Truespel Spam

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Feb 4, 2008 3:48 PM, Tom Zurinskas <truespel at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
[Larry Horn wrote:]
> > I don't recall anyone calling you non-theological.
>
> It was in the last MAM-ogram where he also wishes to stigmatize anyone responding to my posts.

Hate to wade into this, but it's worth correcting the record: Mark M.
never called Tom Z. non-theological. He called him "a perfect example
of non-theological invincible ignorance." Parsing this requires
knowing what the theological variety of "invincible ignorance" is.
Easily Googled for non-initiates, first hit being from the Catholic
Encyclopedia: "Ignorance is said to be invincible when a person is
unable to rid himself of it notwithstanding the employment of moral
diligence, that is, such as under the circumstances is, morally
speaking, possible and obligatory." Tom Z., invincibly, took this to
mean that he himself is non-theological. (Outside the theology of
ADS-L? If only we had the powers of excommunication...)

--Ben Zimmer

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org