12 Angry Thoughts

Last Saturday night after I finished watching Texas storm out to a 35-3 lead over Missouri (sorry, MU fans), I started to surf through the channels toward the Sox-Rays game. On the way I came across the beginning of one of my favorite movies - 12 Angry Men, which I happily watched to the end.

I really enjoy movies that make me think or that illustrate spiritual truth, and this one definitely falls into that category. There are a lot of things that I like about the movie, from the way Henry Ford's character is willing to stand up for what he believes in regardless of the pressure to the way the movie ends without any fanfare or recognition.

However, one particular truth is masterfully displayed in 12 Angry Men. Proverbs 18:17 says, "The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him." I've thought about this proverb many times, and it's always challenged me in the real of critical thinking. There are a variety of reasons that the 11 other jurors quickly decide that the defendant is guilty, but as each piece of evidence is carefully examined it all falls apart and the "reasonable doubt" sets in.

It's much easier for us to find something that we want to believe and accept it at face value rather than taking the time and doing the work to actually research the point. There have been two instances recently where this has been very apparent in my life.

First off is the question of Eating Out vs Eating at Home. Karin does an amazing job of keeping our food budget low, if I told you how little we spent on food a month you probably wouldn't believe me. When our average meal costs 50 cents a person, I really don't know how anyone can argue that it's cheaper to eat out. No question it's easier, but cheaper? Come on! (I'm especially amused at how the guy in this article is going to include his hourly rate into the cost of cooking at home.) And yet there are folks who want to justify such an opinion, so they can easily point to an article like this to "prove" their point and move on. (Maybe some day I'll take one of these and disect it FJM style.)

Another area that often rears its ugly head is the wide variety of attacks against the credibility of the Bible. Sometimes I run across these myself, such as the time I wrestled with how Herod could die just a few years after Jesus was born but also alive to order John the Baptist's execution many years later. Turns out Herod the Great's son was also referred to as King Herod. Recently I was presented with the question of how Jesus could be born around 4BC (according to Matthew) since Quirinius (mentioned by Luke) wasn't governor of Syria until 6AD. Turns out Quirinius was governor twice, including the earlier time when Jesus was born. I could go on.

There are many areas of life where truth is attacked, and at first glance it seems to be defeated. We need more people who are willing to stand against the crowd and its easy answers, taking the time, effort and energy to think critically. As Henry Ford said, "Thinking is hard work which is the real reason so few people do it."