"Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters...that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains."
Acts 9:1-2
And there we have it. Saul, as a religious leader, thinking it's a good idea to persecute people for their beliefs. Even murdering them for believing differently than he believed. And we are still doing it today--all religions seem to have a crazy faction that thinks it's a good idea to persecute others who believe differently. We just need to read the headlines to see the attacks on churches, mosques and synagogues to see that "murderous threats" are still being carried out two thousand years later. Have we learned nothing? What can we do to break this chain of intolerance? All we have, really, is our own life. We, in our own circle of influence, can stop the negative conversation as we hear it. Showing love and companionship with those of other faiths is a small start, but it may be the only start we have. We need to broaden our circle of cohorts--get to know someone of another faith so they aren't so foreign to us. Read other scriptures to familiarize ourselves with what they believe, so we can appreciate that their scripture is similar to what we read. Read our own New Testament and the words of Jesus that we are to LOVE each other, no matter what! God weeps at the way we treat each other on this planet. What can we do, this beautifully dawning spring day, to help? Jesus stopped Saul in his tracks on the road to Damascus. Is Jesus calling out to us? Love, heidi
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