Avoiding Foolish Disputes
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesAs a young lawyer, Abraham Lincoln was called on to be the arbitrator in many disputes. On one occasion, two men had been arguing for hours about the correct proportion of the length of a man’s legs to the size of his body.
They came into Lincoln’s office one day to settle the question. After listening intently to the points on both sides, he stated that it seemed to him that this was a question of the utmost significance and one that had caused much bloodshed in the past and would doubtless do so again in the future.
He concluded by saying, “It is my opinion, all side issues being swept aside, that a man’s lower limbs, in order to preserve harmony of proportion, should be at least long enough to reach from his body to the ground” (source).
Mr. Lincoln, who was an avid proponent of the Bible (also see source 2), was wise enough to follow the advice given by the apostle Paul in Titus 3:9:
“But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless” (cf. 1 Timothy 1:4; 2 Timothy 2:23).
Brethren, we need to follow the same advice!