Shocking Title? I hope not. I read two things this week that have really been tugging at me.

First was a quote - I can’t remember where it is from but to paraphrase:

“Religion doesn’t save people. You are saved through your faith in Christ.”

Second was a anecote from another newsletter that I receive from Crucial Conversations, which deals with how and when to have those tough critical conversations that everybody dreads. In the anecdote, a lady was asking a question about vulgarity in the workplace. Apparently their company has a written policy that prohibits “name calling” and requires treating other employees with respect. In one instance, and in a totally appropriate application, the woman had a “crucial conversation” with an employee that had been calling another employee unflattering names. Her question then, by extension, was regarding a woman a few cubicles down who had a tendency to call her computer names. By extrapolation she was asking the expert if the company policy extented to treatment of inanimate objects…and should she be subjected to hearing the woman berate her computer. (Though, I also agree that there is an element of respect that extends to the need for orderly conduct.)

I thought the expert handled it very well - however, the comment that struck me was a challenge to the woman to assess whether she was disengenuously using the company policy to further her own personal sense of propriety. Meaning, is this a personal issue or is this a policy issue? It wasn’t that the issue shouldn’t be addressed, but on what grounds should it be addressed.

Combined with the first statement paraphrased above, this idea hit me like a brick between the eyes. How many of us call on “scripture” to back ourselves into a validated sense of our own personal position? As Christians, in the religious sense, I think we may spend too much time judging others and deriding them for offending our delicate sensibilities. It occurred to me that many times these are personal problems, not spiritual issues. Not saying that we don’t need to learn to resolve personal differences, but it’s important to understand the true basis of discussion.

Here’s the acid test for me. Have you had a personal opinion, and then gone to the scripture purposely to find things to validate that position - essentially to judge the “bad behavior” of others? This is a sword that swings both ways. I seem to remember Jesus drawing a line in the sand over such a quandary.

How’s that for deep thoughts on Tuesday? I’m quite sure I don’t have all the answers here, I would be interested to hear your thoughts.

Dan