The Bastardization of Language
Language always changes. New words are introduced, and old words are used in new ways. They often begin as slang, but over time become part of the vernacular. This is why "context" is an important part of understanding what is being said.
The nemesis of communication is misinformation. The conflict started in the Garden of Eden. God communicated simply and clearly to Adam & Eve. He plainly warned them not to eat the fruit of one tree: "You must not eat it; even if you touch it, you will die." Plain, simple, clear; unambiguous.
That's when The Serpent (Satan incarnate), introduced misinformation into the world by creating a false narrative: He confidently declared, "You won't die." Of course, this quickly proved to be a lie; the first of an unending stream of lies that Satan has been spewing ever since. No wonder Jesus called him The Father of Lies. [John 8:44]
Today the world is filled with noise, but little communication. Yet there still are only two key narratives: God's Truth and Satan's Lies. God's Truth is open, plain, clear, simple, and obvious. It's not veiled or obscure. Just simple and direct.
Satan's Lies are the exact opposite: veiled, deceitful; designed to confuse, obfuscate & misdirect. They are serpent-like. Actual meaning is hidden, disguised, deceptively designed to strike like fiery darts at vulnerable moments, and with venomous effect. Like calling abortion, reproductive health. In the "context" of the real world, abortion is the opposite of both reproduction & health. It is unproductive & deadly.
Sometimes Satan's lies are wrapped in lengthy dissertations like Hitler's Mein Kompf, or Marx's Communist Manifesto. Other times they come in the form of religious texts like The Koran, the Bhagavad Gita, or The Book of Mormon. These cleverly crafted narratives, born of demonically inspired imaginations, are designed to deceive. Sadly, billions believe the lies and blindly follow their destructive paths.
Yet there is another form of misleading that does not get as much scrutiny: The Bastardization of Words. It empties words of their fundamental meaning and replacing it with new meanings; often completely unrelated to the original meaning and context.
Terms like gay, homosexual, same-sex marriage, transgender, or gender-fluidity are all oxymorons. They distort what previously was simply known as perversion. They are not designed to inform but to mislead; misrepresent rather than describe; distract rather than define. Clarity is not the goal. Rather, as GK Chesterton observed, When the unthinkable become debatable, it soon will become acceptable. Like saying a man can become a woman. A total and obvious absurdity! Or at least, it used to be.
Even more illustrative is the ever-growing acronym, LGBTQAI+.... Simply stringing an ever-growing list of letters doesn't represent a change in reality. Apparently, these word hackers believe that the more letters you cobble together in a word-salad, the more credible it becomes. In truth, what it is designed to do is to make it harder to critique.
If we cannot agree on what words mean, then there can be no real discussion. Even the pedophiles are seeking a new label as Minor Attracted People. The sole and obvious purpose of this mislabeling is to normalize what is abnormal, reprehensible, wretched & abominable.
In contrast, the Bible is simple, specific, and direct: All these behaviors are correctly labeled for what they are in God's eyes: Sin, perversion, immorality, lawlessness, abominations, and ultimately, damnable.
Which is why the Bible warns that those who immerse themselves in these behaviors, "will not inherit the kingdom of heaven." [1Cor 6:9-11] In God's eyes these behaviors are variations on various forms of bodily abuse that violates human dignity; such as murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, mutilation, torture, human trafficking, slavery, and prostitution.
Yet I find that when I make statements like this, I get complaints, usually from Christians, that I am not being "loving." The thought is that we need to be "respectful" of how people self-identify, even if that purported identification blasphemes the Creator, and leads to eternal banishment from heaven and endless punishment in hell.
When we play along with this fake terminology, we are participating in a verbal fiction, and lending support to their twisted conclusions. As John Stonestreet points out, "Adopting language amounts to adopting ideas." It's akin to a doctor telling a terminally ill cancer patient, he's just suffering from a head cold; and then treating them as if it is just a head cold.
A case in point, is what happened this week. The Department of Education revised Title IX, a law designed to ensure equal access and protection for women in education and sports. The new rule expands the word "sex" to include “sexual orientation,” “gender identity,” “sex stereotypes,” and “sex characteristics.” The obvious purpose is to give legal cover to men who want to compete in women's sports and gain access to women's restrooms. It is a complete reversal and nullification of Title IX.
Clearly, none of this is about equality or fairness. It is about power and control. Whoever controls the narrative, controls the culture; and whoever controls the culture, controls the rules.
As Francis Schaeffer, 50 years ago noted, “If there is no absolute by which to judge society, society is absolute.” In short, when God's Word is no longer the final word, government becomes god and has the final word.
The antidote? Solzhenitsyn counseled those living under the false narrative of communism to refuse to, "Live by lies." Refusing to adopt the false terminology or to repeat the false narrative. LGBTQAI+ is not a fact; it is not an identity; it is not truth. It is SIN seeking to disguise itself behind a curtain of newly minted terminology. The truth is, Men are men; women are women; period. Sex, outside of a monogamous marital relationship between one man and one woman, is sin.
We don't honor God by believing or repeating lies. Instead, we empower Satan! We disempower Satan when we speak the Truth!