Narrow the Divide

Blog

  • How can we Narrow the Divide

    This is intended to be a narative about the current status of the divisions that seem to be plaguing not only the United States, but also the world.

    Having experienced the Cold War and the threat of global doom, the current environment seems somehow to be even worse. In the Cold War it is clear that is was capitalistic countries vs the communist countries. Now it seems like it is us against ourselves. I can only imagine that we are going throught times similar to the divide in our county before the Civil War, Neighbors against neighbors, families against other family members.

    What makes this even more disburbing is that the technology we currently posess should allow us to communicat better and faster than every before, BUT the problem is that the truths ar no longer self evident, but need to be verrrified and cross checked. And unfortunately despite the power of search and technology, no one wants to verify what people are saying. Its too easy to follow based on what people say, and not if what they say is truthful or accurate.

  • Reflections on Faith and Fundamentalism

    My Religious Upbringing

    Growing up in a rural community, the church was a vital part of our lives. We attended a Methodist church, where the teachings focused on how to live a good life and treat others with kindness. The emphasis was on being part of a community—understanding that we rely on each other at different times and should support one another.

    Understanding Fundamentalism

    In contrast, the current Fundamentalist movement in the U.S., especially where it intersects with politics, feels quite different to me. As I understand it, Fundamentalism is rooted in several core beliefs:

    • The inspiration of the Bible by the Holy Spirit, making it free from error.
    • The virgin birth of Christ.
    • The belief that Christ’s death was an atonement for sin.
    • The bodily resurrection of Christ.
    • The historical reality of Christ’s miracles.

    These beliefs differ from the teachings I grew up with and from my personal understanding of scripture. If you look at Jesus’s main teachings, they are, loving God and your neighbor, which he identified as the two greatest commandments. Unfortunately three of the core beliefs are focused on the birth, death, and resurection, while a fourth is on his miracles. It seems like his teaching do not qualify.

    My View on Scripture

    I struggle with the idea that the Bible is entirely free from human influence. To me, it was written by the hand of man, and when humans are involved, their perspectives and biases inevitably shape the outcome—often to their own advantage. I’m not a Bible scholar, but I see areas where modern society seems to overlook the Bible’s own teachings.

    Examples from Scripture

    Consider Matthew 19:23–26 (ASV):

    “And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”
    This teaching is echoed in Luke 18:25. If these verses are taken seriously, why do so many evangelicals support wealthy political figures like Donald Trump?

    Another foundational teaching is the Golden Rule:

    “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” (Matthew 7:12 & Luke 6:31)
    If everyone followed this principle, bullying and division would diminish. Instead of pushing others down, we would lift each other up. Is that really such a bad idea?

    Faith vs. Politics

    It seems we may be entering a time when people believe more in political figures than in the religious principles they claim to follow. This shift raises important questions about the role of faith in public life and personal values.

  • A little about Me

    To give you a little perspective on where I am coming from, I was born in the 1950s in rural Northwestern Pennsylvania. My father was a dairy farmer, and we, like most around us, were Republicans. Now, at that time, being a Republican meant that you were fiscally conservative. You paid for things with Cash as much as possible, and you were reluctant to overextend yourself. This went for the government as well.

    But being a Republican did not mean that you would not take money from government programs when they were made available to you. My Father had a term called the “Kennedy Crop,” which was for the fields that he set aside to mow and leave and not harvest. We did not sign up our best acreage for Kennedy; we would most likely choose the least productive soil. In a sense, we were building up the soil by letting the crop decay and working to enrich the soil for the future.

    From that, you can see that while we may not have agreed with the policy, it does not prevent us from participating. Farmers tended to be practical and pragmatic in those ways. While we may disagree with the program, we would still join if it benefitted us.

    In 1968, my father asked me who I would vote for, and I told him Nixon. The reason is that I felt the Republicans were better at helping the economy and making a better future. (and also Nixon was running on the promise to end the war in Vietnam)

    Unfortunately, we all know how that ended. Picking someone who talks a good story does not mean they can do it or will always be a “good” guy.

    Lesson Learned. Watch what they do. Don’t listen to what they say.