Thanks Mara for the welcome! What a wonderfully thoughtful forum! At the outset I’d like to state that my discomfort of potential error has been satisfied. So if you’re a troll, please move on. If you’re interested in the topic, please read on.
My satisfaction comes primarily from MidiChlorian’s comments, and to some extent, Rick’s. If there were human transcribers, is the original text word spelling really much different than a possible error of translation? Additionally, words change over time.
My background is that of someone who has written extensively for 25 years with scores of editors and edited extensively for 12 years for dozens of writers. In all that time, I was consistently coached (and in turn coached) on the proper use of these words. As to my view on the word “sure” and its three most obvious variants, I like the following sentence — “Before giving you a mortgage, I can assure you that you can be sure that the lender will ensure you insure your property.”
Bonita, I’ve read many of your posts, agreeing with the vast majority, and sense that you are a creature of Mind whose loving faith is exemplified through your words, and no doubt, deeds. I’ve been greatly inspired by you words, and have been drawn to this forum in no small part due to your and a few others’ comments. In this particular instance, however, I would make the following two observations:
1) the definition of ensure (and insure) is not “guarantee.” Guarantee is more properly a synonym of both ensure and insure, but does not have identical meaning; indeed, ensure and insure are synonyms of each other. In some dictionaries, ensure and insure are incorrectly identified as homonyms despite distinctly different pronunciations, whoch has contributed to the confusion. The etymology of ensure is from Anglo-French many centuries ago, meaning to “make sure.” The verb is the important word here in my mind. It is active. It is not certainty, but the effort to make certain.
The two, as Rick points out, are often used interchangeably and described as so. In my training, “insure” meant either “to make whole” (typically by financial compensation) or to mean a lesser version of “ensure” meaning to make effort toward being sure, but short of making sure. But I recognize that meanings may change. While my Webster dictionary (1990) defines ensure as to my understanding and contrasts this with insure which it describe as a financial term, I realize the term may have evolved from 1910s-1955. Moreover, it could have been merely a transcription issue as MidiChlorian proffers. So I withdraw my concern of grammatical error.
2. Bonita, on substantive issue, I agree with your statements that God does not guarantee our survival, but would encourage you to reconsider the specific wording of 5:5.13. It speaks of the “possibility of potential growth.” I believe that not only does God insure, ensure, guarantee and promise this, it is his will. It is the very essence and foundation of his plan of creation. God absolutely in my mind has developed a system which makes certain and guarantees that we are given the opportunity to choose to do his will and fuse with our Adjusters.
Thanks again for all the thoughtful responses. Really enjoying the forum!
