Musings in Writings

(I was inspired to write this after seeing some Protestant put up a huge section titled "Against Roman Catholicism" on his open diary website. When people left notes on his Diary advising him not to attack someone else's faith, he replied that he was "debunking untruths". When another note told him to focus on his own faith instead, he said that he was finding out more about the Roman Catholic Faith "in order to understand his own faith better".)

Why do people attack other people's religions and call it "debunking the unTruths" or "Promoting the Truth to them" ?

Why do people nitpick at other people's religions and look for faults in them and say "so that I understand their religion and mine better"? Isn't it more of "so that I can justify that my religion is the more True One" ?

Why criticise other religions? Why argue? Wouldn't it sow more discord among the different religions?

Worse. Why do different Christian denominations argue among themselves?? It makes us Christians a laughing stock to non-Christians! I know non Christians think "See how they argue among themselves" as opposed to what we should be "See how they love one another!"

This reminds of a passage written by St Paul chastising the Corinthians 1 Cor 1:11-13 :

For it has been reported to me by Chlo'e's people that there is quarreling among you, my brethren.

What I mean is that each one of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apol'los," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ."

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?"

Instead of loving one another as members of the Body of Christ, we are creating greater divides by focussing on the differences between the different denominations. We are inflicting greater wounds on the Body of Christ. In our divisions, we have divided Christ.

I am also reminded of Jesus' Prayer for His disciples in John 17:

that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

Jesus prayed for His disciples (which is us Christians today) to be be One. For we are One in the Body of Christ. He stressed "Be One" and repeated this several times in His prayer. It goes to show how much He wanted us to be united. Yet here we are, blasting one another's denominations in order to justify our being in our own denomination.

Why do people promote Truth but neglect to promote Love?

I know we all have to search of the Truth. But the search of the Truth does not equal looking for "faults"/"untruths" in other people's religions/denominations. I know some of us want to promote Truth. But it is not the same as looking for "faults/untruths" elsewhere and blatantly advertising their "faults"/"untruths" out. By doing this, we have chosen to disregard other people's feelings. We offend and hurt and anger them. In doing so, we failed to Love and failed to keep the commandment of God.

One of the two greatest commandments of Christ is "Love Thy Neighbour as Thyself". The other Commandmt is to "Love the Lord your God......" Note that these two commandments do not say "Promote Truth" or even "evangelise". Of course, evangelism is a command by Christ but it is not the greatest. Clearly Love is a greater concern for Christ.

If we want to promote Truth, we must first Love. For how can people accept Truth, if their hearts are closed? To help them see the Truth, we must Love them first. Only with Love, can we open their hearts, only then can the hearts accept the truth. Forcefeeding only cause people to clamp up their mouths tighter. Why would the person want to believe what you have to say if he doesn't see that you bother about what his feelings are?

Love and Understanding are the keys to unity in Christianity and even between religions. In learning about another religion/denomination, we must not be biased to look for faults/untruths and then be triumphant about it. Instead seek to understand and see it from their point of view, why they believe in what they believe.

A person's values, beliefs and way of life are often shaped by his religion. In criticising his religion, we criticise his whole being. In condemning his beliefs, we condemn him as a person. In showing understanding and valuing a person's beliefs, we show him that we value him and respect him as a person. This is what we must do if we Love him.

We prize our own beliefs, other people prize theirs too. Having pride in our beliefs is not very far from arrogance. We have to search into our hearts to understand, are we being proud or arrogant? Do we scoff at other people's beliefs? Do we believe that other beliefs are inferior to our own? If people choose not to believe after hearing what we believe, do we press on stubbornly or respect his wishes?

In short, Love is more important than Truth. Love paves the way for Truth.

Love also paves the way for unity. Love seeks understanding, and understanding bring people closer together, while misunderstanding paves the way for disunity. We may be different in beliefs but with understanding, we can be united in Love.

St Paul's words 1 Cor 13:13 "So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." Notice that he doesn't say Faith or Truth.

I pray that we all remember love and unity and that we will seek more to understand and love our neighbour instead of hardheaded "truth promotion". That there will be peace and love among the different religions.

I also pray that may we Christians really strive to BE ONE. And our non Christian friends will then say about us "See how they love one another!"

I end with this famous passage about Love from 1 Cor 13 :

4 Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful
5 it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;
6 it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.
7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
9 For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect;
10 but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.
13 So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.