Educated Idiot

In the days and times, we live in of political correctness, the mere use of the word idiot can make people outraged against you, however, this has not always been the case. The word idiot as we use it today is when we are referring to someone who is acting silly, idiotic, or crazy or doing something foolish that does not make much common sense or have any logic to it. But the word was in fact used in the past more liberally and directly referring to those who lacked understanding, brain power, reasoning ability and who were known as feeble minded.

In ancient times, differences in physical stature or mental capacity would have been considered inferiorities and defects. Infants were often abandoned and children who live to be more than toddlers would be mocked, scorned, and used as entertainment. If they reached adulthood, they were often kept as court jesters in royal circles. As the Middle Ages approached, fear and uncertainty surrounded them. They were considered threatening and pitiable all at the same time, and this brought with it asylums where they were often confined and did not live long. While others were taken in ‘idiot cages’ to the town centers for sport or relegated to “ships of fools.” Attempts were made during the late 1700’s and the early 1800’s to educate the blind and deaf, which opened the subject and question of whether the mentally retarded, also an abandoned term, could be educated. With medical advancements and studies, this seemed to be feasible, and brought with it the opening of more asylums. They were originally meant to be retreats or sanctuaries, however, they initially only housed and confined abandoned ‘idiots’ and did not offer training of any kind.

In 1817, the Quakers established a well-known asylum. It was considered the first privately owned mental hospital in the United States and was for the ‘Relief of Persons Deprived of the Use of their Reason’. This was founded in Philadelphia built on a 52-acre farm by those calling themselves ‘Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends’, which they tried to make into a beautiful place. Mental illness at the time was vastly misunderstood and considered as criminal behavior. Lunatics or idiots were often beaten and chained up. They wanted to shed a different light on it, with a new way of approaching care. They wanted to accommodate those who might not have reason, provide for them medically and give them attention that would ‘sooth their agitated minds’ and facilitate their recovery. It is known as the Friends Hospital today and covers over two hundred acres of land with beautiful azalea gardens planted mainly by one man, who worked there all his life until 1947. It established the first moral treatment of those with mental disabilities.

Another such place was The New York State Asylum for Idiots in 1851 and Hervey B. Wilbur, M.D was the first superintendent. It was for the care of mentally deficient children also referred to as an Asylum for lunatics. In 1891 it was renamed Syracuse State Institution for Feeble Minded Children. Since many did not survive, there was a law passed that they would be able to purchase burial plots in Oakwood Cemetery for those, often referred to as inmates, who died while residing there. Edward Seguin, M. D. was a collaborating force in his method of training of whom Maria Montessori was a student and this is where much of the “Montessori Method” of training originates. This is a non-traditional method of teaching, using toys to teach that have been designed for this purpose depending on the development of the child. Later known as the Syracuse State school, this method was considered to have been pioneered there.

In 1923 after much advocacy for those with disabilities special education became quite common in the United States and saw much success. However, we know that from 1883 even through the 1940’s the eugenics movement started by Francis Galton, Darwin’s cousin was also a rage and was not doing any favors for the disabled community and cause. This movement also became part of the Nazi’s modus operandi and Hitler’s attempt to make a ‘super-race.’  It was a dangerous attempt to try to play God. Apart from that, the 1950’s to the 1990’s saw more advocating for better care, legislation, education, and employment for those with disabilities. In 1990 the Americans with Disabilities Law was signed into law and many of the state institutions had closed or reduced the size of them and gone to more individualized living and care with rights to advocate for themselves, with accommodations allowed for them in society.

It was not until January 28^th, 2013, that the terminology on the Federal Register was changed from ‘Mental Retardation’ to ‘Intellectual Disability’. The proposal states: “Why are we changing the term “mental retardation” to “intellectual disability”? The term “intellectual disability” is gradually replacing the term “mental retardation” nationwide. Advocates for individuals with intellectual disability have rightfully asserted that the term “mental retardation” has negative connotations, has become offensive to many people, and often results in misunderstandings about the nature of the disorder and those who have it.”  That does not seem so long ago and herein lies the issue with humanity. You can pass laws and tell people what to call others and how they need to behave, but you will not always get the result for which you are hoping.

There is a phrase that appears about five times in the scriptures with a few other derivatives that says, “I would not that ye be ignorant.”  In these cases, Paul is stating that he wants the people, his audience to be informed of certain topics concerning his situation, the gospel and Christian living. However, just to have knowledge of something is not enough. There must be an understanding. Those who we discussed earlier were those who could not learn, retain knowledge, or understand what they were being taught, however, Paul is exhorting us to not be spiritual idiots, as those who cannot comprehend.

The word understand in Merridian – Webster Dictionary is: “A transitive verb,1a: to grasp the meaning of, to understand Russian. b: to grasp the reasonableness of his behavior is hard to understand. c: to have thorough or technical acquaintance with or expertness in the practice of or understand finance. d: to be thoroughly familiar with the character and propensities of, to understand children. 2: to accept as a fact or truth or regard as plausible without utter certainty, we understand that he is returning from abroad. 3: to interpret in one of a number of possible ways. An intransitive verb,

1: to have understanding: have the power of comprehension.

2: to achieve a grasp of the nature, significance, or explanation of something.

3: to believe or infer something to be the case.

4: to show a sympathetic or tolerant attitude toward something.”

Therefore, to say we understand the truth, we must take what we hear from the Word of God, submerge ourselves into it enough to put it to memory, which is knowledge, and subsequently comprehend it. Have a grasp on its inferences, be familiar with the nuances of it, know the characteristics of what is being conveyed and believe that it is plausible, reasonable, and achievable. There are so many who stop with the reading or memorization and sell themselves short of understanding it which facilitates the deliverance of sin, the peace and joy that Jesus brings and the power we have over sin through His Spirit.

Mark 8:22-25 tells of a miracle of Jesus that had to do with knowledge versus understanding.

“And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes and made him look up: and he was restored and saw every man clearly.”  It was not just his literal sight that needed healing, but since he had never seen before, he needed an infusion of understanding of what he was seeing. In Matthew 15:10 Jesus stated to his audience before he began to teach them, “And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:” It is of no lasting value if you have a brain full of information if you have no understanding. Mark 7: 17-23, “And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him. Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” The multitudes eyes were purposefully blinded for a time during the ministry of Jesus, but he was constantly reprimanding the disciples for not understanding because the privilege was extended to them to understand his teaching, yet they struggled with it. 1 John 5:20 states, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”

Finally, this brings us to the term ‘Educated Idiot’ from my title. There are those who are willfully ignorant. They are not idiots, as we spoke of in the beginning or mentally disabled, they are able to learn, retain knowledge and understand, but because they do not like what they are understanding, they reject it, dismiss it, and thereby become ‘educated idiots.’  The setting aside of what they have learned and understood not only makes them fools, but also can become the thing that ultimately destroys them. If you see a sign that states ‘road closed’ you know it is placed there for a reason because you are a driver and have been taught the laws of the land. You can read English and you can understand that this means you should not take your car past that point. You comprehend that even if you do not know what lies ahead. If you choose to ignore the sign, you will face the consequences of the danger that is ahead. It could be a road out, a bridge out, a tree blocking the road with no way to turn around or a cliff. You could name possible dangers all night long, but the choice to obey the sign remains in the hands of the driver. The one that goes beyond that point is doing so willfully and with understanding. This could be their demise.

2 Peter 3:3-7 states, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”  There were scoffers and just acting like they were dumb and could not understand. Did they possibly think this would change the outcome? If so, they were wrong, because God is not mocked. He knows the heart and mind of all men and know those who can and cannot understand and those who are willfully ignorant.

James 1:22-25 tells us, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”  By seeing your face is dirty when you look in the mirror and you walk away without washing it, does not change anything. Your face is still dirty and in fact you are then viewed as the idiot when you are acting like you are all that and a bag of chips. Having knowledge and following through with understanding is what changes things and becomes your salvation. A story is written in English literature called “To Build a Fire” by Jack London. The gest of the story is, the man was on a journey to visit his boys at a camp miles away, but the temperature was fifty below zero. Throughout the lengthy telling of the journey, he is continually telling himself that he should not be out in the weather, he should build himself a fire and rest, he could fall into water that may be disguised by the snow, he could freeze to death. He knows the geography, he knows the science of it, he knows the consequences of the choices he is making; however, he never follows through. Ultimately, he does fall into a creek, must remove his wet socks and shoes, but before he can, he is going numb, he pulls off his gloves to find his matches to build the fire, but he waited so long that he is losing sensation in his feet and hands and cannot feel the matches. Though he tries, he is not successful in the end of being able to get kindling together for the fire and because of his freezing hands, uses his last matches in bulk just trying to get warm. As you have already guessed, he never makes it to the camp. What made him think he would be impervious to the weather? What made him think he could beat the odds?

We should never think we know better than God. We should not try to play the fool. God will judge us and reward us according to the abilities He knows we have and what we have done with them, not by what we try to demonstrate as our best effort. We should educate ourselves, yes, but also embrace understanding by following through. Wash your face if you see it is dirty, do not continue forward if you see the ‘road closed’ sign and make a fire if you find yourself in uninhabitably freezing weather so to speak. Regarding spiritual things do not be “mentally retarded,” “intellectually disabled” or an “Educated Idiot.”