Hello jhg63, thank you for your response.
The intent of my last post is not so much related to Christianity as it is about how people deal with other people. The sociological angle is what I’m getting at.
Christianity obviously provides a good and easy example, but there are also many other ways to illustrate the situation where one person believes he has a handle on a truth and then finds himself in an encounter with someone who holds a contradictory view. And the story doesn’t even have to be about truth vs. opposition. For instance, if you see a friend at a convenience store counter buying lunch for his children and it consists solely of three Twinkies for each of them, this may seem like a really bad idea to you, but there is a way of interacting with your friend that doesn’t necessitate being a jerk. The good health and long life of your friend and his children are “worth fighting for”, but “fighting” doesn’t have to actually involve fighting.
The truth can hurt like a “sword” in all sorts of scenarios. A chain smoking friend can be “cut” by the presentation of information about the negative effects of his habit, but saying “the truth hurts” does not provide license to be a bull in a china shop if the friend really only needs some encouragement and accountability.
Some people see societal progress where others see societal breakdown. Some people see heresy where others see orthodoxy. Some people see very plain clarity in the Bible where others can’t make any sense of it. Some people crave Twinkies and cigarettes while others love exercise and broccoli.
Interactions require patience and sensitivity when disagreement is involved. Certainly, things are not always sweet and easy, but it is possible to discuss family planning and sexuality and “soul matters” and all sorts of things without verbally punching people in the nose.
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