Love this quote from a great book I’m reading (The Reason For God by Tim Keller)
” Violence in the name of Christianity is a terrible reality and must both be adressed and redressed. There is no excusing it. In the twnetieth century, however, violence has been inspired as much by secularism as by moral absolutism. Societies that have rid themselves of all religion have been just as oppressive as those steeped in it. We can only conclude that there is some violent impulse so deeply rooted in the human heart that expresses itself regardless of what the beliefs of a particular society might be-whether socialist or capitalist, whether religious or irreligious, whether individualistic or hierarchial. Ultimately then the fact of violence & warfare in a society is no necessary refutation of the prevailing beliefs in that society.”
The Reason For God by Tim Keller (pg 57)
My two cents: As western society continues to grapple with varied points of view on any number of issues, we must be mindful to not undermine our argument by using extreme examples to tear down anyone who disagrees with us.
Like word problems on tests from our school days, we cannot draw conclusions that are not inherently there.
Some examples:
I’m a Christian, but I don’t picket funerals. While some terroists practice Islam, we cannot assume all Muslims are terroists. It is a kin to assuming all homosexuals are serial killers because Jeffrey Dahmer & John Wayne Gacy were serial killers. We cannot assume all Tea Party members are racists, all evangelicals are white,all hispanics are illegal aliens and all single moms are poor & uneducated. If this is the rational we use to win arguments, we need to be willing to put ourselves under the same microscope we do those who disagree with us.
