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August 16, 2008
A Place For Indifference
The upcoming interviews at the "Saddleback Civic Forum on the Presidency" remind me of this quotation from Mark Twain:
So much blood has been shed by the Church because of an omission from the Gospel: "Ye shall be indifferent as to what your neighbor's religion is." Not merely tolerant of it, but indifferent to it. Divinity is claimed for many religions; but no religion is great enough or divine enough to add that new law to its code.
Of all the wise things Twain said about religion, I think this the wisest. That's one reason I find so many occasions to use it.
I obviously don't know what questions The Rev. Rick Warren will ask Senator John McCain or Senator Barack Obama but I'll bet my blog that many who watch this event will be looking for clues as to McCain's or Obama's "true" religious beliefs. I would far rather have the whole audience be indifferent to such things. The fact that a church is sponsoring it and a minister is asking the questions will make it extremely difficult to adhere to Twain's "new law." We all have our irrationalities. It's how we act despite them, not what they are, that qualifies us for any position we seek or role we choose to play. And that includes being President of the United States.
I plan to watch this affair with as much religious indifference as I can muster.
Posted by Duane Smith at August 16, 2008 2:07 PM | Read more on Current Events |
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