Dear Friends,
It seems to me, it is human nature to ignore the big things we agree on, and vilify each other for the little things we disagree on. Christianity is one example. There are protestants who believe the Roman Catholic church is the Whore of Babylon. Many Christians who follow the European branch have, or had, utter disdain for the Coptics who have a different view of the divinity of Christ. It doesn’t stop there. Conservatives fight amongst themselves over everything while ignoring the big picture. What is interesting however is that those who seek fundamental change are united. Perhaps once our civilization collapses, they will turn on each other and wash the World with blood, over their disagreements. No matter if they will, because first they seek our civilization’s destruction.
There are so many Christian sects it is impossible to count them all. We have argued over Justification to the death. The Coptics were let to the wolves because they believe Jesus was fully God, while Europeans believe Jesus was fully God and fully man. I imagine there is even a sect out there, that will fight to the death if someone claims Jesus took three steps on the top of Calvary, instead of four. These are really petty disagreements and have the effect of delegitimizing Christianity not empowering it. The basic fact is that Christians believe Jesus was the messiah. All other disagreements are superfluous to that over arching truth. To kill or denigrate someone who believes in Jesus is absurd and endangers one’s immortal soul.
In the United States, those who seek to preserve the founding principles argue and fight all the time. To the detriment of the Republic. The Founding Fathers didn’t agree on much, but they did agree on the founding principles, that the power resides in the people, God is the source of our Rights and that government must be limited. To disagree on the finer points is ok but to undermine our own sovereignty because of a small disagreement is stupid.
Those who seek to destroy the founding principles of our republic are united in their loathing of them. They will most certainly go to war once they have successfully destroyed the republic, and thereby civilization itself, because they will all want to be the dictator. To that end they will fight to the death, but over larger issues, like, should the World be atheistic communist, should all the people of the World be subjected to Sharia, which form of Islam, Sunni or Shia, they will fight to the death about any number of issues, but the issues they will fight over will be the larger ones.
Clearly, it is idiotic to fight over small things, and in doing so, loose the most important thing. Mature adults, (a very rare thing today), understand that honest people will disagree honestly. That I believe Justification is by faith and works, does not mean I drink the blood of the saints, and I don’t think those who believe justification is by faith alone are evil. We simply disagree on a small point but agree on the larger one. Moreover, it is impossible for any of us to know the truth of it, because God has not revealed it to us. Those who think they absolutely know the will of God are presumptuous in the most pernicious way.
What we need to do is shake hands on what we agree on. We can come together on the big choices, like the founding principles of the US. To fight a new reformation about politics is to allow the founding principles to be destroyed. We might win a small argument but what good is that if we become slaves? What good is it to be right about how many steps Jesus took on Calvary if our immortal souls are lost? Perhaps I have mispelled a word, does that negate everything I have said? If you believe it does then you are blinded to the large because you focus on the small. There is an old saying, “To miss the forest for the trees.” It seems appropriate when referring to our petty disagreements while we allow fundamental principles to be lost. The future will be bright, if we come together on the underlying principles, but dark if we do not.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
