Trying to Imagine a Place Where It's Always Safe and Warm
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Congratulations to Mr. Joseph Halbert (who's getting married this weekend, folks) for correctly naming "Wishlist" by Pearl Jam as the Tuesday Song of the Day.
Part VIII (My Response)
The virtue of extremism...it's such a dirty word these days, isn't it?
Whenever we want to denigrate someone or something, we label it "extreme" or call them "an extremist." I do think you're right, though. There are some things about which we should be extreme. Like you wrote, it seems that the only way to be a true follower of a religion is to be an "extreme follower" of that religion. Much of what Jesus calls us to, especially in the Sermon on the Mount, is incredibly extreme. When I go back and read Matthew 5-7, I always notice how some portions make me very uncomfortable, and I know that's a good thing.
I think the real question of the virtue of extremism is what it causes us to do in our interactions with others. We may be extremely devoted to our cause, and in that devotion we lose sight of the values of others (i.e. the jihad that radical Islamic figures have declared on "the West" wherein their extreme devotion to their interpretation of the Koran has caused them to do great harm to those with whom they disagree) or we may be extremely devoted to our cause, and in that devotion we are attuned to the values of others (i.e. Jesus' call to love our enemies, to look for those in need, and to love without concern for reciprocity). I don't mean this to fall into the typical Islam v. Christianity divide, but the topics of extremism and religion are intertwined in my brain.
Your thoughts?
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