How to build your own straw man!

Shhhhh! I am about to reveal a powerful secret we ODM’s use in arguing against others. Please keep this secret to our success in refuting arguments as it is flawless and will fool many a weak minded individual and convince them to fill your store sheds with their surplus. Again guard this secret very tightly.

The straw man fallacy occurs in the following pattern:

1. Person A has position X.

2. Person B disregards certain key points of X and instead presents position Y.
Thus, Y is a resulting distorted version of X and can be set up in several ways, including:

1. Presenting a misrepresentation of the opponent’s position and then refuting it, thus giving the appearance that the opponent’s actual position has been refuted.
2. Quoting an opponent’s words out of context — i.e. choosing quotations which are intentionally misrepresentative of the opponent’s actual intentions (see contextomy and quote mining).
3. Presenting someone who defends a position poorly as the defender, then refuting that person’s arguments – thus giving the appearance that every upholder of that position (and thus the position itself) has been defeated.
4. Inventing a fictitious persona with actions or beliefs which are then criticized, implying that the person represents a group of whom the speaker is critical.
5. Oversimplifying an opponent’s argument, then attacking this oversimplified version.

3. Person B attacks position Y, concluding that X is false/incorrect/flawed.
This sort of “reasoning” is fallacious, because attacking a distorted version of a position fails to constitute an attack on the actual position. (Source Wikipedia)

It is so easy that even the most lowest ODM can use this tool to confuse the reasoned and baffle the informed with your buuulllriliance!

Discernmentalists can learn much from old 3 Stooges movies

As I was watching some old movies I came to the conclusion that much can be learned from old 3 Stooges movies when it comes to Discernmentalism. Since they are no longer really popular, they are not relevant so they are safe to use as an example.

In a typical 3 Stooges movie, though they are all brothers, they always would abuse each other in various ways. Of course Curly would recive the most abuse. So that would represent how families should treat each ohter. They called each other names which again is a powerful tactic used by Discernmentalists. Then there is the interchangable brothers that would be replaced without any real mention why. Shemp would replace Curly with out a reason… much like some of us would remove links from our blogs of higher ODM’s such as in the case when Steve Camp removed Slice of Laodicea’s links from his blogs. These are but a few examples of how we ODM’s are much like the 3 Stooges. It is almost uncanny!

ODMs have insight…sit back and learn

We ODMs have secret insights into the world and the bible. We know doctrine and how to rightly divide the world word using precise phrases such as “that makes me sick” and  insights that no one else has (ie Obama being the anti-Christ etc). We have non-esoteric methods (osmosis and non-educated guesswork) of interpreting all doctrines and apply our non-essential equal essential filter.

We have a license to deride all people we disagree with…besides it is our right to do so because we are carefully selected legends in our own minds to run roughshod over other ministries and people. Harsh words are necessary in this truth war…because unlike other times this is an era of contention and deception.

Moreover, we believe that most ministries (except ours) is a work of the devil. We know that Rick Warren, Bill Hybels and Rob Bell are not saved. Emerging adherents are also hell bound. Liberals and mystics too. You wouldn’t know this…but we do.

We can actually peer into their souls and discern this…or at least carefully use the bible to do so.

That is why you need to depend on us for biblical discernmentalism….we can see things you can’t.

We know things that you cannot possibly know.

We have knowledge and insight that other mere mortals will never possess.

To be clear we are not gnostic, we are discernmentalists. There is a clear difference. We are never wrong, and believe belligerence is integral to our ministry.

Trust us. We know.

Remember, let the ODMafia do the discernmentalism for you, so that you don’t have too.