debunking Evolution - definitely worth a read if you’re interested in the topic. However, he touched on something else that’s of personal interest - word origins. It’s something that people often don’t realize about me: I love language, languages, word origins, linguistic trivia, and such.
I haven’t studied it as much as I’d like, to be sure, and really have only done so in a haphazard, interest-of-the-moment fashion over the years. But as a result I know a smattering of several languages (no where near fluency) and I find things like etymology and the relationships between words in various languages fascinating. I adore regional dialects. When I study the Bible I like to pick apart the original languages. I like to understand the nuance of language.
The three words touched on in the linked post are creation, creature and history.
I’ve known about “history” for a long time - His story. The word in ancient languages hearkens to a wise man or judge and a factual, orderly account of events. If one considers human history as beginning “In the beginning”, in Genesis, then history truly is His story - the story of God.
Creation (obviously) and creature (less obviously, til you think about it) both give place to a Creator. In order to be a creation, there must be one who created it. In order to be a creature, there must be a creator of that creature.
Fascinating stuff. 
November 29th, 2007 at 5:47 am
It’s a shame one of the links in this blog leads to “Dr.” Kent Hovind who’s currently in the slammer for tax evasion. I guess he never read the “render unto Caesar” passage of the Bible.
Kent-Hovind.com presents a different take on this fellow.
November 29th, 2007 at 6:21 am
And as an addendum to the above, I think Christians (or any other religion) should be careful not to become so desperate to defend their faith that they latch on to any crackpot/crackpot theory simply because it agrees with their faith.
I went to the same high school as “Dr.” Hovind…..
November 29th, 2007 at 6:36 am
Since I’m feeling wordy this morning
:
Answers in Genesis is a Christian organization that defends the young earth theory. They have a section “Arguments we think creations should not use”. “Dr.” Hovind has used/still does use them. Although these were not directed at “Dr. Hovind” specifically, he wrote a reply to them. AIG wrote a counter-reply; here’s a telling statement:
““Unfortunately, Kent Hovind’s document repeatedly misrepresents or misunderstands not only our article, but the issues themselves.”
I would urge all Christians to examine “Dr.” Hovind before they use him to defend their faith.
November 29th, 2007 at 6:53 am
I can’t tell you how much it warms my heart to see you using Christian resources with authority, my dear friend!
I defend the young earth theory too - with the caveat that we cannot know how much time elapsed in the Garden between the creation and sin. Could it have been a gazillion years with dinos and floods and asteroids and all of that. Sure. But I really do think it all happened much faster.
Both Dr. H and AIG are interesting…
I’m aware that Dr. H is in hot water over his taxes. Not sure what his reasoning is regarding his non-payment.
Quite honestly I’ve got problems with the IRS too and look forward to the abolition thereof. They’re currently withholding $600 of mine under a rather obscure and stupid law and it’s MY MONEY, not the governments, and quite honestly it leaves me with a feeling in the pit of my stomach that perhaps the militia types off in the hills hiding from governmental intrusions might just have it right. Gahhhh.
But I digress.
Evolution’s pretty crackpot in my book - especially since it keeps evolving so much
You are right in principle, though - any scientific information should be looked at both critically and objectively. I’m no scientist - I’m a dabbler with many interests - however, most scientists traded in their objectivity as high school freshmen and can only look at evidence through the lenses that their professors have ground for them.
I want to say something on your use of “to defend their faith” in the last comment, too, but I think I’ll save it for a bit.
November 29th, 2007 at 7:59 am
“I can’t tell you how much it warms my heart to see you using Christian resources with authority, my dear friend! ”
Totally tongue in cheek:
See, I’m not as ignorant as you think I am!
“I’m aware that Dr. H is in hot water over his taxes. Not sure what his reasoning is regarding his non-payment.”
From Wikipedia:
“Hovind was originally reported to the IRS by Pensacola Christian College senior vice president Rebekah Horton in the mid 1990s, after she learned of Hovind’s anti-tax stand. “‘We know the Scriptures do not promote (tax evasion),’” Horton said in testimony against Hovind during his 2006 trial, “‘It’s against Scripture teaching’…. Horton believed it was the college’s duty to report the misleading doctrine. ‘I didn’t want to see innocent people get led astray,’ she said. Pensacola Christian College then decided its students no longer were permitted to work with Creation Science Evangelism.
December 1st, 2007 at 7:23 am
My dear, I think you are a lot of things. All of them complimentary. Ignorant - never.
But now - wiki’s not bad for a quick whatchaknow… but it’s not good for actual research (but you knew that, right?) I can go in, right now, and spin that entire piece… or even make it say something else entirely. Sure it’d get caught, and probably fairly quickly. BUT who’ll see it first and be mislead by it?
I realized this the other week when I live-edited a bit on Richard Petty’s shop and museum (local to me) that was VERY incorrect, until I got ahold of it.
Anyway, back to Hovind - I read a little bit of what he’s got to say on the subject. I don’t want to put words in his mouth and I might be wildly misconstruing things here. It seems that he wants to have himself declared under God’s law, not under the laws of the nation (which he sees as irreparably flawed/anti-God) - and therefore as a sojourner he’d be, as they say, in the world but not of it.
Interesting take on things. Obviously it didn’t work. Now, here in our nice cushy lives in the States this seems patently absurd (where one CAN petition the courts and be laughingly denied) - but isn’t this the reality of many folks around the world? They live under exceedingly corrupt governments and so they withdraw from the system - and when they’re caught, they’re jailed (and worse)?
While I’m not trying to draw an exact parallel here, some of the abuses of government I’ve seen in the past week have made my eyebrows dance, and made me have much more understanding for the folks in the hills hiding out from the government.