Many people are far more resentful of those who are like them

“…many people are far more resentful of those who are like them, whom they perceive as rivals, than of people they denounce on television…”

@russellmoore from his @christianitytoday article, “Orgies, Cocaine, and the Dangers of Boring Sins”

Just to put it out there, this is not a post about orgies or cocaine. 😅

I’ve really been struck lately by this idea that the majority of us are actually pretty nuanced in our ideas and beliefs and probably share far more in common with each other than we think we do.

I used to think of the political (or religious) spectrum as a straight line, extreme left and extreme right and the absolute center and somewhere on there is pinpoint where each one of us stand. I was listening to a Jonathan Haidt interview where he described that spectrum as more of a horseshoe where we are all kind floating around in the bucket and the most extreme views are at the top.

The problem with this is that we assign the extreme values to people floating around with us rather than take the time to figure out who they truly are. I get it, it’s easier that way and I’m just as guilty of doing this as anyone else.

Maybe that’s what happens when we make rivals out of our brothers and sisters? 🤷‍♂️

See, zero talk about orgies or cocaine! We made it!