What does it mean to academically train your mind?

[Nom De Guerre]

You're negating the subject of that verse, in context they're speaking about prophesy...

27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.

28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.

it goes on, and meets your verse eventually.

Again, I am accountable to Yahweh, and only Yahweh.

John 5

21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

 

[ImperatorWall]

You're negating the subject of that verse, in context they're speaking about prophesy...

27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.

28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.

it goes on, and meets your verse eventually.

Again, I am accountable to Yahweh, and only Yahweh.

I don't feel like tackling prophecy at the moment, so here's a verse that's simpler:

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Or perhaps:

Ephesians 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

Or maybe:

Hebrews 3:12 Take heed , brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 3:13 But exhort one another daily , while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Or if you like Proverbs:

27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

 

[anewday]

So, what I'm getting from this, is that I'm probably going to hell for getting a master's degree . Good thing I act like a blonde half the time.......

Academics to me means higher education. Training your mind alone can be done in a variety of ways.

 

[Calvinator]

How does it work?

What does it mean to be cultured, refined, and enlightened?

It's not just about reading a bunch of peer reviewed articles nor memorizing endlessly on a subject. I'm sure that it all boggles down to true understanding.

Can anyone tell me?

The way you have phrased your question seems to assume a link between the general label of being "academically trained" and being "cultured, refined, and enlightened".

I find this correlation to be superfluous, if not downright false.

Personally, if someone tried to compliment me by calling me "cultured, refined or enlightened", I'd probably respond by rolling my eyes, bringing up a loud belch if I could manage one and scratching my armpit.

These words are used by individuals who seek to separate themselves by class, to find an adequate descriptor by which to look down their noses at others who they do not think fit the label and personal definition. I suppose this is one of the reasons you are asking, such labels are generalizations needing specific clarity.

Not that there is no such thing as refinement, culture or enlightenment, but because each of those things is area specific. A born and bred American is not "cultured" from the viewpoint of the African Tribesman. An enlightened physicist may not have the foggiest idea on how to do basic carpentry and craft, compose a sonnet or write a song.

When it comes to academic training, it is just that. It is not necessary to sit through a class, listen to a teacher and get a degree to have a level of academia in a certain subject. Often, a library card, a willingness to learn, a goal and a determination is all that you need. The degree will give you a public recognition, provided it's from a respected institution, but it should not be assumed that an individual who has trained him or herself in the same area is somehow inferior to those holding the degree.

Doctors are a pretty good example. Most of their academic training comes from accredited institutions teaching very similar courses. Anything that does not fit their particular paradigm is usually discarded as nonsense or unhelpful, and it is precisely those "think outside the box" remedies that sometimes help people more than a physician's advice.

 

[crishmael]

So, what I'm getting from this, is that I'm probably going to hell for getting a master's degree . Good thing I act like a blonde half the time.......

Academics to me means higher education. Training your mind alone can be done in a variety of ways.

True story. The church I grew up in had two examples of the biggest possible sinner: 1) a prostitute 2) a college professor. Since I aspired (and aspire) to be a professor I accepted from an early age there was nothing but hellfire waiting for me.

 

[anewday]

True story. The church I grew up in had two examples of the biggest possible sinner: 1) a prostitute 2) a college professor. Since I aspired (and aspire) to be a professor I accepted from an early age there was nothing but hellfire waiting for me.

Wow. Yeah I've heard some crazy things myself from other churches. The church you grew up in was wrong. God doesn't put values on sin. Sin is sin. Therefore, being a prostitute is just as sinful as being a professor .

 

[crishmael]

Wow. Yeah I've heard some crazy things myself from other churches. The church you grew up in was wrong. God doesn't put values on sin. Sin is sin. Therefore, being a prostitute is just as sinful as being a professor .

Yeah, they were bat doodie crazy.

 

[Niels]

It probably refers to the formal training one receives in accredited institutions of higher learning.

 

[Jupiter Drops]

Honestly until now, from looking at some of these responses, I never knew that the words 'cultured, refined, and enlightened' were put in such negative light.

Wow, society. Wow.

 

[Nom De Guerre]

I find it incredibly difficult to believe that you actually believe that the connotation of those words in the "western" civilization are galvanized as such... classism is a huge topic as of the past few years in America; as per the 'Occupy X' movement and the down-trodden economy.

 

[Jupiter Drops]

Well that makes sense :/

 

[Nom De Guerre]

And it's only going to continue to get even harrier for people whom wish to marginalize themselves away from the people whom are the backbone of this Continent.

 

[Qyöt27]

Honestly until now, from looking at some of these responses, I never knew that the words 'cultured, refined, and enlightened' were put in such negative light.

Wow, society. Wow.

There's something I could say about the source of the outrage, but it's not very nice and I long ago ran out of the patience needed to engage in such topics, because the end result is it devolving into belligerency and near-flaming (or outright flaming). Same goes for most political discussions and even most theological ones. I had my fighting time, I just don't have the energy for it anymore.


But regarding the original topic, yes, typically the method to do so is to pursue higher education. The cultured and refined points I wouldn't so much pin to academics - it's more than likely the means to get there, but it generally has a connotation linked to the social customs of high society and nobility, which gets people that would be otherwise considered 'commoners' riled up. This somewhat coincides with the fact that these higher classes were generally the ones with access to education in the pre-Enlightenment or even pre-Industrial era.

Enlightenment I see as mostly a personal thing - you can be exposed to the concepts being discussed, but it's mostly an internal process of whether it really sinks in and you come to an understanding of it. This also applies to philosophy or theology. It doesn't mean that academics is worthless, though - like I said, for the individual to grow, they have to gain experience, and you're not going to get that experience unless you put yourself in a situation where it can happen. When it comes to philosophical pursuits (where you need to have knowledge of what the different philosophies actually entail) or those fields that have rigorous standards (such as mathematics and science), that's all under the umbrella of academia.

 

[Rhye]

True story. The church I grew up in had two examples of the biggest possible sinner: 1) a prostitute 2) a college professor. Since I aspired (and aspire) to be a professor I accepted from an early age there was nothing but hellfire waiting for me.

You are kidding! Tell me you are kidding.

 

[crishmael]

You are kidding! Tell me you are kidding.

Sadly, no. It's a true story. College professers were all assumed to be immoral atheists and going to college was about the most dangerous thing you could do that didn't involve dancing. I was warned I'd become an atheist if I ever went. I didn't become an atheist, but I wound up being completely immune to brain dead spiritualized garbage that just wants to keep you controlled.

 

[Rhye]

Sadly, no. It's a true story. College professers were all assumed to be immoral atheists and going to college was about the most dangerous thing you could do that didn't involve dancing. I was warned I'd become an atheist if I ever went. I didn't become an atheist, but I wound up being completely immune to brain dead spiritualized garbage that just wants to keep you controlled.

I seriously cannot believe people would believe this stuff. If anything my life experiences have lead me more to God then away from Him and that especially includes my education.

 

[anewday]

So you understood and cared for people outside of yourself?

So that's what I've been doing wrong this whole time !

 

[Rhye]

*looks around* eek!

 

[Nom De Guerre]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with getting educated, I studied a dictionary and the Bible for many years expanding my vocabulary; what scripture warns us of is becoming luke-warm like the rest of society, and losing our full-hearted love for Yahweh. It's so easy to become an everyday citizen, live like everybody else when we begin to surround ourselves deep in their pockets of thought (philosophy) without even realizing it.

 

[anewday]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with getting educated, I studied a dictionary and the Bible for many years expanding my vocabulary; what scripture warns us of is becoming luke-warm like the rest of society, and losing our full-hearted love for Yahweh. It's so easy to become an everyday citizen, live like everybody else when we begin to surround ourselves deep in their pockets of thought (philosophy) without even realizing it.