How can I do? If not shout to him........ 2

How can I do? If not shout to him........ 2

Last week, I happened to cross with my church priest in somewhere outside our church. He was one of the very few guys who could have a religion and some independent thinking concurrently. I respected him a lot.

He asked me why I went to his church less and less recently. Actually I was busy, I needed to work out my living expenses, plus it was the assignment period. Nevertheless I highlighted I did not like to hear during Sunday service, another church priest kept attacking other religions, Taoism, Buddhism......

I was born in a problematic family. I have heard mum says dad bad, dad says mum bad for over 20 years. I am sensitive to this approach. Whether other religions are bad or not, it wouldn’t make Christianity any better. A religion good or bad is depend on itself; is depend on how its disciples behave; is depend on whether it could change its disciples better people or not. It is not depend on how good it at attacking other religions.


It was a rare chance allowed me to manifest my concern with a church priest with independent thinking, outside the church. Plus after quite few weeks I’d not been there, he might have some interest to listen. So I spoke a lot.

“Before last Wesak day, I told one of my Buddhist classmates, I had planned to go to Brickfield and took some photos of the celebration. She was astonished! How can it be? Even a Muslim government could appoint a Buddhist public holiday. What makes a Christian Church close and narrow-minded like that?”


To my surprise, my priest told me, not only me, but also he and all other senior Church members held different position from that priest. He was happy to know my disagreement,"Siaojun, you must have talent on theology." He told me in close-door Church meetings they had quarreled many times. “He refuses to change.” “It is hard like forcing a horse to drink water!” “Siaojun, you hold we are too radical, but he says we are not radical enough!” “You don't know how many times I have shouted to him. What else could I do?!”

I agree it is always hard to change people with shouting or quarreling. After another party finds we are in an offensive position, he will hold a defensive position, or just cut off any tunnels for messages to be delivered. Anyway, I am glad to know not all Church members are that narrow-minded.


I think a better solution, maybe just exercise the old psychology game, ‘learn to find others' merits.’ Of course it is hard to ask him to find other religions' merits on the first place, yet still possible to persuade him start from share what he has found other churches’ merits. We go different churches and we have visit service every month, we can start from sharing what we have learnt from them.

Lastly though we could not force what he shares during his sharing, nothing could stop we share what we have learnt from other religions in our sharing as well. The best way to influence others is to start from ourselves.
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