For followers of Christ it's not that bad
What does faith mean to you?
Do you believe in God?
I ask those because I believe that many of us have very different relationships with faith and our belief in a higher power. Those differences are driving some conflict. Portions of Americans would have us believe that there is an outright assault on our christian values, our faith, our way of life. I don't see it that way. I think there are some conflicts, but they aren't as prevalent or as one sided as one might assume. But they are an issue that needs to be addressed.
I'm an American. I love my country. I am in awe of the rights provided to me and enshrined in the constitution. We have amazing wonderful opportunities. The right to freely express one's faith, values, opinions in a public sphere is hard to oversell. The defense of those liberties with robust legal system is one of my favorite things to behold. It makes decisions in defense of those rights everyday. But some decisions are harder. When you have rights infringing upon each other, it becomes a more subjective decision making process regarding prioritization. I think this latter conflict is representative of the majority of the current religious conflicts.
These are not always easily adjudicated. We can look back at high profile cases involving cakes, gay marriages, birth control, properties rights and others; all focused on religious rights. All placing the rights of one person at odds with another or group.
How do we deal with that? There is no easy solution I'm afraid. But I think we can learn how to adapt to it. We can learn to tolerate and respect one another more.
As kids we all learn that golden rule, do unto others as you would have others do unto you. I think the first step to respect is to live that rule and not expect it to be returned. That's ok. We can live a higher standard, a higher road than others without it causing us undue harm. We can choose to always respect. For those of us who profess a real belief in Christ this shouldn't be that hard to figure out. This has been the status quo for being Christian for centuries.
Living with actual tangible respect, tolerance, love for other human beings doesn't mean we condone their every action. It doesn't mean we have to forgo our own beliefs. I learned that as a missionary. I was able to teach the truths I had learned that have benefited my life. Not everyone was receptive to our message (newsflash, most weren't). But that didn't mean I wasn't able to serve and help them.
That's how we survive today's world as believers in Christ. We turn the other cheek, we walk the second mile. We show compassion. We serve. We be what we want others to be to us.
Now we will face challenges, we may have conflicts. May I recommend a bit of a litmus test for our frustrations. If the conflict does not impede my ability to practice the essential beliefs or doctrines of my faith let it go. Avoid taking offence. Avoid causing conflict. Our faith is not about winning in a temporal sense, it's not about conquering, or fighting. It's about compassion and living as Jesus Christ would live. In the long run his path may cause us some pain or discomfort. We may not be an alpha male in the most worldly sense. But I would proffer it's the better path, even if it's steeper.
I'm so far from perfect at this. But I want to do better. Be less angry. And I want to love and serve more.
Do you believe in God?
I ask those because I believe that many of us have very different relationships with faith and our belief in a higher power. Those differences are driving some conflict. Portions of Americans would have us believe that there is an outright assault on our christian values, our faith, our way of life. I don't see it that way. I think there are some conflicts, but they aren't as prevalent or as one sided as one might assume. But they are an issue that needs to be addressed.
I'm an American. I love my country. I am in awe of the rights provided to me and enshrined in the constitution. We have amazing wonderful opportunities. The right to freely express one's faith, values, opinions in a public sphere is hard to oversell. The defense of those liberties with robust legal system is one of my favorite things to behold. It makes decisions in defense of those rights everyday. But some decisions are harder. When you have rights infringing upon each other, it becomes a more subjective decision making process regarding prioritization. I think this latter conflict is representative of the majority of the current religious conflicts.
These are not always easily adjudicated. We can look back at high profile cases involving cakes, gay marriages, birth control, properties rights and others; all focused on religious rights. All placing the rights of one person at odds with another or group.
How do we deal with that? There is no easy solution I'm afraid. But I think we can learn how to adapt to it. We can learn to tolerate and respect one another more.
As kids we all learn that golden rule, do unto others as you would have others do unto you. I think the first step to respect is to live that rule and not expect it to be returned. That's ok. We can live a higher standard, a higher road than others without it causing us undue harm. We can choose to always respect. For those of us who profess a real belief in Christ this shouldn't be that hard to figure out. This has been the status quo for being Christian for centuries.
Living with actual tangible respect, tolerance, love for other human beings doesn't mean we condone their every action. It doesn't mean we have to forgo our own beliefs. I learned that as a missionary. I was able to teach the truths I had learned that have benefited my life. Not everyone was receptive to our message (newsflash, most weren't). But that didn't mean I wasn't able to serve and help them.
That's how we survive today's world as believers in Christ. We turn the other cheek, we walk the second mile. We show compassion. We serve. We be what we want others to be to us.
Now we will face challenges, we may have conflicts. May I recommend a bit of a litmus test for our frustrations. If the conflict does not impede my ability to practice the essential beliefs or doctrines of my faith let it go. Avoid taking offence. Avoid causing conflict. Our faith is not about winning in a temporal sense, it's not about conquering, or fighting. It's about compassion and living as Jesus Christ would live. In the long run his path may cause us some pain or discomfort. We may not be an alpha male in the most worldly sense. But I would proffer it's the better path, even if it's steeper.
I'm so far from perfect at this. But I want to do better. Be less angry. And I want to love and serve more.
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