Just Be "Nice"

Back from 1960 comes a rather prophetic review that summarizes today's state of affairs.  I found this while searching for a commentary of GK Chesterton's "Ballad of the White Horse."  This turned out to be a very fruitful rabbit trail.

If you have not read "Ballad of the White Horse" I invite you to do so.  As is usual for GKC's writing, it is easy on the eye, tongue and mind.  And yet, and yet ... it sits in the brain, stews a while, and reveals much in the way of truth.

On Facebook (which I assure you, I seldom visit) a relative was opining that folks were not being very kind.  Then up pops an answer that in essence said that it was the fault of those people who believe in their God so much that they just can't be nice and stop talking about inconvenient truths to those who want to believe in the father of lies.  Well, he didn't exactly say that .. but the meaning was there.  It was stated that there is a vast chasm between faith and reason and only people who solely use reason can be trusted.

For someone who touts reason as the only way to truth, he also shut himself off from even entertaining an alternative view.  For anyone left wondering, no I do not agree.  Faith and reason are in fact very compatible.  A person who foolishly believes that their reason is fault free needs to spend a little more time looking at the person in their mirror.

While I believe that there are many things I will never experience in life, I would never use my faulty ability to discern (given my limited point of view) those other experiences as false.  Tell that to the family who was told their son would never recover from a very serious car accident, who sat with that same son at a Thanksgiving dinner table a year later.  Or tell the mom who was told her yet to be born infant was seriously deformed, who was being pressured to terminate this "mistake" as she holds that same now born "perfect" baby girl in her arms.

No, humility does not seem to be part of the argument from either side.  Humility comes from inside us, while humiliating the "other" is used as the weapon to silence those we don't want to hear.  I do want to understand how another comes to their conclusions.  However my patience runs thin when instead of sharing I get subjected to taunts and tirades about how belief in "my God" is only for feeble minded, easily influenced folks.  Anyone who knows me, also knows that I am not exactly easily influenced, or feeble minded.

Enough of my soap box.  This "is" my blog, though, so I do get to write my thoughts.  If any disagree, I welcome a respectful discourse.  Name calling, using generic "they", and refusing to consider all facets of the argument not allowed.

One more suggestion.  Read, and consider the premise in "Godforsaken."  This is not a quick and speedy read, but it is one that anyone who questions those who have faith, who questions whether God exists, or question how the world works will find challenging to read.  Read the book, then let's talk, okay?