That's my question today. Is disagreement automatically intolerance? How about hatred? Is disagreement automatically hatred?
Is it possible to be friends with someone who has chosen to live in a manner which might be considered to be outside of God's values?
Well, do you have any friends who are gossips? Who speed? Who have sex outside of marriage? (Ooohh - touchy one there...)
I think it is possible to love and respect people even while they choose to live a different way that you.
So why is it that if I think someone is wrong, I might get called a "-hater" or a "-phobe" or any number of things?
Just thinking.
I think somehow unity and unanimity have been blurred into the same thing but they're not.
ReplyDeleteThere's a leadership video that's kinda old that compared irish potatos and south american potatos. The blight destroyed the crops in Ireland because the potatos were the same. the same blight hit south america but they had a greater variety of potatos so they only lost some of the crop. The diversity provided the strength to survive the blight.
I think we've lost the understanding that diversity makes us stronger. And that the body of Christ is made of different parts.
You raise an interesting point.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, the state of public discourse in this country is appalling. All one need do is look at "Cross-fire" to see why.
We have become a nation far more concerned with short, powerful, and memorable headlines than with thoughtful discussion of ideas.
A politician must either be pro-life or pro-choice - either in favor or opposition of gay marriage. The thoughtful discussion of ideas has been reduced to little more than petulant children hurling insults across the sandbox.
You don't like my position on the war? You're anti-American. I don't like your position on abortion? I'm pro-baby killing.
I would love, for once, to hear an honest to goodness discussion where it is understood by both sides that the opposition remains a human being - deserving of common decency and respect.