I wanted to finish this initial series on the importance of metaphors. Some metaphors might be more accurately described as archetypes, when they have their origin in a reality of first types such as most of the Biblical metaphors. An archetype is the original persona, image, icon etc that has been repeated and copied throughout cultures and generations and are deeply ingrained in our language and cultural understanding. The Biblical archetypes have their origin with God as well. But I will stick to the term metaphor for my purposes on this blog because I want to focus on the connection of images with their given meanings. To understand the power of metaphors and why it is ESSENTIAL that we know them, I am going to illustrate an absurd example, but one I hope will get my point across and be memorable. Once upon a modern time, there was a house of worship called the Worship House of the Daisy-Petals..... Steve is a young man of the village or small community in the country, he describes himself as average, seeking a church that is a good place for worship and that will be inviting. He is not looking for any kind of power, prestige, or riches, just a good place to worship. A friend tells him about this new place that has just recently been established called the Worship House of the Daisy Petals.....
The people are warm and friendly and he heard the leader is a dynamic speaker. As he approaches the building, he notices a garden around the small worship building. Painted in white and yellow trim, it's very attractive, with daisies planted along the edges. He stops to read the front sign which says, "Welcome to the House of the Daisy Petals where all are welcome. We are a good, friendly, family oriented house of worship, ready to love. Join us as we seek knowledge for a fulfilling spiritual life." Steve continues through the front doors for his first service. As he walks in, he notices how lovely everything is, food at the back table for members. As he walks to a seat, he notices ornate patterns on the base of the chairs with daisy petals strewn in the aisles. He sits down and notices the detail of the pew seat, it looks like a pattern of scales set in enamel in shades of blue and green. He can't quite make out the imagery on the seats. Steve sits down waiting to see how the morning will go when he looks up at the podium table set up much like an altar table. He sees a goblet, a plate of yeast bread, and then realizes there is an altar piece. The pattern is like the chairs --ornate, colorful and it builds upward in a shape. Then he notices the eyes and the head of the image. It is the image of a serpent with golden eyes. The hair on Steve's arm bristles and he looks for a quick but subtle exit. He proceeds away from the building and doesn't look back... ...You might be thinking, "That's weird, that's not even rational, why would he leave so quickly?" Because Steve knew enough content from his younger Bible Story years to know that the image of the serpent was the form taken of the evil one and God declared that the serpent was the deceiver. So here, we have immediate knowledge that something is not right. This is a false house of worship. You can know this without even hearing the first sermon or having read their doctrine of faith. Metaphors cannot be altered at whim. The meanings of them are fixed. When you identify yourself with a metaphor in a context of reverence, honor and possible worship, like in this story; you are partnering with the symbol. In this case, Steve knew the altar piece at the House of the Daisy Petals was the same as the Evil One. No amount of slick talk or attempts at re-defining your symbols will make a difference. The leader of the House of the Daisy Petals is a deceiver. If he is not conscious of his error, then he is deceiving himself through ignorance. If he is conscious of his error, then he is doubly responsible for setting out to deceive innocent people and the fruit of his actions will reveal Truth. Later this week, I'll post another example. This time a frightening illustration of a real situation that made the front page news of a local paper just a week ago....
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