Catechism deep dive #3: Psalm 1 (Part 2)

...nor sits in the seat of the scornful,

Professional Scoffers

This is the third part of the Deep Dive into the Classroom Catechism my Eighth grade scholars recite twice a week during the school year, and this is a big one for anyone who works with scholars in the Logic Stage. (Parts one and two are here and here)

The scornful, or the scoffer, is the kind of person who ridicules, rejects, or shows contempt for things, ideas, or people in order to show or project superiority over the objects, ideas, or people being targeted.

I have heard it many times said that the scoffer acts this way because one fears what one does not understand--which I think is sometimes the reason--but I think many times the scoffer does understand, he or she just does not like what the authority or standard requires.

Some Eighth grade scholars are very resistant to the idea of Virtue (which is living or doing some action in an excellent or a morally correct way). As a matter of fact, the scoffing scholars want to take the idea of being unvirtuous and try to make it into a Virtue! This is of course a contradiction, but they do not want to be known as the "try-hards" who would do well and receive props for doing right. The main end is to elevate themselves above the "unwashed" common and entertain other scoffers.

Scoffers put a value on being unvirtuous, and any movement in that direction would be considered, by the scoffer, as Virtuous. They enjoy the clever attempt at being ironic, playing games with the language, making jokes, etc., but, even in doing this shows how the Virtues work. All the cleverness with language and irony, mixed with courage and perseverance, shows of a kind of Virtue that just happens to be guided for approval from the wrong audience and to achieve an unvirtuous end.

Have you ever been in a situation where there were people around you were being loud or disruptive, but you were minding your own business? Then you realized that because you were near them, others thought you were part of that group and were contributing to the noise?

This is what happens when one "sits in the seat of the scornful" or is in the vicinity of the scoffers. One is assumed to be a scoffer, or one approves of what they are doing and is fine with hanging around them thus encouraging the scoffing to continue.

The Psalm is trying to say that scholars should avoiding being associated with this counterfeit virtue, whether with real intent or not, helps one to remain Blessed in reputation or character.