Wednesday, July 05, 2006

The True or False Game; V1.1

In version 1.0 of the True and False Game we explored the contextualization of the Christian message and came to a bit of a stalemate. No firm conclusions were made on either side. Welcome to version 1.1.

True or False?

Most often the answer is irrelevant – it is the question that matters most.


If you read this; response is required.

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26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Answers are never irrelevant, because they are related to the question. Even if the answer is...well...stupid...it has relevance. Yet, I agree that the question always matters most.

Markimus said...

My take is ... It is true... Answers are already laid out before the questions are even thought of...if there were no answer there would be no question [so they are always relevant]. The Right Questions are the things that lead us to the truth. This works very well in a Socratic approach. A perfect exmple of this is asking for directions to Edmonton [although I really don't know why anyone would want to go there]. Do I ask for a map or do I ask for direction? Direction will get me to edmonton... a map will help me know how to find my way around edmonton when I am there.
The value of the question is what matters most more than the question itself. Thoughts???

When it comes to relevenace we must assist people in asking the questions that matter ... or have the most value.
****
Example - My wife works in the fashion industry and with alot of gay and lesbian people. One time one of our friends who is gay asked her this question "do you believe I am wrong in my behavior?" My wife knowing that there was a more valuable question behind that gave the answer to the more valuable question. The valuable queston being 'how does God feel about me? - He loves you accepts you and cares deeply for you.' [I am paraphrasing a longer convo they had to get the basics]. Sometimes the questions we initially ask have a deeper more valuable question underneath them. Sometimes it takes 5 or 6 asks to get to those more valuable questions.

Jesse said...

Your example Mark reminds me of the Samaritan women at the well in John 4. Jesus seeing beyond the question about where people should worship, to the reason the lady is at the well at noon alone.

Does it stand to reason that good questions lead to good answers, and vice versa? Or can bad questions still lead to good answers?

Boomer said...

Why are you concerned with my answer if the question is what's important?:)

Mark I think I agree with your thought that w/o questions there are no answers, but I might ask what is the point of a question if an answer is irrelevant? In that sense Dave, I think you've struck a nice balance.

Markimus said...

My point was 'if there were no answer there would be no question [so they are always relevant].' Answers are always relevant... but not always to the first question we ask.

Derwyn said...

I think the challenge here is what we're assuming about "giving the answer." In line with what Mark was saying, if we just blurt out the answer without discovering what the deeper question is, we've blown an opportunity to truly meet someone where they are.

Nonetheless, to say that the answer is irrelevant is to prostitute ourselves to the postmodern value that Truth, then, is relative and therefore irrelevant.

The woman at the well was staring Truth in the face. And Jesus made that plain to her. And he was emphatically relevant to her, and to everyone else in Sychar that she brought to see him. I would suggest that her questions mattered little...he took the time to get to her real issues.

Unknown said...

Questions and answers have a symbiotic relationship.

No question is a dumb question, and no answer is a dumb answer (So long as the answer is within God's Truth).

The answer is part of the discovery process, which the beginning is the question. When one gets an answer, I've noticed more questions pop in.

Someone will think, "Does God love me?" If they find the answer to be "yes." Then they will think, "Why?" And so on, and so forth.

____

Mark, I believe that the answers are probably just as important to the first question we ask because it sets the stage for more, 'advanced' answers. If you do not give an answer which leads to further thought, then yes, the first answer is probably leaning more to the irrelevant, however, it's that first answer that leads to the deeper more 'interesting' questions and answers, and those lead to even deeper.

From what I see, it is equal. They are just scored with a different value system because the answers can be subjective or objective. Does that make sense?

Anonymous said...

the question matters the most: someone seeking knowledge... is in a better place then someone getting it...

Anonymous said...

False,

In christianity it really is the truth that matters most.

It ultimately does not matter if you ask questions without answering them. Without the answer, we are hopless. how does that saying go "the truth will set you free..."

We, christians, also believe in the absolute truth and not subjective truth. Our morals, ethics - all beliefs - are the same for everyone throughout time.

Anonymous said...

The Answer is the most important part. I am thinking in context of the Pharisees trying to trick Jesus into choosing one group over another.

Jesus said, "Let your yes be a yes, and your no a no," but you have to use loving kindness and Heavenly wisdom by tactfully answering the question.

Boomer said...

The Pharisee's were trying to trick Jesus into giving an answer.

I had a revlation about truth today while I was attacking the massive slope behind my house with the weedwacker, truth is not something we use as an answer, but a foundation. We don't use truth for leverage or treat it like a possesion, truth simply is.

drewology said...

Which question are we talking about: the persons original question asked or the deeper question they wanted to ask?

Which answer are we talking about: (see above)?

ls the answer irrelavent if we are answering the wrong question?

Dan said...

Mike: Much truth can be pondered while weedwhacking. I did that for a whole summer.

I think this is an interesting concept, and maybe one we can't be so quick to give a definite answer about. We need questions and we need answers. But sometimes we need questions without answers. If there's one thing that I struggle with, it's mystery. But that's one of the foundations of what we believe. The mystery of the Trinity, the mystery of resurrection, etc. But if we base our lives on questions without answers, we won't get very far. Because ultimately there is revealed, knowable truth. So to answer your question, I don't know. I've been driving for 10 and a half hours today, so this might be a little muddled. But I couldn't read and not comment, as per Jer's instructions. Heehee.

Derwyn said...

If the answer is irrelevant, why are we posting in response to Jeremy's question?

The fact that he requires a response is indicative that, to him, his question is irrelevant without us giving him an answer; if no one posted an answer to his question, the question would be rather pointless.

Unknown said...

There is no question requiring an answer on this post.

If you didn't notice it is actually a statement.

However, that statement raises questions, which, therefore, people believe need answering.

Markimus said...

Cody 'We, christians, also believe in the absolute truth and not subjective truth. Our morals, ethics - all beliefs - are the same for everyone throughout time."

I think this is dangerous ground to stand on... we cannot calim that all truth thatwe believe in is absolute truth... that I think is absolutely incorrect thinking and leads to spiritual genocide.

Paul & Wanda Moores said...

I'm a little late in the thread here but to answer true or false would be to answer so I think a better question is why do we strive for endings rather than enjoy the journey a little bit more? I mean really, how many good movie or book endings have you ever experienced? Sure a few but not even 1/4 of the books you've read. My money is on "enjoying the dashes" as in Paul Moores 1970 - present. I want to enjoy the -.

Anonymous said...

mark-

I could have written a longer post, but I choose to make it short so it is easy to read. Really, the "truth" is that God is alive.

There is no subjectivity in the following statement. " God was the same today as he was when life first began, and he will continue to be the same God." Which is how we get our absolute truth. It is absolute because it does not change. What Paul preached and in the middle ages to the wild west, the truth has been the same. I think you are pointing out the fallibility of man. Which is what is so special about the answer, it is not man, it is God.

There is merit in what you wrote but I also think it is completely necessary to have an absolute truth in your life. Otherwise, well, your life is forfeit. Follow me?

Derwyn said...

Steve,

The question posed was "True or False?"

Markimus said...

Cody

Thx for clarifying... I was thrown off by your original post which stated 'morals, ethics all our beliefs' are absolute. However I would suggest that there are many questions being asked that have very little to do with that absolute which you stated [God is alive]. Very few people would disagree with such a statement.

The 'world' I am in touch with wonders if he cares, or might question how they can realte to Him. Or Who am I in all this? Do I have purpose or a destiny?


These questions have very little to do with absolute truth and that being said who says answers have to be absolute? ... I know very few answers that are absolute to my vague and unclear questions.

We like this absolute thing it gives us a sense of rightness... but in reality its not as important as we think it is. I think we are trying to protect things that do not need to be protected. I'll leave that open for comment rather than write too long.

alYne said...

i too agree that the question is the more important of the two. without the Q, there would not be an A, or at least not in the same form. The Q draws out, or prevokes, the A. A arrives because Q is present. So, though they do go hand in hand, A is dependent upon Q, whereas Q can stand by itself and do just fine. yeah?

Unknown said...

Touche Derwyn. YOu got me there. heh.

Alyne, don't questions usually come from answers, though we may not recognize the answer from which the question is drawn?

alYne said...

you know, i don't think that questions usually come from answers actually. I may question your answer, but it is not always after you have answered my question.

do you mean to say that all questions put forward are in response to some unknown previous answer? questions do not always have to be responses...perhaps they themselves are answers?!

i suppose the real question here is...what IS the question!?

Unknown said...

I am saying that the reason why there is a question is that there is an answer. There is an answer, but God may not allow us to know the answer. THe answers are there. They are always there.
People can be curious to find an answer because they don't know it. A question comes to mind, and they need an answer (which is sometimes unsatisfactory).
I know what I"m trying to say, but it seems as though I can't get it out. haha.

Delbert said...

I don't personally think that the question is more important than the answer, because the question really is only a means to finding an answer... but the reason why it's important to focus on the questions (especially nowadays) is because I think we've lost the art of asking good questions.

So, it's much easier to answer good questions than it is to ask good questions, but that doesn't make the question more imporant... just harder.

Anonymous said...

This seems entirely repititious here... You need the question to get to the answer... however... and this is where I'm finding myself at a bit of a loss... do you need an answer to make a question worthwhile? For example... What is God character in it's entirety? We will spend an eternity seeking this to understand God and never really get it but that doesnt make the question useless, in fact... the whole point of the trying to understand the Character of God is to grow in relationship with him... hmmm food for thought... a little bit of a personal opinion here but I think once we've figured we've answered this question we've attempted to stuff God into a box way too small... Does the co-dependence of an answer to the question but not the question to the answer show the question to be superior? We can still have purpose with questions... but what do we have with answers? a completed puzzle perhaps boring and causing misinterest? hmmmm....