Why is it so easy to misunderstand each other?

Question

But so hard to try and be understanding?

Example: someone posts a question with no obvious demeaning and people feel it demeans others, when it doesnt. Have you ever wondered they might be doing it with good intentions and not really ANY demeaning?

Answer 1

Yes, it is easy to misunderstand people's intentions on here or even if their question is a joke or not. That's how it is on-line. There's bound to be misunderstandings but if you're a sport you'll try not to get upset about them. I have gotten afew emails over the years that I had offended people and I wrote back an apology. This site is to express our views even if some people don't agree with them. Just because I might offend someone, I won't stop being honest about my view.

Answer 2

Part of it is the fact that people from around the world are reading and responding to the questions. There are many nuances to the english language that people from other parts of the world may not understand fully. The different cultural backgrounds also could contribute to misunderstandings.
Then there are those in R&S who think any question relating to belief in God is demeaning.
Then there are others who are so totally into political correctness that anything another says is demeaning to someone.

Answer 3

I think one of the largest factors contributing to unnecessary misunderstandings is the extremely poor way people use language. People don't seem to understand that the definition of a word changes completely, depending on the context in which it is used. For example, the word Satanism has two distinctly different meanings. (A fact I learned just yesterday.)

Most Christians imagine Satanism is the worship of God's fallen angel, the Master of Hell. This definition of Satan is associated with evil intentions and willful disobedience of God's laws. People who think this is the correct definition of Satanism are usually unaware that this meaning was created in the twelfth century by Christians who imagined the forces of evil were "mocking" the church by holding black masses, where stolen hosts (Communion wafers) were ritualistically defiled. This totally fabricated definition of Satanism was used to justify the superstitious Inquisitions and witch-hunts for which medieval Christianity is infamous.

People who are actually practicing Satanists have a completely different definition of the word. It relates to a pre-Christian life-force within a pantheistic world view. Practicing Satanists are essentially atheists who reject all gods as the irrelevent creations of the over-active human imagination. Personally, I am not a Satanist and have little real knowledge of that faith, beyond knowing that most people incorrectly apply the medieval definition to modern Satanists and horrible misunderstandings are the result.

Why is it so easy to misunderstand each other? One important reason is that the linguistic definitions of the words we use are constantly changing, so we're never really sure if a person actually means what we think they said.

Answer 4

Ah yes, it is an all too frequent result of the frailties of human existence that we take offense where none was intended.

Other times we take offense because not only was it intended, we were bludgeoned by it.

I think some of it's due to interpretations of the language -- for example we have the ability to evaluate irony and humor at differing levels.

Literal and figurative interpretations of what we have to say provide their fair share of opportunities to be misunderstood as well as idioms and figures of speech which may be benign in one place yet insulting in another.

Sometimes we merely wish to make an impression and it too is presented inappropriately.

Most certainly it is not enough to understand, but likewise be understood.

With so many opportunities for miscommunication due to cultural and language differences all we may really hope for is to attempt some semblance of 'polite company' and doing the best we can.

Answer 5

In this category there are alot of demeaning questions in it. Sometimes it is hard to decipher which are actual questions seeking answers from those just out to bash religion. To me, it is all in the way it is worded. God Bless.

Answer 6

There are times when it's almost like we're speaking different languages. For instance, I saw something on R&S about "pushing hard against god." I have no idea what it meant, but to me it sounded sexual. Like the notice I once saw outside a church that said something about a "ram in the bush."

Also, it sometimes seems that some people redefine words to suit their argument. It's just about impossible to communicate when the meanings of words keep changing, depending upon who's using them, and for what purpose.

Answer 7

People want to reinforce what they already believe. Understanding might require change upon the realization that someone else is right, and that's difficult and scary.

Answer 8

Some people feel so strongly in their beliefs that they are not willing to listen to other points of view. They take anything said against their beliefs as a personal insult.

Answer 9

It is our culture to come off in a bag of being offended if someone doesn't agree with you. Look over it and go on with what makes you happy.

Answer 10

Someone who spews hatred doesn't have good intentions. If you mean that someone who asks a polite question without attacking anyone can be misunderstood then I agree. What I can't abide by is intolerance and judgment. Those two things cannot be synonymous with good intentions. Namaste.