Another excellent article from Crosswise. Check out Craig’ s other articles, if you haven’t already!
This article will address two separate yet sometimes related phenomena witnessed in various online exchanges (and elsewhere), namely the straw man fallacy and cognitive dissonance. I’ll explain them one at a time, and then I shall illustrate how the two are at times combined.
Straw Man Fallacy
A straw man fallacy arises out of a presupposition, a misunderstanding, and/or an intentional mischaracterization, leading to a distortion of another person’s actual viewpoint or proposition. There are four parts, though sometimes 2, 3 and/or 4 may be grouped together in the conversational exchange:
1) Person A holds to or voices position or proposition X
2) Person B distorts A’s stance (intentional or not) as Y instead
3) Person B argues against distorted position Y
4) Therefore, B concludes that A’s position X must be flawed – a fallacy
Person B’s argument is fallacious because person B is attacking the wrong position (Y instead…
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The Narrowing Path 
Hi Sherryn.
I hope all is well. Keith Thompson likes to use the phrase “straw man.” I always read between the lines and figured what he meant but this gives me solid ground to stand on.
Great article. Thanks for sharing.
God’s blessings…
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Hi Chris,
Sorry about the haphazard replies at the moment. I am so glad this article was helpful to you! How are things up your way? Hope all with well with you and yours, dear brother in Christ. 🙂
Blessings,
Sherryn
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No worries, my friend. I know you have a lot on your plate at this time.
Things are fine here. Thanks for asking. Hannah had a short Hospital stay and all of the tests proved inconclusive. She had not been feeling well and there is a possibility that she may have to have an MRI. She continues with her school work and her job at the church. She is a walking miracle.
I’ve been substitute teaching quite a bit lately. They told me I was going to work for the technology teacher yesterday and I ended up helping in two kindergarten classes and then took over for a sub in a 2nd grade classroom for the second half of the day. I have been in classes ranging from K-8th grades. I didn’t get a call today so I’m making a few comments on the blogs I like. Sometimes I get an automated call, sometimes I talk to a real person, and sometimes, like yesterday, I select a job listed at a Sub-teach computer location. I have been feeling pretty good lately and will probably do some exercises inside as there is still snow on the ground outside due to a recent storm. We were supposed to have more snow today, but the weathermen were way off and the storm went south of us. Most thought school would be closed today. Anyway, if I don’t get a job tomorrow, I’ll get my exercise by getting outside and raking the leaves.
Kim is well and still teaching her preschoolers. I keep running into people as I sub who have either taught with her or have had a child in her class. I always get positive reviews as she is very good at what she does. She had to check my hair for lice when one of the kindergarteners I was working with was sent home with nits in his hair.
Grant is back at college. He had all As last semester and is already considered a sophomore because of some of the college level classes he took in high school. He is able to get home most weekends as Henderson U. is only about 1 hour away. We both listened to his favorite pastor, Dr. Mark Cain, when we were snowed in this past weekend. If you ever want to watch him, just Google “Village Bible Church Hot Springs, Arkansas.” The video wasn’t working well last Sunday, so we listened to the audio. I go there with Grant when he is home almost every other week. I have recently read that EFCA churches are being infiltrated by some of the strange things we’re seeing today. This church hasn’t allowed any such nonsense as far as I can tell. I emailed pastor Mark and expressed my concerns over a Beth Moore series that his wife was teaching to the women. I told him that Beth Moore was into contemplative spirituality. He wasn’t aware of that and he said that he and his wife would keep their “discerning eyeglasses on.” I felt better when I talked to a friend from Change Point who had taken the course at her Baptist Church and she remembered none of the contemplative junk in that particular study. Rick Warren has been quoted a time or two and I always let them know how I feel about that. It is an elderly congregation and I can’t see them ever getting into Contemplative Spirituality as long as Pastor Mark is there. I think he is a solid Bible teacher who has recently gotten more outspoken about political things. I got more signatures at that church to prevent gays from fostering or adopting children then I did from any other church in the county.
Well, I guess I’ve got you caught up with the major things. I pray for you and your family daily. I hope all is going well. I’ll probably “cya” on FB one of these days.
I wish you and your family God’s greatest blessings, Sherryn. You are a wonderful sister in the Lord.
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