Monday; September 19

Are you a “fan”, “supporter” or “disinterested”?

The other day, I got to thinking about sports fans and figured that I could fit most of them into one of three categories. There are some people who just aren’t interested at all. There are people who are supporters of one particular team. They are fanatical in their support of their team, but outside of that, they really aren’t all that interested in other teams. Then there are fans who not only follow their team, they also know about the other teams in the league. They are familiar with standings, statistics and the progress of the sport. So, which are you?

The reason I bring this up isn’t necessarily to discuss a particular sport, rather it is to ask if you have ever thought about how it applies to religion? There are people who have little to no interest in spiritual things. There are others who are very tuned into their particular type of faith – either as broad as Christianity as a whole or as focused as their denomination or their congregation. Finally, there are people who follow all kinds of religions and are interested in how theirs fits within the greater scheme of things. An understanding of this approach to religion is important when it comes to how we go about discussing it. Understanding what interests us is vital, but what may be just as important is measuring the interests of others. We can become frustrated discussing our church when the other person wants to debate religious philosophy. Approaching disinterested people can create animosity when it is done by people who are engaged in their own spiritual journey.

Before beginning a discussion of religion, it would probably serve us well to get a handle on the other person’s perspective. When we understand them, we are more apt to connect with them.

Think About It!

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