bitter controversialists...

We live in adversarial days. The present controversy over the building of a mosque near ground zero is only the most recent example.  It is no great insight that we now have a "crossfire" media fostering and profiting from hear at the expense of light.  I understand this-in my younger days I worked in politics and relished ideological combat. I am not proud to say that, even though I believed what I was saying, the "combat" became more important than the ideas. No political party or religion has a monopoly on adversarialism (I use a photo of Rush Limbaugh because he is a nearly iconic controversialist)-some of the worse offenders are those who demonize those who demonize...
James Freeman Clarke has a word today that deeply expresses what I now strive for...

"THE bitter controversialists are popular in their time; for men are fond of fighting, and always admire great warriors, whether their weapon be sword, pen, or tongue. But this kind of controversy is time and thought thrown away. To convert a man from his opinions, you must sympathize with him, and, by sympathy, understand what he means, see the truth in his error, lead him, by the truth he already holds, toward some higher truth or some different truth which he has not yet reached.

Do not despise the sceptic, but, if you have any faith, help him to it. Sympathize with him, for some of his disease is in us all. We are all obliged to pray, " Lord, I believe: help thou mine unbelief! "

(I would only add that while we must "see the truth in his error" we must be willing to see the error in our truth as well)

Blessings