two taboos

something i have never ever talked about here: politics.

politics (as a subject) is interesting because—no, wait. i shouldn’t say that. i actually find politics horribly boring and frustrating and depressing.


take 2.


the way we approach politics can be interesting—and, admittedly, frustrating—because it’s so polarizing. it seems like everyone has an opinion, and everyone urges everyone else to have an opinion, but only if it’s the same opinion. otherwise, you’re the “other”. but most discussions i’ve experienced on this have not been nuanced. most of them have been emotionally charged and combative, relying more on blame than on an exchange of information and ideas.

admittedly, politics is a subject of conversation i have mostly avoided, so my perception may be skewed. i know there are many who can, and actively do, pursue nuanced understanding of controversial topics.

i understand that this is probably an important thing. that being said, a few years ago, i gave myself permission to not have opinions about things on which i had little to no information. so the next step: to become better informed.


all this is not actually why i came here. instead, i want to point out to myself a similar approach i’ve seen on a different matter. this is helping me understand my instinctive approach to both topics.

shockingly, the other topic is religion. *gasp!*

religion is a bit different for me, because i have both opinions and information (at least, about my own religion. as i’ve stated in the past, my lack of a complete understanding of various worldviews is part of the problem here). but i still tend not to be very vocal about it in most situations, even though, according to my beliefs, the stakes are higher. this might boil down to cowardice, but i think it might also be because the stakes are higher. if i thought that potentially sacrificing a person’s opinion of me or even relationship with me, would surely result in their salvation, i would be much more likely to do it. (btw, isn’t there a verse about that? no seed falling in vain or something?)

the truth is, i’m not sure i truly believe that presentation is irrelevant. biblically this is false, right? it is the truth of God, through the power of Christ, that saves people. Paul even admits to not having eloquent speech, which is what makes the power of God even more evident.

but i also don’t think that forcing things down people’s throats is an effective strategy to having them listen to what you say.

actually, Pastor Mark has talked about this. “make sure that it is Christ they are really rejecting, not just you.” so how do i do this?

welp, i thought i knew where this post was going, but i was wrong. let’s just call it the scenic route.