Here's some undeniable proof that Glenn Beck is ignorant, at least with regards to history, has no clue whatsoever what he's talking about. This is wrong on so many levels.
No, Glenn's not an idiot...he's just a Mormon (sorry, couldn't resist).
Note: the following is based on the assumption that Glenn Beck is sincere about what he says, and it's not all just an act that he's running with because he's been suddenly making millions of dollars off of it over the last few years. I have no way of knowing if he is sincere or not, but if he is...
He's not an idiot. He's just ignorant. But remember, all this(history, philosophy, deep thinking of any kind, etc) is, by his very admission, all new to him. He would be the first to admit that he is not a natural intellectual. It's only in the last few years (again, at least according to his narrative) that he has stopped being a drug abusing, womanizing self described "sleazebag" and for the first time in his life actually begun to think about anything seriously.
He's just a beginner, he's just starting to learn, so he's bound to fall into all sorts of errors along the way.
I listen to Glenn Beck semi-regularly. I enjoy him. I like him as a person. I even occasionally learn something from him. I sometimes hear him say things that I know are wrong; even monumentally wrong (such as the example you provided), but I don't think he is a lost cause. I think he can be won over all the way to the true and the good, but we need to show some Christian charity and patience with the man (name-calling, even if substantially accurate as in this case, isn't a helpful approach).
Andre, well said. I learn a lot from Glenn Beck about the past of this country. I also know, as a Catholic, non-Catholics are more liable to get the big picture wrong. No matter how brilliant a non-Catholic is, they are always going to fall short in the fullness of revealed Truth.
If one cannot condemn the enlightenment era or the revolution of Luther and King Henry VIII, then they don't fully understand history.
A small part of the picture is not enough to claim fullness of the truth. It is what protestants do and it is how they think. Who can blame them? Their history starts pretty late--the 16th century. Everything behind that is but non-existent.
It is why when people condemn freemasonry, they claim the Church is behind it...and don't realize the Church is fully against it.
Sure. He is wrong on several points, the biggest being that-
1) The Dead Sea Scrolls have nothing to do with Christianity whatsoever. They are not copies of the Bible prohibited by Nicea; they are translations of the Old Testament composed by the Jewish Essene sect at Qumran in the 2nd century BC. They bear no connection to Nicea whatsoever.
2) The Apostles' Creed was not formulated at Nicea - I'm sure Beck meant the Nicene Creed.
3) Constantine did not assemble "the Bible" at Nicea. The books of Scripture were already universally recognized as such by that claim; at any rate, the canon was fixed at the Councils of Hippo and Rome in the 380s and 390s, not at Nicea.
4) Neither Constantine, nor the Church, declared that anyone should be beheaded for not adhering to the decrees of Nicea. This is just hogwash.
Basically, especially regarding number one, he demonstrates that he knows nothing about Church history and consequently should not be broadcasting this nonsense to millions of viewers who think he is infallible.
No, Glenn's not an idiot...he's just a Mormon (sorry, couldn't resist).
ReplyDeleteNote: the following is based on the assumption that Glenn Beck is sincere about what he says, and it's not all just an act that he's running with because he's been suddenly making millions of dollars off of it over the last few years. I have no way of knowing if he is sincere or not, but if he is...
He's not an idiot. He's just ignorant. But remember, all this(history, philosophy, deep thinking of any kind, etc) is, by his very admission, all new to him. He would be the first to admit that he is not a natural intellectual. It's only in the last few years (again, at least according to his narrative) that he has stopped being a drug abusing, womanizing self described "sleazebag" and for the first time in his life actually begun to think about anything seriously.
He's just a beginner, he's just starting to learn, so he's bound to fall into all sorts of errors along the way.
I listen to Glenn Beck semi-regularly. I enjoy him. I like him as a person. I even occasionally learn something from him. I sometimes hear him say things that I know are wrong; even monumentally wrong (such as the example you provided), but I don't think he is a lost cause. I think he can be won over all the way to the true and the good, but we need to show some Christian charity and patience with the man (name-calling, even if substantially accurate as in this case, isn't a helpful approach).
Of course, I may be just a naive fool...
oh dear, he really doesn't have a clue
ReplyDeleteAndre- You're right. I'll change the title of the post from "Glen Beck is an Idiot" to "Glen Beck is Ignorant."
ReplyDeleteFair enough!
ReplyDeleteIf you could go ahead and point out where he's wrong, that would be great. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteAndre, well said. I learn a lot from Glenn Beck about the past of this country. I also know, as a Catholic, non-Catholics are more liable to get the big picture wrong. No matter how brilliant a non-Catholic is, they are always going to fall short in the fullness of revealed Truth.
ReplyDeleteIf one cannot condemn the enlightenment era or the revolution of Luther and King Henry VIII, then they don't fully understand history.
A small part of the picture is not enough to claim fullness of the truth. It is what protestants do and it is how they think. Who can blame them? Their history starts pretty late--the 16th century. Everything behind that is but non-existent.
It is why when people condemn freemasonry, they claim the Church is behind it...and don't realize the Church is fully against it.
Phil
Anonymous-
ReplyDeleteSure. He is wrong on several points, the biggest being that-
1) The Dead Sea Scrolls have nothing to do with Christianity whatsoever. They are not copies of the Bible prohibited by Nicea; they are translations of the Old Testament composed by the Jewish Essene sect at Qumran in the 2nd century BC. They bear no connection to Nicea whatsoever.
2) The Apostles' Creed was not formulated at Nicea - I'm sure Beck meant the Nicene Creed.
3) Constantine did not assemble "the Bible" at Nicea. The books of Scripture were already universally recognized as such by that claim; at any rate, the canon was fixed at the Councils of Hippo and Rome in the 380s and 390s, not at Nicea.
4) Neither Constantine, nor the Church, declared that anyone should be beheaded for not adhering to the decrees of Nicea. This is just hogwash.
Basically, especially regarding number one, he demonstrates that he knows nothing about Church history and consequently should not be broadcasting this nonsense to millions of viewers who think he is infallible.
Here's an example of why, for all his faults, I still think that Glenn Beck is on the side of the angels:
ReplyDeletehttp://hayekcenter.org/?p=2719