Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ (Eph. 4:14, 15, NIV).

HERE’S A CARTOON IN WHICH TWO young punk rockers, sporting identical spiked multi-colored hair and displaying several pierced body parts apiece, are offering their sneering reply to the query of a quizzical middle-aged woman:

“To be different, that’s why! Just like everybody else!”

It’s easy to scoff at the mindless conformity of young people who, assured of their own uniqueness, slavishly follow the dictates of their chosen idols. I wonder, though, if this is only a problem of the young and foolish. Could one simply change the specifics and discover the same patterns in the old and foolish?

A Common Malady
Before we proceed, some definitions are in order: People who are “indiscerptible” are inseparable from one another. A “fidimplicitary” person is one who mindlessly adheres to the opinions of others.1 So “fidimplicitary indiscerptibility” describes a person, who, without reservation, slavishly follows someone else’s opinion as truth.

The condition may be easily observed in the way people acquire possessions. Why are sport utility vehicles popular in the United States? Certainly it is not because ever increasing numbers of Americans are hitting the Rubicon Trail in 4X4s. Most of these rigs never leave the pavement, and most of their drivers would be terrified of the terrain the vehicles are engineered to handle. Maybe it’s that the owners enjoy frequent visits to the gas pump. Or perhaps in some cases it’s simply that these are the vehicles many other vehicle buyers are buying. In other words, fidimplicitary indiscerptibility.

Not long ago in Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve I watched a herd of wildebeests congregate on a slope leading down to the Talek River. Crocodiles lurked in the waters below. Two dead wildebeest carcasses lay half-submerged nearby, testimony to the crocks’ carnivorous appetites. Nevertheless, a few intrepid animals ventured out, bound for the opposite bank. Quickly others followed, and in what seemed no more than an instant massive numbers were flailing through the frothy stream. Then inexplicably, when nearly all had crossed, one decided that the other side, whence they had just come, was the new Promised Land. Shortly the entire herd had retraced their treacherous and futile journey and were clambering up the bank that they had previously thundered down. What were they doing? I haven’t a clue. I suspect that they didn’t either. It was fidimplicitary indiscerptibility.

It probably does not matter much if people mindlessly, wildebeest-like, follow others in such matters as clothes and cars. But in other cases it does matter a great deal.

Why Quibble Over Details?
An example: A cultlike following has grown up around the widely promoted allegation that the Procter & Gamble Company is involved in activities a lot more sinister than making soap. The most ephemeral “evidence” is sufficient for believers in this bogus yarn, in which it is asserted that the president of Procter & Gamble appeared on The Phil Donahue Show (yes, Donahue has been off the air for some time—these things develop a life of their own) and admitted that this company gives its profits to the Church of Satan, and that its “moon and stars” logo is a satanic symbol. (Variations have the president of McDonald’s appearing on The Tonight Show, and Liz Claiborne appearing on Oprah, but why quibble over details?)2

It matters little that Donahue has declared the rumor to be false. Never mind that Procter & Gamble has won lawsuits against people (business competitors with Procter & Gamble) who have spread the rumor.3 Year after year the tale is repeated.

Why does this matter? First, it matters because the Scriptures rebuke slanderers (Prov. 10:18, 19; Mark 7:20-23; 1 Cor. 5:11; Col. 3:5-10). It is not OK to attempt to destroy reputations with false accusations.

Second, focusing on such a scandal, even if true, diverts Christians from what should be the theme of their lives: knowing Christ. Paul declared, “I resolved to know nothing . . . except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2, NIV). But many Christians find worldly scandal to be far more interesting than the words of Paul or Jesus.

Among Adventists, Too
Fidimplicitary indiscerptibility is not unknown among Adventists. The low cost of desktop publishing has given rise to numerous James White wannabes, heroically starting up their “little papers” to get out “the truth.” Often their version of “truth” consists of specious accusations against others. These self-styled spiritual leaders can’t all be right, because they don’t agree with each other. Nevertheless they inspire loyal coteries of fidimplicitary followers.

And consider those loyal readers of the Adventist Review who would never follow the cunningly devised fables found on the outer fringes of Adventism and beyond. Are they safe from fidimplicitary indiscerptibility?

Inconceivable as it may seem, it is remotely fathomable that error could creep into the pages of the Review. (If this sentence appears in print, you’ll know the editors gave their qualified assent.) Yes, it’s true: neither the writers nor the editors of the Review are infallible.

Furthermore, church pastors are not above preaching error. I’ve been a pastor; I can offer my personal testimony. Appalling though it may seem, church leaders at the highest levels are occasionally mistaken—sometimes dangerously and hurtfully so.

So is there a place to hide? Is there nowhere one can go in this world that is safe from error? Well, actually, no—there isn’t. If you mindlessly adhere to the opinions of others, you are in danger.

Now, here’s one more question: Is it dangerous to follow thoughtlessly someone who is correct? Is it harmful to follow truth mindlessly? Yes, it is.

One reason is that arriving at truth mindlessly would be mere luck, with no reasonable hope that one’s luck would continue.

The other reason is that truth is a thing of beauty to be savored, loved, and cherished. Truth is too important to be casually, mindlessly, taken for granted. It is, after all, something that millions have died for.

Use What You’ve Got
So what is one to do to avoid fidimplicitary indiscerptibility? The answer is: Think.

Not many of us are Augustines or Einsteins, and the point is not that we should try to become something we are not. But we should mobilize the brain power that the Lord has entrusted to us and seek, in His strength, to develop increasing powers of discernment. We must become, in Ellen White’s words, “thinkers, and not mere reflectors of other men’s thought.”4

Here are some things that one might do toward this goal

1. Do more activities that utilize the powers of the mind. Read thought-provoking books. Look at both sides of controversial issues to understand what opponents are really thinking, rather than taking sides immediately. Get curious about everything; ask questions, and pursue thoughtful answers.

2. Don’t accept any idea thoughtlessly, no matter what the source. Seek solid reasons for everything you choose to believe. Belief must be a conscious choice, not a default position.

3. Revisit issues upon which you have formed opinions. Don’t get in an intellectual rut. Reexamine which thought leaders you choose to put confidence in. If you never change your mind about anything, are you actually thinking?

4. Live healthfully. A mind cannot do its best work in a body that’s a mess.

5. Read widely in the Scriptures, soaking up not just facts, but grand themes and overarching principles. Subject every new idea to the bright light of Scripture. God’s word has the unique ability to increase powers of discernment, but only when minds are exposed to it.

6. Pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit, and really mean it.

Do you think you may suffer from fidimplicitary indiscerptibility? It is curable. And unlike many other maladies, the treatment for this disease is a joy and an adventure.

_________________________
¹ George Stone Saussy III, The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Words (Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, 1984).
² Other “urban legends” making the rounds include a characterization of the founder of Stanford University as a naive country bumpkin in a threadbare suit (when, in fact, he was a highly successful businessman, a personal friend of President Abraham Lincoln, and a distinguished U.S. Senator); a scare about notable atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair going to the FCC in a sinister attempt to put an end to all religious programming (no such attempt is documented, and O’Hair has, in fact, not been heard from at all for a number of years); and numerous permutations of apocalyptic Y2K panic.
³ Not all the lawsuits have succeeded, but in a 1990 case in Topeka, Kansas, a husband and wife were fined $75,000 by the court in connection with the spreading of slanderous rumors about Procter & Gamble.
⁴ Ellen G. White, Education (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press, 1952, p. 17.

_________________________
Bert Williams writes from Nairobi, Kenya, where he teaches at Maxwell Adventist Academy.