Distinctions are required for things to exist
I saw a video where Dennis Prager pointed out five distinctions that he says are at the core of the Biblical worldview:
- The difference between man and God.
- The difference between man and animal.
- The difference between man and woman.
- The difference between good and evil.
- The difference between holy and profane.
He points out that these distinctions imply order which further implies that there is an “orderer” (God). This way of looking at things caught my attention.
We should ask ourselves what the distinctions are between us and God that prevent us from becoming one with him (John 17). What are the distinctions between us and plants and animals who are also living souls that receive the breath of life (Moses 3:7,9,19). What are the distinctions between men and women and how do they relate to marriage (Mark 10:6-8). What is good or evil and what is holy or profane?
When creating anything, whether it be worlds or artwork, you can’t do it without drawing and maintaining distinctions; there is a reason that a triceratops is not an iPhone.
When we seek to alter distinctions we are fundamentally changing what something is. In today’s world, I feel like we are playing far too loosely with the creative power by rapidly altering distinctions between things without much thought to the greater consequences. The prophet Isaiah warned against those who do such things:
Woe to those who suppose what is evil to be good
and what is good, evil!
They put darkness for light
and light for darkness;
they make bitterness sweet and the sweet bitter. (Isaiah 5:20 IIT)
One of the ways that I think we can avoid these errors is by testing any proposed alterations based on the known doctrines and principles that are repeated consistently in scripture.
We can further back up these foundational premises with the teachings of the servants of God in our day and, most importantly, the witness of the Holy Spirit.
When we see these distinctions being erased or manipulated something is being fundamentally changed. What is being changed? Should it be? What are the implications of doing so?
