Communication Is Complex

Unmasking Catholicism

Mary Ann Collins, a former Catholic nun

Judging by some responses from readers, it seems that communication is more complicated than I realized. You can have one thing in mind, and write about it, and you think that you made your point clear. But then you discover that some of your readers thought you were saying something quite different from what you intended to communicate.

People think differently. Our minds work differently. We interpret what we read based on our knowledge and personal experience. If we aren't careful, we may make assumptions, or jump to conclusions.
Please don't read things into this book that I haven't said. For example, when I say that a person did something, all I am doing is describing actions that can be objectively verified. I am not attributing motives to people. I can't do that, because I don't know the people.

This book discusses the Inquisition. What the Inquisitors did was bad. However, only God is qualified to judge the men who did it. There is a difference between people and their actions. Sometimes people who do bad things are looking for God, but we would never recognize it because of their behavior. The Apostle Paul is an example. Before his conversion, he persecuted Christians to the death.

Another example is a man who interrogated prisoners and tortured them. One of his victims told him about Jesus Christ. (I believe that it may have been Pastor Richard Wurmbrand in Communist Romania. However, I'm not sure because I read the story years ago.) The torturer became a Christian. It took a lot of courage to do that. He knew that he would probably be put in prison, where he would be at the mercy of men he had tortured.

According to the Bible, people can do bad things, but mistakenly think that they are doing good things. The Bible says:

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:12)

"...yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service." (John 16:2)

Only God is qualified to judge people. Our job is to love them. Jesus told us that we should even love our enemies. He said:

"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44; also see Luke 6:27-28)

That is why one of the first articles I wrote was about forgiveness. Once we forgive people, then it becomes easier to love them.

The following story illustrates the complexities of communication. (I don't remember the source of the story.)

A farmer wanted to sell his horse, so he and his son took the horse to market. The farmer rode on the horse, and his son walked beside him. As they were going on their way, they met a man who said to the farmer: "What kind of a father are you, making your son walk while you ride?"

So the farmer got off the horse and let his son ride. As they continued on their way, they met a man who said to the son: "Don't you have any respect for your father? How can you ride while he is walking?"

So the farmer and his son both rode on the horse. Then they met a man who said: "What are you doing to your horse? You can't expect a horse to carry two full-grown men!"

So the farmer and his son got off of the horse and walked beside it. When they got to market, nobody wanted to buy the horse. The people said: "That horse can't be any good if you won't even ride it."

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