Now let us move to soft-mindedness in religion.
Soft-mindedness often invades religion. This is why religion has sometimes rejected new truth with a dogmatic passion. Through edicts and bulls, inquisitions and excommunications, the church has attempted to prorogue truth and place an impenetrable stone wall in the path of the truth-seeker. The historical-philological criticism of the Bible is considered by the soft minded as blasphemous, and reason is often looked upon as the exercise of a corrupt faculty. Soft-minded persons have revised the Beatitudes to read, "Blessed are the pure in ignorance: for they shall see God."
Following up on the line of thought in these devotions from two weeks ago, I find that this is what the church does in regard to our inclusion of GLBT saints into the complete fellowship of congregations. Even in light of scientific teaching of our day and the respected differences in interpretation about passages that have been used to exclude GLBT people from the church, there is a mountain of protest and a passion that burns hot to keep things as what once was. Talk about an "impenetrable stone wall" being put up! Rather than lift up the vision of the Reign of God we often find it more valuable to live within the trenches of old thoughts and patterns that allow bright, tough-minded people to become soft-minded and live outside the bounds of truth.
Connection: We all are a bit soft-minded when it comes to the things around which our piety is built. Therefore, part of our daily journey is to question all that we hold so dear in our religious life...and do not fear the questions.
All-Knowing God, you have created us in your image and given us the ability to face the things in life that we fear and know that you abide with us in and through all things. Continue to endow us with the wisdom of your Reign even as we contemplate that which we hold so dear. Amen.
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