dealing with differences

[Jack]

I saw this some time ago and thought about posting it here, but forgot. It's circled around the Internet for a while but I'm sure some people here haven't seen it yet. It's sort of related to religion so perhaps it could have more properly gone in the political/religious thread, but I (obviously) didn't want to put it there.

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Dealing With Our Differences

I was walking across a bridge recently. I spied this guy who looked like he was ready to jump off. So, I thought I'd try to stall him until the authorities showed up (or at least until I had time to put film in my camera).

"Don't jump!" I said.

"Why not?" he said. "Nobody loves me."

"God loves you," I said. "You believe in God, don't you?"

"Yes, I believe in God," he said.

"Good," I said. "Are you Christian or Jewish?"

"Christian," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Protestant or Catholic?"

"Protestant," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "What kind of Protestant?"

"Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Independent Baptist or Southern Baptist?"

"Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "New Evangelical/Moderate Independent Baptist or Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist or Lose-Your-Salvation Armenian Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist OR Historical Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist OR For Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist OR Strict Separation of Church and State Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist OR Anti-Disney Boycott Pro-Choice Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Me, too!" I said. "KJV Only Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist OR Modern Versions Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist?"

"MODERN VERSIONS Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptist," he said.

"Auugghh!!! You heretic!" I said. And I pushed him over.

The point/lesson is, of course, that so often our similarities are much greater than our differences but we tend to notice the differences more.

[peeplj]

I like that!...I grew up Church of Christ. They have split numerous times, one of the biggest issues of contention being rather or not you should have kitchen facilities located on your church grounds. :roll:

The difficulty in discussing religion is that you can't really change anyone's mind...but folks often go into the discussion feeling like it's their duty that they have to try to do just that.

Just as in the real world. From time to time, concerned friends with try to "save" me. I have found a very simple way to defuse the situation before it can escalate is just to tell them I don't have a flip-top head.

When they inevitably look confused, I explain: "I'm not convertable."

--James

[Jack]

Friends (Quakers) have also split numerous times. The basic division today is between "programmed" Friends who have pastors and prepared sermons but have retained basic Christian theology and "unprogrammed" Friends who still have silent worship but have mostly discarded Christian theology in favor of more universalist leanings.

Besides these two basic sides of things, there have been hundreds of smaller splits leading to really small Independent Meetings scattered all around, and then there are the traditional Conservative Friends, mainly in Ohio and North Carolina, who keep the traditional Quaker theology and the traditional style of worship.

There also seem to be all kinds of different Baptists in existance. Around here I've seen Southern Baptist, Freewill Baptist, Missionary Baptist, Independent Baptist and Bible Baptist churches. I'm thinking there's another one, but I can't remember what it's called...

At any rate, I don't think it's impossible to change a person's mind in regards to faith. I just think it has to be done in a certain way, with understanding and love. Standing in front of somebody with a Bible in hand screaming, "YOU ARE GOING TO HELL YOU DIRTY SINNER" doesn't usually work.

[susnfx]

In spite of the fact that I no longer believe in much of anything and don't practice any religion, I have kept a little card to remind me not to judge others (of course, I do anyway). It says simply:

"May I be more tolerant of those who choose to sin differently than I do."

Susan

[Jack]

Somebody once said that we all have to believe something, and I think I agree.

Even if we don't go to a certain temple/synagogue/church or if we don't profess belief in God, we still are required to believe something--even agnostics believe that there's no way to prove God's existance. That's still a belief. Indeed, I know some very "religious" atheists, so convinced that there is no God that their passion rivals more Jerry Falwell types, but just in the other direction of course.

[peeplj]

Somebody once said that we all have to believe something, and I think I agree.

Even if we don't go to a certain temple/synagogue/church or if we don't profess belief in God, we still are required to believe something--even agnostics believe that there's no way to prove God's existance. That's still a belief. Indeed, I know some very "religious" atheists, so convinced that there is no God that their passion rivals more Jerry Falwell types, but just in the other direction of course.

I politely disagree. I think it is certainly possible to live with no religious beliefs at all.

Typically, it is the believer who insists that lack of belief is itself a belief. This always seemed a bit convoluted to me, a bit like saying dogs are really cats because of their overly obvious avoidance of all things cat-like. :roll:

--James

[Tyler]

Somebody once said that we all have to believe something, and I think I agree.

Even if we don't go to a certain temple/synagogue/church or if we don't profess belief in God, we still are required to believe something--even agnostics believe that there's no way to prove God's existance. That's still a belief. Indeed, I know some very "religious" atheists, so convinced that there is no God that their passion rivals more Jerry Falwell types, but just in the other direction of course.

I politely disagree. I think it is certainly possible to live with no religious beliefs at all.

Typically, it is the believer who insists that lack of belief is itself a belief. This always seemed a bit convoluted to me, a bit like saying dogs are really cats because of their overly obvious avoidance of all things cat-like. :roll:

--James

I have cats and dogs that get along quite fine, thank you, and even, at times, behave like one another.

[Jack]

Somebody once said that we all have to believe something, and I think I agree.

Even if we don't go to a certain temple/synagogue/church or if we don't profess belief in God, we still are required to believe something--even agnostics believe that there's no way to prove God's existance. That's still a belief. Indeed, I know some very "religious" atheists, so convinced that there is no God that their passion rivals more Jerry Falwell types, but just in the other direction of course.

I politely disagree. I think it is certainly possible to live with no religious beliefs at all.

Typically, it is the believer who insists that lack of belief is itself a belief. This always seemed a bit convoluted to me, a bit like saying dogs are really cats because of their overly obvious avoidance of all things cat-like. :roll:

--James

I don't politely disagree. And the same thing could be said in reverse, that "typically, it is the non-believer who insists that lack of belief is itself not a belief," could it not?

[TomB]

Somebody once said that we all have to believe something, and I think I agree.

Even if we don't go to a certain temple/synagogue/church or if we don't profess belief in God, we still are required to believe something--even agnostics believe that there's no way to prove God's existance. That's still a belief. Indeed, I know some very "religious" atheists, so convinced that there is no God that their passion rivals more Jerry Falwell types, but just in the other direction of course.

I politely disagree. I think it is certainly possible to live with no religious beliefs at all.

Typically, it is the believer who insists that lack of belief is itself a belief. This always seemed a bit convoluted to me, a bit like saying dogs are really cats because of their overly obvious avoidance of all things cat-like. :roll:

--James

I have cats and dogs that get along quite fine, thank you, and even, at times, behave like one another.

Yeah, and I know some people who act like dogs, also.

[Jack]

I'm a poodle!

[moxy]

The point/lesson is, of course, that so often our similarities are much greater than our differences but we tend to notice the differences more.

Interesting.

That ties in with a concept I've recently been offered.

Here it is, not in my words:

"So the Universe yields to you someone that, as you check them out, is
not the match to the list you've made. But within that person ....
you're about 85, 86, 87% in alignment with your ideal. So what the
Universe is yielding to you are potential partners that are about 85
to 87% of what you want. But what's happening to you is, you're
focusing upon the 13 to 15% of them that's wrong. And so as you focus
upon the part of them that's wrong, you hold that part active in your
vibration.

[snip]

So -- all you would have to do is begin with the next person that you
spend any time with, making a list of all their positive aspects.
Practice it before you see them, practice it while you're seeing
them, practice it after you've seen them. Activate within you that 85
to 87% that the universe got just right so that you are deactivating
the part of it that isn't just right.

And in doing so, you clean up your vibration a little bit, so that the
next one who comes is that much closer. And you don't leave them
wounded as you cast them aside. Instead each of them -- because
you've done such a wonderful job of activating the very best that you
see in them -- you leave them in a vibrational place that they're
going to turn around and be attracted right into an environment or
right into a relationship with somebody else that's right there ready
for who they are."

Does that sound apropriate to the conversation? It's not about differences so much as it is about people with whom we seek out relationships... But the idea is that instead of focusing on the 13% - 15% that's different, or doesn't match or whatever doesn't work for you, focusing on the bits that DO, of which there is so much MORE, is such a positive thing...

[fearfaoin]

Ah, Emo Philips. Who knew you could teach us so much?

[djm]

The point/lesson is, of course, that so often our similarities are much greater than our differences but we tend to notice the differences more.

Bloody MODERN VERSIONS Pro-Disney Boycott Pro-Life Unashamed Fundamentalist Against Women in Ministry Dispensational Premillennial Calvinistic Conservative Independent Baptists! SPLITTERS!!!

Here's an easier way to resolve this that works for me - whenever I think I'm better than someone else - I'm wrong.

djm

[Turtle]

Somebody once said that we all have to believe something, and I think I agree.

You're absolutely correct. Bartender, I believe I'll have another.

[Jack]

Somebody once said that we all have to believe something, and I think I agree.

You're absolutely correct. Bartender, I believe I'll have another.

I only serve orange juice and water (no cabbage or peas, sorry Bloomfield).