reconciling hard issues.

Related to a previous post on "Noticing each other."

The following excerpt is from Clayton Christensen's article in the WP, "The Burden of our Beliefs," and it deals with the issue of same-sex marriage and how people respond to either side.

The current change in New York's marriage laws may feel like a win for many. Men and women in same-sex relationships may feel they are closer to being a part of the "majority" and having vicariously left behind the group of minorities of mankind still in Rockwell's collage. The Mormons are still in the collage--worrying whether the net court decision might limit their ability to fully follow one of their most important beliefs. As an individual person who belongs to that and several other minorities, I say to the leaders of the same-sex marriage initiatives: Don't leave the Mormons behind. Don't belittle them or splat paint on their homes and churches. Help them ensure that a key belief that defines their "minority-ness" also is explicitly honored.

Because we are truly all in this together, we all must succeed together. If there is a win for one minority, we must not allow the natural course dictate that another will lose. When one loses, society loses.

noticing each other.

I recently read this article by Clayton Christensen, "The Burden of Our Beliefs." It is a blog post in the Washington Post, specifically focusing on "faith." I was really impressed by what he had to say and thought I would share it.

His point is all of us being human have things that would make us feel like a minority or that we don't fit in or for some reason don't belong. But in seeking to fit in and find peace and justification in our differences we should be careful and notice what our actions do to others who might also feel left out and alone.

He talks about this painting by Normal Rockwell and comments, "embedded within the faces and clothing of those in the collage is the message to look beyond ourselves--our rights, our hurts, our pain--[and let us remember to] 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'"

In this article he is specifically addressing the role of religion in relating to same-sex attraction. He explains, "often in the pain and desire to have what everyone else has, and be treated like everyone else is treated, we do exactly the opposite of the Golden Rule. Because we so desperately want to be 'normal' and feel the right to be treated 'normal,' we aggressively lobby for laws that specifically guarantee what we want for ourselves but ignore, in our selfishness, that many other minorities around us have the same desires, needs, and pains--simply manifested in different ways."

"Because we are truly all in this together, we all must succeed together. If there is a win for one minority we must not allow the natural course dictate that another will lose. When one loses, society loses."

"We are facing some difficult questions and decisions in our world and society. I simply hope that each of us will look to our left and right and see more of what others are carrying."

Read full article.