Chap wrote:Since we are engaged in pulling Droopy's tail, a sport that is always fun, I think I ought to mortify myself just a little (a remnant from my Christian past) by saying that there is a part of me that admires some things about Droopy. I am talking about his apparent determination to become an educated and knowledgeable person despite all the factors in his personal life that have made that difficult.
But knowledge alone is not enough. I just wish he could have that magical encounter with a teacher he trusts who would lead him to see that the best thing one can do with one's dearest beliefs is to question them, and to think of all the possible reasons why someone else might reasonably find them implausible. They may well come out of that encounter stronger than before. The great thing, however, is that one will be a lot better at persuading other people that one's point of view is worth taking seriously. At the moment, Droopy's mode of advocating of a point of view is usually guaranteed to make it seem deeply unattractive to anyone who does not already hold it.
That is, I hope, the precise opposite of what he intends.
I believe that's right. My daughter once said she didn't want to attend BYU because she wanted to go to a school that challenges her beliefs instead of protecting them.