Religion and politics are a volatile mix, and they have been since Jesus was put to death for blasphemy and sedition almost 2,000 years ago.
But both are important areas of life, grounded in convictions that are foundational for many Americans. Bring up issues such as evolution and immigration, and people are naturally going to take a stand based on their beliefs.
Is it even possible to talk about politics and religion without getting into a fight?
Larisa Heiphetz, an assistant professor of psychology at Columbia University, has found that people do have the ability to distinguish factual beliefs from religious and political claims. But when people look at ideologies, they see them as a combination of fact and opinion. This mixture can be explosive.
Fortunately, Heiphetz has made some discoveries that can help us to navigate this minefield of facts and opinions. For starters, when you are in the middle of an ideological disagreement, resist the temptation to correct the other person’s facts. You might want to say, “Actually, scientific evidence shows that humans evolved from other primates,” or, “Actually, recent data shows that immigrants commit fewer crimes than native-born Americans.”
Yet this type of information alone is often insufficient to resolve disagreements. People rarely change their opinions because someone beat them in an argument.
Much better is to expose your conversation partner to another point of view.
“Hmm. I actually think something different,” is the type of statement Heiphetz recommends. “I really appreciated the way my science tutor was patient with me,” you could say, “and explained evolution in a way that made a lot of sense to me after a while.” Or “I’m going to donate money to groups helping asylum seekers. Do you want to join me?”
See the difference? Instead of correcting facts, expose the other person to another point of view. Minds are changed by exposure to new perspectives, especially if people are given time to think about and consider these other views.
In my novel City of Peace, Methodist pastor Harley Camden is devastated by the loss of his wife and daughter in a terrorist attack committed by Islamic extremists. He is sent to the small town of Occoquan, Virginia, to heal and to recover.
There, he wants nothing to do with Muslim immigrants, and assumes that two of his new neighbors will share his beliefs. This couple, Youssef and Sofia, are Coptic Christians who have suffered their own losses to Islamic violence in Egypt.
And yet, when Harley is having dinner with Youssef and Sofia, Harley learns that they are very close to a family named the Bayatis, Muslim immigrants from Iraq. “The Bayatis have become some of our closest friends here in Occoquan,” Youssef told Harley, “largely because we have shared so many meals. Back in Egypt, Christians and Muslims are getting together less and less, which has caused the animosity and violence to increase.”
“Food is important to us,” Sofia said. “Think of the many times that Jesus sat down to eat with people — even tax collectors and sinners. Christian hospitality is very important to Youssef and me.”
“I do appreciate it,” said Harley, enjoying the food Sofia had prepared. “Think of how much better the world would be if people actually sat down and ate with each other.”
What begins to change the mind of Harley Camden is not the correction of his facts. Instead, he shifts his thinking because he has been exposed to Christians and Muslims around a dinner table.
When have you been changed by a new perspective on religion or politics? How were you first exposed to this point of view, and how long did it take for your beliefs to change? Join the conversation through a comment below.
My early family’s mealtime always with a prayer said by one of my parents. As teenage years approached and I was invited to share meals with my friends, I rarely experienced anything similar. I resisted inviting friends for meals as they might be of a different faith and keep their eyes open or cross themselves.
In my college years I had the experience of being at the table where a peer requested, we all hold hands. He would start by squeezing the hand on the right or left until the circle was complete!
The thanks and gratitude I sensed was simple but profound sense of BEING! An expansion an inclusion of something larger…
Thanks, Norma. Table fellowship is powerful.
Henry….I enjoyed reading your comments and thoughts about building be bridges during these divisive times. As a Catholic I have found it to be challenging sometimes to enter into constructive dialogue with others of different political belief systems or faith traditions. Yet, it is always so important to try. I am a member of a group that sponsors something called Sunday salons which brings together people who differ on life issues to discuss their backgrounds and perspectives in a non-threatening way. This is modeled after something Susan B.Anthony did during the suffrage movement. Don’t know of you remember we went to high school together.
I love the idea of Sunday salons. Thanks so much, Meg. Always good to hear from a fellow Bulldog!
Henry,it probably is no coincidence you used the evolution of man from other primates.I believe the creation story in Genesis.God created man in his image from dust.I believe the image of God is like a man.Then after Adam found no animal for a companion,God caused a deep sleep to come over Adam,and He took a rib from Adam and created woman who came from man.I have often thought this was the first recorded surgery.I find it significant woman was made from a rib which was close to Adams heart.I find as independent as I have become,I still need my husband.And,because I came from near his heart he loves me almost unconditionally.I need his strength mentally and physically.I need him to become one person from both of us as was God’s plan.I do believe there must have been a world before ours where giants lived and dinosaurs were.We have no biblical reference to this.Nor do we have references to man on another celestial body.What is evolving is my knowledge and understanding of things.One day all will be known to us,but will we really care as heavenly beings.❤️❤️❤️
Good to have you in the conversation, Linda.