Opinion$

February 16-17 2007

“What do you think?” I inevitably get asked this question if our family is having a discussion, mostly because I don’t express my opinion initially, but why is it that my family wants to know what I think?

What makes opinions worthwhile? Why are some opinions valued above others? And why do debaters use someone’s opinion as fact in a debate round?

What about food critics? Why is it that a certain group of people are allowed to set the standard for ‘good food’? Their opinions are taken so highly that a restaurant will strive for a good review as the highest award. These people are paid good money to express an opinion! The same goes for movie critics, to me two thumbs up is still only two thumbs up, two people, no matter whose thumbs they are.

The best evidence isn’t evidence at all. That’s an old saying that I just made up, but it seems to be the standard nowadays to use opinion as fact, rather then actual facts. For instance, Israel joining The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has about three major articles agreeing with the concept, two of them by the same man, a PhD, and former something or other. Though it is a good idea for Israel to join NATO this man’s opinions would probably not be admissible in a legal court, his statements of facts, such as the size and capacity of Israel’s army would be, but his idea that Israel would actually contribute these troops to NATO, and help with it’s missions would probably not. Just because a man has a degree does not automatically qualify him as never wrong. Opinions can always be wrong. If a piece of evidence is clearly illogical, no amount of credentials for its author can convince me of its worth. On the other end of the spectrum when something is clearly logical it becomes more of an opinion of the whole then the singular or few.

Opinions are easily swayed. You just need to know how to market something; each advertisement in our country is made to have a certain appeal, not just for the customer to want to buy the product, but for them to believe that this is the best one out there, that there is none better. Take a look at the recent Mac vs. PC commercials, they portray ‘PC’ as a nerdy guy who never has any fun and can only capture something on a pie chart, while ‘Mac’ is shown as a fun-filled and more useful person all around. Watching these commercials puts you in a mindset of ‘Mac is better then PC’ which is exactly what the people at Apple are trying to do! They want you to go to the computer store, think of that commercial, then go with the Mac.

It was originally someone’s opinion and interpretation of the bible, that man had a say in the matter of his salvation. To me this is obviously illogical, giving man power over God. But man in his fallen state wants to believe himself powerful, and able to have a ‘free’ choice over his salvation, with God watching in fear, fear of man not ‘accepting’ Him. Why would God leave something as important as this up to feeble fallen man? But this belief, this opinion, has spread throughout the American church, seeping in and changing the opinions of thousands of people, away from the truth. I’m not meaning to insult anyone who believes in this, but simply to point out an instance where mere opinion has formed the ideas and thoughts in the minds of thousands, even millions of believers. Still scarier is the knowledge that opinions are being swayed to believe that there is no God, no afterlife, nothing but this.

Opinions are being changed every day by deceptive advertising, and other opinions. Some opinions are being valued over others, and quite a few people are being paid a handsome sum for their opinions. I am frankly scared by this concept, and I pray that the truth and facts of the Bible will permeate our society, and change millions of opinions worldwide.

But then again, all this is just my opinion.