On Thursday morning our friend George Dunn led us in a great discussion about the importance of living the truth and not just talking about it. As one of our friends says, "Don't just talk good news, be good news." George told us about a time in his life when he talked a lot about the bible and theology but didn't practice it. He told us about how a friend had challenged him at one point to live the truth that he claimed to believe. Although he didn't like the advice it made an impression on him and helped him to become a more authentic individual. And from our experience George is a very authentic character.
At this point Shawn asked the question about why so much of the bible depicts a violent God that commands people to be destroyed and punishes those that disobey. He asked us to pray for him as he was really struggling to understand this. Someone said that was a great question and there were no simple answers to it. George said that we just don't know the answer to that question which many of us found resfreshingly honest. Someone quoted Bono who says, "Jacob wrestled the angel, and the angel was overcome." We talked about how it could seem easier to just turn back from the struggles involved in honestly facing hard questions. The tension between faith and reason, between rationality and spirituality tempts us to choose easy answers but it is far more rewarding to live with the tension. It may be difficult to wrestle the angel but we encouraged our friend to keep struggling as the rewards far outweigh the difficulties.
At this point in our discussion the question came up about terrorists that kill in the name of God. Someone suggested that every religion has its extremists that will use violence against others if given the chance. Another friend said that the commandment against killing was based on the reality that human beings are in the image of God and that to kill another person is an attack against the divine reality at the heart of the universe. We talked about how even in cases where killing can be justified, like warfare and self-defense, it does something to a person when they take the life of another human being. Someone said that this is why soldiers coming home from the battlefield can have such problems adjusting to civilian life.
We also talked about the significance of creative, non-violent ways to deal with the problems in our world. Someone mentioned the importance of people like Martin Luther King and Gandhi for their non-violent approach in confronting injustice and bringing about positive change. Our friend Shawn reminded us that Malcolm X had also brought about positive change even though he chose the violent path.
As our conversation came to an end George reminded us that how we live is ultimately an expression of what we really believe. We found that message both challenging and encouraging.
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