Two Worship Services

Today, I attended my regular worship service.

Last evening, I attended The Richmond Forum and listened to a discussion between John Meacham (Editor of Newsweek and a moderator of the "On Faith" blog in The Washington Post) and Reza Aslan ("an internationally acclaimed writer and scholar of religions"-from his web page bio) addressing Faith and Politics. Both are extremely brilliant men and they share an outstanding sense of humor.

Both events addressed listening. Last evening was about listening to the various views and learning that there is room for all to meet. Especially in the United States which is a blending of cultures and ideologies. Meacham said last night, "This country was not founded to settle arguments. It was founded to have arguments."

Today's service was about allowing silence in your life so you can listen.

I was thankful for the ability to be silent last evening for a few hours so I could listen to both mens messages. I was thankful today for being reminded that it's OK to listen to other views and be open to them.

Society allows change. Ideally, American society is the most open to it. I do not think our society is perfect or that it will be. But, we can always aspire and work towards it. As humans, we cannot expect that we will ever know the truth. Even the American Founding Fathers admitted as much. I will leave you with another reference that Meacham mentioned last evening from a letter that Benjamin Franklin wrote shortly before he died:

"As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the System of Morals and his Religion, as he left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupt changes, and I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some Doubts as to his divinity; tho' it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and I think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an Opportunity of knowing the Truth with less Trouble." - http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin

And in our doubts, questioning and listening, we find and grow in our faith.