Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Or you will also be like him.
Answer a fool as his folly deserves,
That he be not wise in his own eyes.

  - Proverbs 26.4, 5

Nothing is more tedious than battling against stupidity. For before no authority does it admit defeat, by no reason is it convinced. But since stupidity is not equal in all men, and their minds are not all clouded to the same extent, I see that a few arguments must be brought against them.

  - Eriugena, Periphyseon, Irish, 9th century

What is the fool’s folly? It is to think that, there being no God, every person is able to act as his own final authority on what is to be regarded as right and true.

Of course, as Eriugena would say, this is stupid, and the folly of it easy enough to demonstrate.

We make a mistake, however, when, in trying to explain truth to the fool, we put it to him in such a way as to acknowledge his presumed autonomy. We say to him, “You’re a reasonable person. Let’s talk about this. This is what I’ve experienced and these are the facts that support me.”

By so doing we reason into the trap of his fallen reason. Accordingly, he says in reply, “I’m not convinced.”

Why not? Because he has already decided three things: (1) there is no God such as you and I believe; (2) he himself is god, and (3) whatever disagrees with his opinions therefore can’t possibly be true.

So when you come along pointing to facts, testifying to your experience, and trying to explain what you believe, expecting him to weigh the evidence fairly, you’ve lost the debate before it even started.

You’ve answered the fool according to his folly, and now you’re as bad off as he is, because you have made space for him to regard himself as an arbiter of truth, on a par with – if not superior to – yourself, who stands in the light.

What we should do is answer him according to his folly in a way that drags his stupidity into the light of things he cannot deny.

So, knowing that he is made in the image of God and therefore knows God at a deep level (Rom. 1.18-21), we say to him, “I shall not submit the truth of God to your criteria. For, if you are allowed to be the final arbiter of truth, and every one else as well, then truth is simply something each person conceives in his own mind; which means everyone’s take on truth must be regarded as truth, therefore there is no truth, and your worldview, on your own terms, is not true and has no meaning beyond your next meaningless moment. Hence, I think I shall instead take this opportunity to explain to you the truth of the Gospel, and then leave you to ponder it there, amid the irrepressible echo of your knowledge of God, on your little pretend throne.”

And off you go, leaving him to his admitted puniness, Gospel truth in hand, image of God throbbing in his soul, and the Spirit hovering. Who knows what might happen next?

I’m one erstwhile fool, all bound up in his folly, for whom that simple formula changed everything.

Psalm 53.1-5 (Leoni: “The God of Abraham Praise”)
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God at all!”
Corrupt are they in whole and part, unjust and small.
Not one of them does good; God sees their wicked ways.
None understands the Word of God or gives Him praise.

Have all these wicked men no knowledge of God’s grace?
The Church they hate with passion and seek not God’s face.
Lord, strike their hearts with fear, where fear was not before,
And scatter all who camp so near Your holy door.

Lord, give me compassion for the lost and opportunities to help them see the Truth.

Psalms to Pray for Today and Thursday
Today
Morning: Psalm 119.49-56; Psalm 59
Evening: Psalm 135

Thursday
Morning: Psalm 119.57-64; Psalm 60
Evening: Psalm 136

T. M. Moore, Principal
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All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.