Sophistry

noun, plural soph·ist·ries.

1. a subtle, tricky, superficially plausible, but generally fallacious method of reasoning.
2. a false argument; sophism.

I love words that specifically and accurately spell out a concept that would otherwise take a few words or sentences to explain. A well-known example is "schadenfreude", a word borrowed from German that means "an unseemly pleasure at seeing the misfortune of others".

Today's word, "sophistry", is particularly useful in describing an argument coming from the Republican supporters of Trump and his attempt to nullify his election loss. When people who do not support Trump's attempted coup point out that Biden got more peoples' votes and even got more of the slavery-based Electoral College votes, a last-ditch defense of the Republican anti-democratic argument is that "America is not a democracy". They point at the Constitution and tell us that the word "democracy" does not appear anywhere, while the word "republic" does. So, they say, America must not be a democracy. 

In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson and the boys pointed forcefully at the natural rights of "man" and at their philosophy of government: "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed". It took 200 years of sometimes bloody conflict (Antietam, Edmund Pettus Bridge, etc.) for us to iron out the meaning of "Men", but we have never strayed from the idea that government is based on "the consent of the governed". Our republic is formed by the democratic election of representatives. The stability of our republic depends on our belief that our government answers to the voters. The Republicans' demand that our election be ignored because they didn't win is an arrogant abuse of power, something that the Constitution was specifically designed to prevent. 

The sophistry that America is "not a democracy" can only be floated when people do not recognize the deceit in the definitions. The "democracy" that the Republicans are referring to is the form used in Athens, 2,400 years ago. No one in their right minds would claim that America is just like Athens or that it should be. Our democracy is formed through our elections, and denying the power of the American people to choose their own leaders by tampering with our right to vote is seditious. 

Political Propaganda is Destroying Christianity - my comment

 From: 

Political Propaganda is Destroying Christianity 

1 John 2:16 "for all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches—comes not from the Father but from the world." This seems to describe the American civic "religion" as the worship of Wealth, Power, and Ego. American society centers on the prestige that people gain by joining in this worship. "Winning" is intoxicating. "Power" is addictive. "Belittle your neighbor" is so much easier than "Love your neighbor". After all, "love" is expensive (see "Bonhoeffer").

Now, the "propaganda" that this article speaks of is an avalanche of lies, and the American context of those lies has buried deep within it a foundation of racism. Followers of the authentic Gospel cannot be content with simply denying the propaganda. That would require shaming liars who have no sense of shame. It seems to me that we need to be far more assertive in our proclamation of "love your neighbor" by being more clear and specific on the meanings (and cost) of "love" as well as its benefits. We need to spell out (as Jesus did with the Samaritan) who our neighbor is and the benefit of loving that neighbor.