There is a lot to dislike about the world. Stories of ISIS show us the widespread violence some will do in the name of religion. Stories of rape and murder are common. In many countries laws are passed to marginalize minorities who are different. The poor treatment of people around the world is disheartening, and it often creates a backlash that spreads the anger and violence further. It’s a vicious cycle and all so devastatingly sad. The news reports we hear make the world seem like a dark, evil place where love does not exist and all hope is lost.
But all hope is not lost. There are bright spots in a lot of places if we are just able to see them. Even though many conflicts often center on religious differences, most religious groups put a lot of emphasis on loving others. And if you look for it, you will hear the reports of people loving and serving others because of their religious beliefs.
I’ve been reading about the issues, talking to people, and learning a lot. I have almost scratched the surface! Along the way I heard about a conference called Christ at the Checkpoint in Bethlehem, West Bank. The conference included a wide variety of experts on cultural and religious perspectives about extremism and violence. I met many kind, joy-filled, peace loving people who also want to see positive change in the world. It was a sign of hopefulness to me.
It was amazing to hear experts talking about how to respond to religious violence. These experts represented Evangelical Christians, Catholics, Muslims, Zionists, Messianic Jews, and others. It was obvious they differed theologically in substantial ways but there were points of commonality that were really eye opening. Every presenter seemed to say that moving forward successfully in solving the problem of religious extremism and violence must be based on loving others, including advocating for justice, peace, and forgiveness.
Now the world doesn’t seem as dark and evil to me. I met many people at the conference who are on the front lines practicing this very good theology. In the war between good and evil, it’s easy to make accusations and keep the cycle of darkness going. It’s hard work but we can stop the hate promoting cycle of self-interest. We just need to commit to serving others by being fair, forgiving, and peace loving. The consequences of this will be reconciled relationships and the building of a hope filled world.
Pursuing Peace 