Often we talk about many things, everything really. And I have a great deal of trust in that
friendship that exists among my own family.
That definition of family I am using here is fairly broad and general
and includes children, parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts,
cousins and so on. Each one has had a deep
influence on my life.
We have often tried to share conversations about important
topics. One of those topics has been
religion. Naturally this topic has
brought to the dinner table many emotional discussions. We don’t always agree, and it seems that some
of the aftermath of those conversations have occasionally left some hurt
feelings behind.
For my part, I had sometimes felt like my voice was
unheard. By my nature, I can be slow of
speech. That isn’t to say I am shy, but it
is to say that I am more comfortable as the listener rather than the speaker. And yet, I have some clear memories of when I
have turned that around on others and talked over them to prove my point,
recognizing that they walked away feeling as if they were not heard! I suspect most of the individuals who happen
to read this may have found themselves in both positions many times.
Perhaps there were things they wish they could have said different;
things they could have said better. If
only they had more time to think it over before the conversation spilled down a
different course. Or if only they could
find that one scripture reference that they just couldn’t remember off the top
of their head. Every conversation
leaves behind some point that was intended to take the stage but somehow gets
forgotten behind the curtain as the conversation plays on. Well, this medium (the blog) is well adapted
to overcoming such conversational difficulties.
We can post our thoughts at our leisure.
We can consider the viewpoint of another or we don’t have to pretend to
be interested as someone expounds on minutia we could not care less about. Likewise we can rethink the topic over and
provide a response that isn’t susceptible to emotional carelessness. We can even provide proper citation to the
references we think prove the case!
So, that is what this is.
For me, there are some things about the Gospel of Jesus Christ that I
want to say. I think these are
important. No doubt you have the same
feelings. Many of you have expressed concerns for me regarding my description
of the role of religion in our lives, particularly our shared religion in “The
Church”. Most of those concerns have
been expressed indirectly but in some cases with direct antagonism. This forum is offered with the intention to
have the conversation openly and honestly while eliminating the threat of hurt
feelings from conversations that don’t offer enough time to consider another’s
view.
So with that introduction, I hope you will read these posts
while keeping in mind that the only intent in these is to foster open
communication with those whom I love the most.
If we disagree, let us reason together.
All I want is to know the truth of all things and align my life with it. And I judge the same of you…all of you.
Thank You for your kindness throughout all the years.
Your father and husband, son and brother, nephew and cousin,
friend and possibly even ex-friend,
Loren Duke (a/k/a)
Forest Swallow
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