I have this friend that I love to talk to. We disagree about a lot of stuff when it comes to faith, God and church – but I’m so stimulated by our discussions, whether face-to-face or via email. And the thing is, even though we disagree, I feel respected by him – and I hope he feels the same.
I have another friend who’s a proud political conservative. I love nothing more than to pepper him with questions and argue politics. But at the end of the day, we’re closest of friends – and we really respect each other.
I think I’m blessed to have these kinds of friendships, because I don’t think respectful discussions are the norm in our culture anymore. In the religious worlds I’m a part of it too quickly degenerates into calling people “heretics,” or “liberals” or some other title meant to dismiss and belittle.
Is anybody seeking to understand people that think differently than them? Does anyone have respect anymore for people that disagree? Don’t followers of Jesus have a responsibility to temper all their speech – even disagreements – with an ethic of love?
I’ve finally come out of my lurking hole to comment on this. My favorite thought when someone expresses an opinion that I completely disagree with is “we agree to disagree” and that’s okay. Sometimes you just can’t win and really, do you want everyone to think the same as you? (hypothetically speaking of course). I’m more interested in hearing other people’s side of the story than in convincing them that they’re wrong and I’m right. Because frankly, I’m not always confident that I am. So there you go.
Respect is the key to ANY relationship. For years I’ve believed that in marriage respect is just as important as love. My best friends are people that I’ve butted heads with many times. They are the ones who make me think… and I’m grateful for them. I agree with Jennifer D… agreeing to disagree is a valid place to be. Also “help me to understand” helps me to think more broadly… but we still may “agree to disagree”.