For a long time in America, we believed that everyone had the right to their opinion, even if it was different from our own. The idea was that if we stayed out of other people’s business, we would get along, which was and is mostly true. This wasn’t always labeled as diversity, but in a very real sense, it has been diversity to its utmost extreme. As long as nobody is getting hurt, live your life. I still believe this to be true – mostly. But. Yes, there is always a “but”, isn’t there? I have learned that while there is leeway in almost every issue, there are some things that have no middle ground. We can agree to disagree about the food we like, or the teams we cheer on, or our idea of God. But. Some things are not negotiable.
For example, when our church was going through the long and arduous Open & Affirming process, I made it clear that everyone had the right to believe what they chose about the religious aspect of LGBTQ inclusion, but the moment anyone began to speak of anyone who wasn’t straight as inferior or not equal, the discussion was done. The same goes for gender and race and culture; we can have beliefs that differ, but the equality of all humans is a no-go for me.
For example, we can have our opinions about what is happening in Israel and Gaza, but the moment you side with the terrorists, we are done. You and I can weep together for the lost lives of innocent people. We can work to figure out how to stop the violence. But there is never any room for the acceptance of terrorism. We fought two long and ugly wars in an attempt to get back at the evil terrorists who attacked us on 9/11; we have no right to expect others to accept terrorism in their lives.
For example, you can believe that we are spending too much in Ukraine, but the moment you turn Putin into a hero, we are done. He is a Hitler-wanna-be who is focused on restoring the USSR to its former glory. He is a tyrant and a villain in this story, and while we can disagree on the level of support we should give, we cannot side with tyranny, either foreign or domestic. This is not supposed to be who we are.
You see, I respect your opinion and your right to free speech, and I will always defend your rights. I don’t have to, however, care about your opinion or what you say. I don’t have to agree with you for us to be friends. And if you persist in spouting evil, I will not allow you to be a part of my life, nor will I let your opinions poison others without standing up for them. I will still love you, but I won’t allow you to hurt other people. This isn’t heroic; this is being human. Today’s truth is that we have the right to free speech and our own opinions, but some opinions and speech are evil, and we need to call it out. If you speak or do what is wrong, your words and actions should be confronted. Because there is still a difference between good and evil. We should stand on the first and speak the truth with love to the second.
Prayer – Holy and merciful God, forgive us when we use Your name to support our selfish and evil agendas. Give us wisdom and courage to speak out as one voice, united for what is good. Amen.
Today’s art is “The Dance of Good and Evil” by Curtis Verdun (2004).