“Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.” -Romans 1:22


In 1837, Hans Christian Andersen’s short story,”The Emperor’s New Clothes,” was first published. In this popular tale, two weavers make a outfit for the Emperor that has the amazing and unique quality to be only seen by those who have the mental capacity to do so. The emperor himself, lest he be shown as stupid or lame, acknowledges to the weavers he does see the clothes as the weavers start the arduous task of weaving pure air.

Of course the emperor reveals his new clothes to the public, many agreeing with how exquisite the clothing is until a child yells that the emperor is naked, bringing everyone back to their senses. Those that professed they were wise in seeing the clothing turned out to be the fools as did the emperor himself.

This guise of the wise is something we find prevalent in today’s society as it was in the tale. Indeed, we have heard that if we don’t subscribe to one particular world view, then we may be ignorant, stupid, and equated to the least of all vermin. Thereby, many, like the crowd in the aforementioned example, subscribe to the ideals of the wise, so they will avoid being put in that light. Thus, such followers of like “wisdom” are motivated by an internal pride, which becomes evident in their treatment of others who may disagree with their “conclusions.”


This becomes evermore present the more influence and power this opposing “wise” view has. In fact, it gets to the degree that they have faith in others telling them what to believe and mocking faith even as they subscribe to a contradictory faith themselves.

Just because someone proclaims the self to be smart and have documents on a wall to “prove” it doesn’t make it so. We need to realize that some of those who hide behind science and modern academia are the same as that emperor, who when in the moment of judgement before the masses showed himself to be the fool, and exposed others who were likewise as foolish and thereby just as exposed as he was.