#DrinkTheKoolAid - Not the 'Mass Suicide'-meaning, but rather ... Something that Came to Mind when @OkcWestminster discussed #Paraclete ("I Will Send a 'Comforter' When I Go.") @Wikipedia #Para-
The sermon by Westminster Presbyterian Church's pastor reminded me of 'an unspoken rule most church-leaders go by': Make Sure Everyone You Preach-to is Already "Drinking the Kool-Aid."
To me (guessing from popular-media's use of the phrase), 'Drinking the Kool-Aid' just meant 'accustomed to the flavor of "the belief that's commonly shared in a certain group" (e.g. Christians believing that 'knowing Some Guy died innocent' earns them everlasting peace, Oklahomans believing they're all part-'Native American,' etc.)'
(I didn't know that the original use gives it the meaning '"swallowing" a belief
which you know is going to kill you' ... the reason I don't
see that?—mostly because 'the beliefs that most "thinkers" are
thinking-of' are not significant enough to kill the believers.)
The WPC-pastor's sermon involved the meaning of a word in the Gospel-reading (a word–he said–that is not used anywhere else in The Bible), which is usually translated "Advocate" and -which his favorite translation-of is "Comforter"—the word "Paraclete," the term for a court-officer whose only job was to sit beside The Accused and 'counsel them personally' (mostly just helping them sort-out their feelings before they respond with unreasonable reaction).
'That word' (below-hyperlinked to a post about 'the prosperity that comes from "drinking the right kool-aid"') is built on an even-deeper source ... something crucial that firms the foundation upon which our lexicon stands ...
The word “Paraclete” is built on Para- + ancient words that mean "to Call (Shout)" (Intercession).
The prefix "Para-" is built on ancient words that mean "Forward, Near, Against" (|Off, Away) or "|Make Ready" (Produce, Procure).
This is another example of how The Bible reveals a reality that Christians deny in favor of an imagining that's 'more comfortable for them': the general difference being that–while God gives God's People the power to do everything—Christians 'jump on the bandwagon' with other Christians claiming that God does everything (implying that God's People are helpless infants who just let God do all the work God assigns to them).
Know anything else interesting about that? Comment!
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