Quadrilateral Thinking

I’ve recently watched a series on CNN called God’s Warriors. It looks at the radical fundamentalist interpretation of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. I recommend it to you, but be forewarned: it is disturbing. It frightens me that people (of all religions) will justify the injustices and oppression of others, even the killing of others, in the name of God. Have we learned nothing from history? Whenever a radical fundamentalist extremism dominates people’s mindset, others suffer. It can be political, it can be religious, but others always suffer, and to use Scripture to justify and even mandate the suffering compounds the sin. What ever happened to “loving your neighbor as yourself?” (Leviticus 19:18).

I will also say that I found hope in the program. I saw devout (not radical) people of each of these religions who hold similar ideals and goals which gives me optimism. Their interpretation of Scripture allows these God fearing people to view all others as God’s children; people of sacred worth. For them, reason and experience play into their thinking. Remember Wesley’s Quadrilateral; Scripture, reason, tradition, and experience, each forming our beliefs? The good news is regardless of how we act, or what we watch, God wins. Just read the back of the book!