Literary Nazis

If you have spent any time on the Internet, and especially in the comments sections of blogs and news sites or on message boards, you have probably seen someone referred to as a grammar Nazi, or more likely, a spelling Nazi.

But is this an accurate label?

The historic face of Nazism is, of course, Adolph Hitler. Nazi government was totalitarian; Hitler was a dictator. ("1. a ruler who is not effectively restricted by ... laws ... .") [1] Law had no restraint over Hitler because Hitler's rule was law. Whatever he wanted the law to be, that is what it was. If he changed his mind, so did the law change. The law, his law, was anything he desired it to be.

The problem here is that law is meant to be a standard. Civil law is a society's standard of justice. Grammar and spelling rules are the standard of written language. If a standard constantly moves or changes it is not a standard. Hitler was the law in Nazi Germany.
If standards of acceptable behavior in society were to change at the whim of any one person or group of people, there would be huge problems. If people can make their own rules, then why is what James Holmes did so terrible? Or Ted Bundy? Or ... 9/11?

I understand misspelling a word is not the same as killing someone. But in this time when we are told that "truth is not absolute," that "what is right for one person is not necessarily right for another," what is the difference?
And so, because I believe (with this eloquent commenter [2]) in standards of language and spelling, I say that those who write and spell with the same respect for grammar and spelling rules that Hitler showed for the sovereign national border of Poland are the true grammar Nazis and spelling Nazis.



[1] "dictator." Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 14 Aug. 2012. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dictator
>.
[2] This is a comment posted in response to Dictionary.com's The Hot Word blog post: "These words may be removed from some dictionaries — find out why, and if you agree."

i say no, cuz u'l neva know when pple need dem. Every word is important its nt jst it era yet. on August 24, 2011 at 5:56 pm
i say no,u neva know wen we all are going 2 need those words 4 diff purposes.every word is important and significant no ma how short. Its nt jst its time yet, hang on

It is interesting that the commenter considers that "every word is important and significant," but he/she can't be bothered to take the time to spell them out correctly.

Dr. R.C. Sproul on Reformed Theology

In Reformed theology we constantly test our doctrine by going back to our fundamental understanding of the character of God.
--Dr. R.C. Sproul

From What Is Reformed Theology? A Teaching Series by Dr. R.C. Sproul, Lecture 2, Catholic, Evangelical, and Reformed.

Christianity's Neglect of Duty

"It is difficult to sell responsibiity, and there is so much to do. Our task today has grown so great because so much undone work has accumulated for so long. Christians have neglected their comprehensive assignment from God. We have lost at least three centuries, most of the churches, and every university. We can and must win back these institutions, plus many more that Christianity never controlled. We have been commissioned to do it. We must get to work."

--From Gary North's Publisher's Foreword to Kenneth L. Gentry's The Greatness of the Great Commission.


Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Philippians 2:9-11
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Surprised by Joy

(The title of this post is also the title of a book by C. S. Lewis, which I highly recommend you read.)

Here is a question at least partially inspired by Lewis's book:

Must man be an active, or even willing, participant in his salvation?

Your thoughts?

An Honest Politician? A Rare Breed, Indeed.

"But let this also be clear: I will not be bland in what I write, for I am not blind to what I see." Former Senator Zell Miller in his book A National Party No More (p. 63).

117 years ago tomorrow, January 11, the "Butcher of New Orleans" Gen. Benjamin "Beast" Butler died.

The link goes to an editorial/obituary published in the "Nashville American" on January 12, 1893, the day after Butler's death. It was not written from a sympathetic perspective, to say the least.

You have to appreciate the backbone shown by whoever wrote it. Would that we had a few newspapers and newspapermen with this kind of conviction today.

“Nashville American” Spoke No Ill Of Dead “Butcher Of New Orleans” — Just Told The Truth

Consider This

"[We] need to communicate more effectively the true nature of what the First Amendment says and doesn’t say. It never promises a religion-free society. At the very most, you can say that the First Amendment guarantees a secular government. But that secular government – for its very survival – presupposes the continued existence of a deeply religious nation." -- Michael Medved, best-selling author and radio talk show host.

This quote comes from an interview that the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) did with Michael Medved on public education. The interview was published in the ADF's quarterly publication Truth & Triumph.