Say Anything Blog

Cross posted from my blog because it has to do with some of the arguments we all engage in here. On the other hand if we did this there would be no blogoshere.

Years ago when I traveled about teaching the Dale Carnegie Course in Human Relations and Public Speaking (I was better at one of those two attributes than the other) there was a concept we taught people that I am relearning all over again.

Mr. Carnegie said, “The Chinese are superior to you in that they speak Chinese and you don’t”.

It’s the Biblical principle that we should not think better of ourselves than we ought. That we are no better than others, equal at the foot of the cross.

Now the reality is NONE of us can reach that standard. We all believe we are better than the other guy in some way. It’s a human failing and no matter how much theological lipstick we put on that pig we all are convinced that whatever we are, who we are, what we believe is superior to everyone else.

I learned that most keenly living overseas. No matter what country I lived in I was assured by the residents there that they were superior to the USA.

Certainly true in Germany and Japan. They see themselves as far superior to you and me.

Brazil, Taiwan, Great Britain, France, people here see themselves as above you in many ways.

I have a friend in Nigeria who believes Nigerians are superior to Americans in many ways (Particularly Spiritually).

But the big shock was when I was working in Mexico City, the people there, even those in dire poverty would say to me, “Yes America has great wealth but we have freedom here. We’re better than you are”.

Every country’s populace believes themselves superior the the USA.

This is most certainly true not only in the realm of nationalism but is true of our theologies.

The latest Mormon flap regarding Romney and Huckabee is illustrative as is the speech Romney gave where he talked of faith but not about his faith. He in essence inferred all faiths are important and equal but Mormonism is a little more equal than others.

Here is the dirty rotten truth, every religious expression considers itself the true faith and therefore superior to every other. If you think about it for half a second, of course they do. If I considered for a moment that some other expression was superior to the one I practice (in the words of Pricilla and Aquila to Apollos, A BETTER WAY) wouldn’t I run towards that faith expression in a heartbeat? It would be hypocrisy for me to not if I were a seeker after God.

In that vein:

Lutherans consider themselves superior to Mormons

Mormons consider themselves superior to Lutherans

Catholics to Methodists

Methodists to Catholics

Pentecostals to Dutch Reformed

Dutch Reformed to Pentecostals

Bahia to Muslims

Muslims to Bahia

Atheists and Agnostics to Christians

Christians to Atheists and Agnostics

So whatever you are, whatever theological or a-theological base you operate from you can fill in these blanks:

_______________ are superior to_____________

No matter what you write in those two spaces it’s true for you.

To be clear, this is not about tolerance or allowance for a difference of opinion in a civil way. This is about the natural attitude of superiority in a person’s opinion or theology over another’s. I say again, if you thought your theology, politics or opinion was not superior you would change it. That’s why we proselytize.

If we didn’t believe Christianity was superior as Christians we are awfully stupid sending millions of dollars overseas to missions. So we do.

I was in a recent flap with a man I respect that drives this post. I accused him of this natural proclivity and did it with all the Gentleness I am capable of, that being nearly none.

Both of us are convinced in our hearts of the Biblical correctness and superiority of our religious convictions and practices. We can both quote bushels of Chapter and Verse as Bible Bullets to hammer the other one into submission or anger. At the end of that confrontation it would be as Mr Carnegie said, “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still”. I actually have that hanging on a plaque on the wall. I think I’ll read it again.

This is a problem. One I won’t solve here. This is true of all beliefs, political, philosophical, religious:

Democrats consider themselves superior to Republicans

Republicans to Democrats

Liberals to Conservatives

Conservatives to Liberals

Communists to Fascists

Fascists to Communists

Women to Men

Men to Women

So, if you think you are superior in theology, politics, National Origin, worldview or gender to others guess what,

YOU’RE NORMAL

So, what to do? Treat one another with respect and honor. That’s the Biblical thing to do. Don’t use arrogant pontification to trumpet the superiority you feel. Be careful of others opinions even if you think they are absolutely wrong, blind, misled, etc. I often find myself thinking of people who have a differing opinion from mine, “HOW IN THE WORLD CAN THEY EVEN THINK THAT’S TRUE”.

I do this worse than almost any one else I know.

Except for you.

OOPS, there I go again.