Blog 8-Turek

I found Marilynne Robinson's article to be interesting, and agreeable to a certain degree.  As a member of the LDS church, I've often found the topic of beliefs to be a dangerous topic to speak with others about.  Like Robinson, I always look to my religion for explanation for anything.  I've never shied away from talking about my beliefs, and why I observe the religion I do.  However, that's not to say that I haven't gotten in some pretty intense arguments over the subject as well.  Much like Robinson, I believe that the easiest way to engage with people of different beliefs is to find common ground.  I absolutely do not believe that this means that we should stray from our beliefs, but nearly all groups of belief (at least those of repute) have common ground of some sort.  This is the kind of conversation that we should encourage between people of two different sets of beliefs.

I think perhaps the biggest thing we should avoid when addressing those of different beliefs is pride.  While there is absolutely nothing wrong in believing that you are correct in a religious or political discourse, proverbial "Bible Bashing" should always be avoided.  Constantly trying to "one-up" the other guy will almost always lead to conflict.  I believe this was what Robinson was trying to communicate in her article as well.  Science and religion are not as distant as we sometimes think.  I've always agreed with that sentiment.  I don't believe that either side of this faction needs to feel a sense of superiority.
When I think of a film that helps me connect to those of other beliefs, I think of the film Saving Private Ryan.  Before I saw this film, I always imagined war as being pretty black and white.  Sure, I've always seen the Nazis as human beings with the same problems as us, but in the end we the Americans were always right, and never did anything evil.  This made it especially shocking to me when I saw the Americans executing unarmed prisoners and then laughing about it.  We're the good guys, right?  How could we ever do something that grisly?  However, as the film played out, I watched the horrors that these mens fight through, and watched as their friends were brutally killed in front of their own eyes.  Does that mean that these men were justified in killing innocent Nazis?  Absolutely not.  But at least I was able to understand where they were coming from.  Will I ever condone the execution of combatants surrendering?  Most likely not.  Will I ever accept atheism and believe it?  Most likely not.  However, civil conversation with those who are involved in these things has allowed my love and understanding for them to grow, which is exactly what we all should be doing, I believe.