Is that the title of a movie? I think so. But I’m not going to write about this movie.

What I mean by “the others” is those denominations that are not like “mine”, those that have beliefs that I just don’t agree with. Going to university gives me the privillege to meet people from various faiths, religions, churches, denominations. It’s all good but very … how to say… sort of frustrating. Here in Montréal, most people will respect you, whatever the beliefs you have and as long as you don’t force your beliefs on the people, and even then, they’ll just say “whatever” and think you’re a freak. I know this is a generalization, but that’s the picture I get.

So I’ve got friends (what does the word “friend” means here, I am not sure) who believe in certain doctrines, practices, thoughts, traditions in which I don’t believe because when I read the Bible, I can’t find a foundation for thos beliefs. As I chat with those friends and try to understand their beliefs better, I try to make them think about the obvious: If you say you base yourself on the Bible, then read it and seek to understand it, take your stuff into context, can’t you see the obvious? It seems that what is obvious for me isn’t for others. Why? I think that the main reason is that the Holy Spirit enables me to understand God’s Word because I am God’s child. A second reason might be the way that I was taught. Almost all my life I went to a Baptist church, or any denomination that ressemble it, like Les Frères, Mennonite, etc. So no matter if I wanted it or not, the ideas and thoughts I have right now about God and how I (not translate, but I can’t find the word) or what I think it means… it’s all based on the teaching I’ve got. I was thought that when Jesus, on the cross, said to John “Here is your mother” talking about Mary, that it simply meant that Jesus wanted John to take care of his mom, Mary. But some people were taught that Jesus, there on the cross, was making Mary the mother of the church. If I would have grown up with this view of this verse… I don’t know what I’d believe today. To me, it doesn’t make sense to believe that in this context Jesus makes Mary the head/mother of the church because of the context, and the great lack of reference to Mary after this very verse on, through the epistles. Anyways, I won’t go further with Mary, since I don’t know much anyways.

But do you get my point? It must be tough for people to turn away from their beliefs in order to re-think everything they thought they understood anew. You know, it is one of the greatest privillege to have been taught the Scripture not by men alone, but by men filled with the Holy Spirit. I find it frustrating how people think I’m right and understand my point of view, but don’t do anything about it, keep their own beliefs, even if their beliefs are against what I say they say is right. Does not make sense to me… People are blinded, but they think they see.

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