Hey what’s up Thinkers! Kathy Gibbens here…
Let’s start off with a quick review of a fallacy we covered earlier this season, the What’s the Harm Fallacy. Ok, do you want to hit pause real quick and see if you can remember what the What’s the Harm Fallacy is? The What’s the Harm Fallacy happens when someone argues that an action or belief is acceptable or justifiable because it doesn't cause any harm.
The question to ask yourself if you think you’re facing a What’s the Harm Fallacy is this: “It may not hurt, but is there any proof that it’ll help?”
If you want to review or hear more about the What’s the Harm fallacy, go back & check out Episode 157.
If you’re a parent like me, your hope is that your children will grow up to develop an unshakeable faith. To be followers of Jesus Christ, and live out His call on their lives in a way that glorifies God. But you also know that our kids live in a world that can make it really challenging to follow Christ. Did you know the newest research shows that only 2% of Gen Z holds a Biblical worldview? Well, your teen doesn’t have to be part of that statistic. You and I know the power & importance of passing a strong Biblical worldview to our children. That's why I'm thrilled to introduce you to Summit Ministries! At Summit Student Conferences, your teen will continue to build a solid foundation rooted in a biblical perspective. During the two-week conferences, students tackle complex issues head-on. Your teen will be personally guided by top Christian thinkers and Apologists who illuminate the TRUTH of our faith. My own daughter is attending this summer, and I can’t wait to hear about her experience! Your teen will cultivate a deep understanding of their beliefs, and they'll also get to enjoy some really fun adventures. They'll develop friendships with like-minded teens who share their passion for God. In short, Summit builds faith that lasts a lifetime. Do you have a teen between 16 and 22? Send them to Summit for two weeks this summer in Georgia or Colorado. Register before March 31st to lock in the early bird rate with a $200 discount. Save an additional $200 with exclusive promo code BRAINCELL24. To learn more, visit Summit.org/braincell.
Alright, let’s dive into today’s new fallacy, the Shoehorning Fallacy. Now, it will probably be helpful first to define our terms here. Have you ever seen a shoehorn? It’s a little metal or plastic device that’s used to help you get your foot into a pair of shoes or boots. You may have seen someone use one before. Now, to use the word as a verb, to shoehorn something means that you’re trying to force it into an inadequate space, like you could say "all those people were shoehorned into cramped corners". Ok, so that’s what the word shoehorn means. So the Shoehorn fallacy happens when someone tries to fit current events into a belief or idea that they hold, regardless of whether it actually fits the belief or idea.
Here’s a simple example of what shoehorning sounds like: Your eccentric Aunt Jeanine comes up to you at the family reunion and says, “Did you know that this blizzard we’re having right now is because Saturn and Jupiter are lined up in the sky for the first time in 273 years? I read all about it in the Astrology column this morning!” Ok, so do you see the fallacy? Aunt Jeanine is a believer in Astrology, and so she’s very open to making current events fit into that belief, whether it actually fits or not. Is it blizzarding because Saturn & Jupiter are lined up or is it blizzarding because it’s March in Colorado and that happens every year?
Shoehorning is actually something that’s sort of common for people to do because of our biases. When we hold certain beliefs or ideas, we tend to subtly look for things that support those ideas and if we’re not careful, we can shoehorn things into fitting our beliefs and ideas, even when they don’t really fit.
Another common place that Shoehorning happens is with Biblical prophecy. Sometimes, people who are really into studying Bible prophecy can have a tendency to think that everything that’s happening around the world is in direct fulfillment to Biblical prophecy. For instance, I remember in 1999…yes, I was alive way back in the 1900s! Hehe. But in 1999 the big concern was something called Y2K, as in the Year 2000. There was all this news that the computers weren’t going to recognize the year 2000 when the time changed at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Well, there were all kinds of doomsday predictions happening. Some people were stocking up on food & water, others were saying the banks and stores were all going to shut down, it was a whole thing, y’all. There were also those who were saying that this Y2K event was all part of Biblical prophecy and was going to usher in the End Times. It was kind of crazy. And, I will say that was the most anticlimactic New Years ever. Everyone was on pins & needles to see what chaos was going to ensue after the clock struck midnight…and… nothing happened. The computers were fine and life went on as usual. Now, I’m not saying that things we see aren’t part of Biblical prophecy, I’m just saying we need to use wisdom & discernment and beware of trying to Shoehorn everything into a particular belief.
Question to ask yourself if you think someone is committing the Shoehorning Fallacy is this: “Is that really why this is happening?” *repeat*
Remember: When you learn HOW to think, you will no longer fall prey to those who are trying to tell you what THEY want you to think and it all starts with asking one simple question: “Is that really true?”
