Saturday, September 8, 2007

Plagiarism for God: Quiz at the End

On Sept. 1, 2007, evangelical Baptist preacher Scott Wilcoxen in Arcadia, Fla., used the DeSoto Sun's “Our Town” section (p.12) to deliver a sermon to area denizens, wagging the finger of shame in the direction of all who have failed to adopt a “Biblical Worldview.” After a pallid introduction, he introduces a metaphor to help him define the problem. There's only one problem. His colleague in Tennessee already used the same trope, and the same language, and the same order of ideas to reach the same conclusions. Here's the blow-by-blow.

Brother Wilcoxen: “Our reaction to the events around us — those activities important to us, or those activities that impact us — is the basis for how we see the world; in other words, what “lens” we use to look at life and its meaning. As I write these words, I’m wearing reading glasses which are powered at 1.75, so everything I see through these glasses appears slightly larger than it would without the glasses. I can see without them, but small words close up would certainly look a lot different! Your worldview is the “lens” through which you see and interpret the world around you — it is a frame of reference for your thoughts and actions. As you receive information, you interpret it according to your worldview, and then you act on the basis of that worldview.”

Michael Duduit, a Tennessee-based preacher with many sermons and blog-like entries posted all over the Internet, composed nearly identical words some time ago and left them on a Web site for Brentwood Baptist (Tenn.) Church.

Here’s how Duduit originally wrote it. “A worldview is a way of seeing reality, a way in which we see the world. You could use the analogy of a pair of glasses. As I write these words, I'm wearing reading glasses which are powered at 1.5, so everything I see through these glasses appears slightly larger than it would without the glasses. [...] Your worldview is the "lens" through which you see and interpret the world around you. It is a frame of reference for your thoughts and actions - as you receive information, you interpret it according to your worldview and you act on the basis of that worldview.”

Wilcoxen likes Duduit’s words and ideas and copies more of them: “The truth is, we all have a world view, which is shaped by the variety of influences around us — our family, friends, schools, church, books, TV, movies, music, background, traumas in our life, and so on. And, of course, our worldview can change over time, as our influences change. We all have ideas and opinions about what we experience around us — our “presuppositions” (assumptions which may be true, partially true or entirely false) that we consider critical to how we make decisions, make judgments, and discern truth.”

In addition to writing it first, Duduit said it more succinctly and nodded to a source of his own: “We all have a worldview, and it has been shaped by a variety of influences - our parents, schools, church, books, TV, movies, music and so on. If you wonder why there is so much conflict in public life today, one major factor is the battle of incompatible and competing worldviews. [...] Your worldview is the "lens" through which you see and interpret the world around you. It is a frame of reference for your thoughts and actions - as you receive information, you interpret it according to your worldview and you act on the basis of that worldview. As James Sire explains, "A worldview is a set of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true, or entirely false) which we hold (consciously or unconsciously) about the basic make-up of the world.""

Our Florida preacher seems to believe it’s OK to republish things he likes as his own. There's more.

Wilcoxen pontificates: “Most of the postmodern culture claims no ultimate truth — that our existence is the result of an accidental biological process with no underlying meaning or purpose. This is the “world view” of the postmodern culture: If there is no greater purpose to life, then our survival and enjoyment are the most important thing, and our personal needs are primary. There is no ultimate morality, so what you do and how you do it should be based on your own opinions and values. There is no hereafter, just here and now. And there is no greater spiritual truth, just material reality.”

Duduit’s words: "The postmodern worldview that pervades today's culture says that there is no ultimate truth; that we are the accidental result of a chaotic process with no underlying meaning or purpose. Since there is no greater purpose to life, then your survival and enjoyment are the most important thing, and that your needs are primary. There is no ultimate morality; what you do should be based on your own opinions and values. There is no hereafter - just here and now; there is no greater spiritual truth, just material reality."

And one last example of many remaining. Duduit, the original, writes: “In contrast to that is a Christian worldview, based on biblical truth, which recognizes that here and now is not all there is; there is a divine Creator who has shaped the world with His own purposes in mind. You are not an accident; you were created with a purpose in mind. Your desires are not the ultimate goal in life, and the greatest satisfaction does not come from feeding your own hungers. The world in which we live is important but temporary - there is a far greater reality awaiting us beyond this life, and what we do now is preparing us (positively or negatively) for that eternity.”

And, Wilcoxen's localized version: "In contrast is a Christian biblical worldview, recognizing a divine creator who has shaped the world by His own hand, and with His own plan in mind. We are not an accident; we were created with a purpose in mind. Our desires are not the ultimate goal in life, and the greatest satisfaction does not come from feeding our own desires. The world in which we live is important, but temporary: there is a far greater reality awaiting us beyond this life, and what we do now is preparing us for that eternity."

Wilcoxen took the trouble to change a few words here and there, the technique seventh-graders use to translate encyclopedia-ese into “their own words,” as the Language Arts teacher (or newspaper editor) requested. Wilcoxen omits the original’s nod to sources, and in the interest of “truth,” changes the power of his metaphorical glasses to match his own optics. Cute.




The Quiz

1. Which Commandments were broken in producing Wilcoxen’s column?
A. Thou shall not steal.
B. Thou shall not bear false witness.
C. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s possessions.
D. All the above.

2. Which sins were committed in producing Wilcoxen’s column?
A. The sin of sloth.
B. The sin of vanity.
C. The sin of pride.
D. All the above.

3. When e-mailed about his plagiarism, what comments did Wilcoxen offer?
A. I read something that said exactly what I wanted to say so perfectly that it stuck with me.
B. The newspaper doesn’t have enough space so I had to cut two sections that gave the source.
C. I did a lot of research and got the sources mixed up.
D. God forgives me, why can’t you?
E. All the above.


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