Here is the description of "doublespeak" from Wikipedia:
When a word or phrase can be construed to mean two or more things, the difficult task of the Bible Student is to discern which meaning God intended.
And as interpreters of God's word, when we witness to others, we must guard against presenting God's truth in ambiguity, such that we say "A" but our audience hears "B."
One of the most well know examples of intentional doublespeak is the denial by Mr. Clinton. He said, as he shook his finger, "I did not have sexual relations with that women." He was using a euphemism for intercourse, but his implication was he had not done anything that would result in his semen adhering to her blue dress. Thus in his mind, he had not lied, as he was not responsible for our bogus inference.
Recently in a discussion with another believer on this board, I pointed out his statement could mean two very different thing. He responded with complete candor he thought it meant both things, thus doublespeak.
In another discussion, concerning the meaning intended by God, when Jesus said "It is finished," it was suggested that two or all three of the various meanings of the Greek word used were intended, rather than just one.
Jesus taught our "Yes" should mean "Yes" (and thus not also mean "No" or "Maybe"). Paul asked us to pray that he witnessed boldly. And Jesus advocated speaking plainly.
As we study God's Word, and we come across an ambiguous word or phrase, careful study of the word or phrase, for example how is it used elsewhere in scripture, is required to arrive at the one meaning that best represents God's message.
"Doublespeak is language that deliberately obscures, disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words. Doublespeak may take the form of euphemisms (e.g., "downsizing" for layoffs and "servicing the target" for bombing),[1] in which case it is primarily meant to make the truth sound more palatable. It may also refer to intentional ambiguity in language or to actual inversions of meaning.
When a word or phrase can be construed to mean two or more things, the difficult task of the Bible Student is to discern which meaning God intended.
And as interpreters of God's word, when we witness to others, we must guard against presenting God's truth in ambiguity, such that we say "A" but our audience hears "B."
One of the most well know examples of intentional doublespeak is the denial by Mr. Clinton. He said, as he shook his finger, "I did not have sexual relations with that women." He was using a euphemism for intercourse, but his implication was he had not done anything that would result in his semen adhering to her blue dress. Thus in his mind, he had not lied, as he was not responsible for our bogus inference.
Recently in a discussion with another believer on this board, I pointed out his statement could mean two very different thing. He responded with complete candor he thought it meant both things, thus doublespeak.
In another discussion, concerning the meaning intended by God, when Jesus said "It is finished," it was suggested that two or all three of the various meanings of the Greek word used were intended, rather than just one.
Jesus taught our "Yes" should mean "Yes" (and thus not also mean "No" or "Maybe"). Paul asked us to pray that he witnessed boldly. And Jesus advocated speaking plainly.
As we study God's Word, and we come across an ambiguous word or phrase, careful study of the word or phrase, for example how is it used elsewhere in scripture, is required to arrive at the one meaning that best represents God's message.
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