Am I wrong?

"Nationalism is a religion and war is its liturgy."
-Stanley Hauerwas




While riding my bike a few days ago I came across two vastly different images.  First I passed by a church, beautiful colors, stained glass, manicured lawn, swept walkways.  Next, and maybe a hefty stone throws away was a run down house (a few in fact) with an overgrown yard, a shabby porch, on the porch sat the occupant of the house, smoking a cigarette and maybe 6 feet away lay a dead cat.  Flies swarmed around it. 

It got me thinking about a lot of things.  It was startling.  The contrasting images. 

The news surrounding Judge Brett Kavanaugh has been viewed in two very different ways.  There are those who view it as a vile attack on a man due to his views and as politically motivated.  There are others who side with Dr. Christine Ford and see this in a completely different light, they want the truth and an investigation. 

Two completely different images. 

However you view this story, chance are, you already made your decision.  Chances are no matter what facts are established or not established you have already decided who you believe. 

There's an interesting little phenomenon called Confirmation Bias.  For a quick definition that is helpful, check out this article.  confirmation bias

We tend to believe what we want to believe. We tend to interpret information to bolster our interpretation of facts.  This is true of politics, this is true of faith, this is true of how we view people. 

How do we break out of that shell?  How do we think differently?  How do we quit looking at the stained glass and see the dead cat? 

There are lots of ways but one important step is to consider the title of the book that Snoopy wrote and mull it over in our mind.  Have an open mind, have an open heart.  Listen.