Saturday, January 31, 2009

One question Re Calvin & Hobbes: Two different responses!

On a Religious Forum site, someone asked the following question: “Why are there Calvinist denominations but no Hobbsist denominations?”
On the surface a fairly straightforward question one would think, but obviously not everyone on the forum was on the same wavelength.
Here are some of the responses: *Because Hobbes only exists in Calvin's mind. That cartoon is the best of all time.
*Because Hobbs wasn't into manipulating, that was more of Calvin's thing.
*Which would you rather be alone with, a six year old boy, or a hungry tiger?
*Because Hobbs doesn't have any vision, like Stupendous Man.
All funny answers and actually appropriate responses, even if they don’t really answer the question as the asker wished. I somehow think he/she would have voted for one of the other responses such as: *I have the boring answer. Hobbes' name is taken from Thomas Hobbes, who was most definitely NOT a theologian. Also, even the Hobbes we all know and love would never want a religious sect named after him.
*You've read Hobbes, of course, so you know that Hobbes was pretty much a strict pragmatist. He didn't see Reason as something that can lead us to the Truth, but more as something that can figure out how we can get what we want. You might call Karl Marx a Hobbesist. Out upon all Relativists and Pragmatists!
*Calvin focused on reforming and breaking away from Catholicism. Hobbs focused on political not religious thought.
*Hobbes was a Secularist.
The above, just goes to show that even when you think you know what you are saying, some can, intentionally or unintentionally, take it in a different way other than you imagine and come up with a completely different response than the one you planned.
Now sometimes, like in the above references to the Calvin & Hobbes Cartoon characters, this can be quite humorous. But at others, it can be either offensive or even out right dangerous.
So please learn from the above exchange and try and may sure you always say what you mean and always mean what you say. Herewith endeth today’s lesson!

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