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My FB Family Responded with 200+ Amazing Answers On What the Right, Left, Atheist and Religious Can ALL Agree On (The Results Are Refreshing, Hopeful and Kind)

My FB Family Responded with 200+ Amazing Answers On What the Right, Left, Atheist and Religious Can ALL Agree On (The Results Are Refreshing, Hopeful and Kind)

Last updated on: March 12, 2015 at 5:34 pm by Frank Schaeffer

My FB Family Responded with 200+ Amazing Answers On What the Right, Left, Atheist and Religious Can ALL Agree On (The Results Are Refreshing, Hopeful and Kind) 2015-03-12T17:34:58-06:00 Frank Schaeffer

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“Wow Frank! This is freakin’ awesome! I have been blown away by everything I’ve read here. Look at all the love, and common ground! Tears of joy! WOW!!!”

***

HERE IS HOW I ASKED MY FB FAMILY THE QUESTION… Please read their answers posted below!

Frank Schaeffer

Posted 21 hours ago

Q: Do you know why I (mostly) don’t ban trolls and people who seem to hate me from this page?A: I actually believe in free speech and… also…Believe it or not, I think my friends on the right–even the religious right–need to be heard no matter what.So… will you trolls, friends, and enemies alike, for once pretend we’re real neighbors and maybe just for this one day lay aside your weapons and join me in my little thought experiment?HERE’S MY PROJECTWILL EVERYONE HERE SHARE A REAL (NOT SMART-ASS) PERSONAL FACT OR TOPIC THAT FOR ONCE WE CAN ALL AGREE ON?

What can you say that bypasses all of our prejudices and shares a real and lasting truth person-to-person? Note: I’ll be publishing your responses from this page on my Patheos blog later…

For once can we all—left, right, religious or atheist–keep our comments gracious, as if we’re actual neighbors who HAVE to get on because we live side by side and, frankly, we just can’t afford to keep throwing trash over the other guy’s fence because all our kids live here?

I’ll start.

Here’s my personal heartfelt thought that (I hope) WE CAN ALL relate to–

“On an emotional scale of 1 to 10, I love my grandchildren at a ‘10’ and by comparison, I don’t care about any political issues as deeply as I experience that love. Everything else is a ‘1’ by comparison.”

Okay, that was my attempt to reach past the politics and religion that divides us.

Over to you guys now!

(pic is of two of my five grandchildren planting bulbs with me)

13,520 people reached

Frank Schaeffer

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Joseph MitchellThank you, I appreciate it. Frank Schaeffer I do not know if I ever told you that I was right of center, lately I call myself a cushion republican, very moderate and centrist. Epistemologically Hard Agnostic and Atheist leaning. This is a very hard combination to pull off. I want to leave Atheism but I cannot. Did you ever get stuck? We had talked before. I was also raised up in the parsonage. See what it does to us, wink, lol?

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 12 hours ago
Frank Schaeffer replied · 1 Reply
Tarajee JumahWhen my now twenty year old, learning disabled grandson was about four my co worker gave me a vintage copy of The Wizard of Oz. Since repetition is part of his condition he was happily obsessed with all of the characters, and the things they wanted from the Wizard. One day we were waiting for his mother. It was a beautiful day and I was just enjoying his chatter as we sat in my car. Just then a woman with a mid size dog walked by. He asked if I was afraid of dogs. I said no. He said what about big dogs. I said, well I guess I’m afraid of big dogs. He said ” me too grandma. I guess what we need is more courage “. Of course I thought wow he’s a genius! ! I live on those memories.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 13 hours ago

Frank Schaeffer replied · 1 Reply
Don SheppardThat picture says a lot so simply yet incisively. Plant seeds; get your hands dirty. Get involved. Care! Work! Cultivate! Teach. Nurture! Patience! Determination! Skills! Education. All of these become transferable skill to every facet of human life. Perhaps we all could agree on this. From there and what we do from ‘there’, how we proceed from ‘there’, opinions are borne and pathways made. Maybe?

Unlike · Reply · 12 · 17 hours ago

Frank Schaeffer replied · 2 Replies
John Taylor Wow Frank! This is freakin’ awesome! I have been blown away by everything I’ve read here. Look at all the love, and common ground! Tears of joy! WOW!!!

I love to quote poet Maya Angelou. “As human beings, we more alike than we are unalike.”

Another quote that I like is from Jimi Hendrix:

” When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.”

I think these are things we can all agree on.

Unlike · Reply · 11 · 18 hours ago · Edited

I love to quote poet Maya Angelou. “As human beings, we more alike than we are unalike.”…See More

Unlike · Reply · 11 · 17 hours ago · Edited
Christopher Glenn SidesImagine that you feel a comparable love–like the love you have for your grandson–for all of your neighbors. But your neighbors are violent criminals, cruel & despicable; so much that they even mistreated & abused your beloved grandson. Now can you imagine that despite this, you love your neighbors so much that in order to save them from the punishment that they deserve, you give your beloved grandson’s life in exchange for theirs? While I cannot imagine doing this, One did exactly this. God so loved the world that he gave his one & only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. The love you have for your grandchildren–that love that surpasses all else in your world–comes from Him. God is love. He who loves is born of God & knows God. He who does not love does not know God. For God is love. That is my attempt to demonstrate that true, unadulterated, religion does not divide us, but brings us together.

Unlike · Reply · 9 · 18 hours ago
Arlene VanSantAt a time of crisis….. an automobile accident and someone is pinned under a car, a burning house and a child is stuck inside, or an airplane crashes into the side of a building and explodes…… people rush to help our fellow human beings….. no one stops to ask what party the are affiliated with, or what religion they are, or care what race they are….. they just rush in “instinctively” and help…… That’s when we know we are all ONE !

Unlike · Reply · 33 · 20 hours ago

3 Replies · 4 hours ago
Iain StrachanWhat the parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us is that love, compassion and kindness are more important than correct theology.

Unlike · Reply · 18 · 20 hours ago
Tom ClarkI pooped today!

Unlike · Reply · 16 · 20 hours ago

1 Reply
Julie MartinezLast night I shared with my brother who is at the beginning of the road of sobriety (9 days sober!) that sometimes the best strategy when we are overwhelmed is just to break it all down to the simplest pieces possible. My simplest pieces are my love for my kids, my deep connection to my husband and my lifelong desire to seek out and create meaning and beauty. Those things are the essence of who I am. Everything else can come and go as needed.

Unlike · Reply · 18 · 21 hours ago

2 Replies
Brad JersakOur experiences and conceptions of Reality are much smaller than Reality Itself, and, happily, the narrowness of my experiences and conceptions do not negate that Reality, which if we named it, might best be called Love (though even such labels are so tiny). But living Love is beyond such confines, so we rejoice.

Unlike · Reply · 20 · 21 hours ago

1 Reply
Marnie de VanssayEvery day, the post”woman” drives up to our door with the mail and a large, contageous smile. Rain or hail, she gets out of her little car and comes to the door carrying our mail with a warm “bonjour, bonne journée”. Even when I am in the worst mood, because of her, I feel energized and happy. I don’t know what her beliefs are, but I want to be like her!

Unlike · Reply · 31 · 21 hours ago
Mark G. BaberAll of us, every single day, needs food. Also, some of us experience various degrees of success, but all of us without exception experience some degree of failure. So.., we get hungry and we f— up. On this we can surely agree.

Unlike · Reply · 18 · 21 hours ago
Alex BuckPerfectly timed levity is therapeutic and healing…

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 3 hours ago
Jenny McCracken RossEveryone smiles in the same language!

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 5 hours ago
Hillary AlexanderI love the picture! It reminds me of my 2 kids when they were younger.

My truth is since becoming a mom, nothing has been as important as my kids knowing how much I love them and for as long as I live I will always be there for them.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 6 hours ago
Don SheppardGravity really gets ya down!?

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 7 hours ago
Don SheppardThe sky is blue? Well, depends whar y’ar?

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 7 hours ago
Susan Paine FisherI would have loved to be at L’Abrie and would have basked in his community there. Well, it was his parents’ community.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 7 hours ago
Danielle J PerronEvery human being is worthy of dignity, no matter where they are in their journey. We are in this together, but traveling at different paces, maybe even going to different places-Not for any human to judge.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 8 hours ago · Edited
Gayl Killough

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 10 hours ago
Beth Marie MillerWhen I’m sad or upset and a friend doesn’t give me answers but says “I’m so sorry. That’s hard,” and gives me a hug – that’s one of the best things ever.
On the other end, a deflating experience is missing the bus by 30 seconds. Or 10.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 10 hours ago
Anna Trelc BlangiardoWhat I know to be true:
As spiritual beings having a human experience on this planet, we are all profoundly connected. Our basic life source is love. We each express that love with varying degrees of skill. Our every action is either an expression of love or a call for love. I am that love, specialized in my own human life as are you. When we are not coming from love we are in separation from our source or God. When we are not coming from love we are sourced by fear. Fear is a destructive devolving decaying force. Love is evolving expanding creative force. It is our free will to choose which force we will feed. And that is the one we will grow. At our very and original essence is love. All else is separation. I choose love every day.

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Sam CollinsWe all want to be loved

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 11 hours ago
Jamie RyeHello, I’m Jamie. I am a human. You are a human too. Let’s start there.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 11 hours ago
BonnieJean KurleThere is nothing to compare to the connection I make with human beings. When I’m teaching (college), and I see the connection, the ‘aha’ moment. When I’m having a profound conversation with my wife and we both learn something new about the world. When my kids (teenagers) tell me something that is a new realization for them that I can appreciate again from the new insight perspective for just a moment. When I see the awe in a child’s eyes that moment s/he experiences something new. This connection is spectacular, and I think a part of what reminds us how we’re all irrevocably interconnected, even when we forget and obsess over our differences.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 12 hours ago
Franklin R. ClarkFrank, that is a brilliant, if sometimes difficult, thought experiment, but a rewarding one.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 13 hours ago
David MoriahEveryone, whether Bill Gates or the homeless man, whether Albert Einstein or a child with Downs Syndrome, all receive the same 24 hours for each day they are alive. What we do with that time is what defines us.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 13 hours ago
Scott ThompsonI am a school teacher and whenever a student asks me what race I am or what country my ancestors came from I always say the same answer, I am a human being and all the other affiliations are unimportant.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 13 hours ago
Arden DetweilerI appreciate this Frank. Let’s see….cooking is therapy, and therapeutic to those it is offered to. Not much makes a person feel cared for as much as real food prepared by someone who loves them. I believe in chicken soup, homemade bread (with butter), all pasta dishes and our family recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies. Also, on another note, art and music and wonderful writing touches my soul to it’s deepest depths…..sometimes rendering me speechless.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 13 hours ago
Sharlee Johnston MaherI think we can all find common ground in that we would like to leave the world a better place for our children. We would desire peace in places of conflict. We would desire that no child should experience hunger or violence. We would all like the ability to put a roof over our heads, food in the belly of our families, have a job we can feel good about and that allows us to accomplish those things and maybe some fun and entertainment too. That love is better than hate. And whales are magnificent!

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 14 hours ago
Paul StetsenkoEverybody loves kittens.
If everybody loves what you do and agrees with you, then you produce “kittens.” I love your writings, Frank Schaeffer, because what you do is the ultimate “anti-kittenry”. It has sustained me on my own faith journey just as much as my priest. I don’t always agree with what you write, but I love it nevertheless and highly appreciate what you do.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 14 hours ago
Graham-Michoel B WillsPeace. Work for peace. I guess many people loath some of the troll behaviour on Facebook, ( as I do ). Sad and sorry as that may be, as you point out, FB is an agent of free speech. Certainly from time to time it has proved to be an agent of change, for the better good of many people.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 15 hours ago
Connie Gunther BowdenFeeling empathy for another individual. Treating others with respect. I always treat others as I would like to be treated. No judging and listening, really listening to what someone has to say without interrupting them. We all need to slow down, stop and breathe. Life is short.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 15 hours ago
Mark HessingerI AM You!

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 15 hours ago
Gail M DesRochersAt the heart of this human experience we all have feelings and needs that are quite a bit universal when we put aside all the judgements. The level of my personal need value might be different from yours – and even that is a matter of perspective.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 15 hours ago
Ron FloodTwo wrongs don’t make a right…but two Wrights did make an airplane.

Unlike · Reply · 5 · 15 hours ago
Susan DoradoI like spreading beauty. I spread it around by creating my own jewelry to sell or give away. When someone is looking at my pieces, they never ask what my political affiliation is, if they like it they buy it or they enter my drawing to try and win it. Same goes for positive posts on social media, I don’t ask the political affiliation, I just like them. When it comes to caring, loving or creating, I would never ask someone who they voted for, their artistry, personal character and caring are enough for me.

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Cynthia SmithI am wanting to de-emphasize politics in favor of grasping our common humanity…..inspired by Pope Francis 1. PS…I will be in Philadelphia in September for the Pope’s visit.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 15 hours ago
Kari Brown RitchieWe can all agree that people hurting is wrong.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 16 hours ago
Jim SeybertNothing you can ever do will change the past, the present is always turning into the past, and the only thing you can change is the future. The most important question, then, is “How will my decisions today affect the future.”

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 16 hours ago
Wag DalzellNever hate.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 16 hours ago
Sarah Rochelle TiuI love mornings when my husband and two young boys are all snuggled in bed with me.
There’s almost nothing more enjoyable to me than playing a fun card game with my best friends in the world.
Life is so full.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 16 hours ago
Elaine Lainie Ernst WesselFor me, it’s music. Specifically my Bel Canto Chorus community. Music is a language of its own. It is universally understood. There are no doctrines or prejudices. All come together to sing, play, listen and appreciate. Music touches deeply and has the power to soothe and to heal. Music can break down barriers and can communicate with those who cannot communicate back. It sometimes breaks silence in people. I know this is meant to be marketing, but it also tells the story of the community I am privileged to be a part of:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ibC6hJQryYk

Bel Canto Chorus 2012

The mission of Bel Canto Chorus is to enrich the lives of its audiences and its singing members through the…

youtube.com

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Dave WallaceWhen I was little 70yrs ago, I lived where the guereza monkeys roamed wild in the forest. My avatar is a small representation of the guereza.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 16 hours ago
Sherilynn Morales MatsumotoThe only way I can love others, no matter their beliefs of lifestyle choices is because my God loves me unconditionally.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 16 hours ago
Gil FewI believe that love and friendship are trump cards in life. I treasure all persons that I have called friend. I dare not place anyone in the discard pile; whatever the reason.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 16 hours ago
Rob WoolbrightOur primary purpose for existence should be to alleviate the suffering of others.

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 17 hours ago
Janel Apps RamseyWhen we focus on loving others, really loving them as people, the labels things fade into the background.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 17 hours ago
Aimee Gendusa-EnglishI like you and I am not a troll

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 17 hours ago
Steve GraybillI have never had an argument with some over whether or not modern-day slavery and human trafficking are evils that should be eradicated.

Unlike · Reply · 4 · 17 hours ago
John C. HousianitisWe can only hope…..

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 17 hours ago
Marsha GarrettMy first thought when I read you proposal was that my love for my children knows no bounds, and I would imagine that is universal and crosses all other lines of division. I see I was right! Good to know.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 17 hours ago
Charlene SchwartzI do not choose my neighbors: OK I admit that is a quote from Peterson’s Tell It Slant, but the truth of it really hit me in the heart, it opened my options for my love responses and helped me lay down the stupidity of us and them thinking. Great pic of you planting bulbs with your grandchildren.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 17 hours ago
Jim RogersI celebrate our humanness. We try with all sorts of tools and strategies to avoid it, but we are all human and we should experience our own humanness and others’ because we are all united by this reality.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 18 hours ago
Marie InneoFree speech is fine, but I don’t suffer fools lightly. So, if you spew stupidity, I will happily defriend you speak freely elsewhere.

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 18 hours ago · Edited
Cindi EatonWe all have the need & desire to be loved and to love. And we have many creative ways to walk that out.

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 18 hours ago
Dan Gaynor http://www.amazon.com/Righteo…/dp/0307377903/ref=sr_1_1…

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion

Why can’t our political leaders work together as threats…

amazon.com

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Robert MillerHere is something piggy-backing a little on what you wrote, but watching my kids grow up and observing all their little idiosyncrasies and enjoying it all makes me realize that no matter what the environment and upbringing everyone is so unique and distinct and has something special to offer the world.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 18 hours ago
Mark AckerEinstein believed time is cyclical. Part of the theory of relativity is that the past, present, and future all coexist are equally real and part of what we call the universe. If he was correct, terms like lost and ceasing to exist are meaningless. The …See More

Unlike · Reply · 5 · 18 hours ago
Ryan MckinneyTo know we are loved by God, family, and/or friends regardless of religious, political, and/or sexual orientation. Breaks down the division of us and them. Knowing that I love because I believe in love. We can’t give what we don’t have. We can only giv…See More

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 18 hours ago
Harold SikkemaThe practice of gratitude is beneficial whether expressed directly to present beings in the present, or as prayer to absent beings in absentia.

Unlike · Reply · 5 · 18 hours ago · Edited
Lisa ThurstonWe are all created equal.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 18 hours ago
Shari CarynAn ongoing search for wholeness in a society that supports individualized greed… Where community and connectedness are more important than the individual alone. Where the sum is greater than its parts… Where people are seen at the heart level, and can communicate as such. This is what I value. Even though I sometimes forget.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 18 hours ago
Carolyn GrahamI love my grandsons more than life. Just saw pictures of my one and only granddaugher who weighs a whopping 9 oz at this time. This child is in store for an awesome life just like the boys. June can’t get here soon enough!

Unlike · Reply · 4 · 18 hours ago
Robert WeissIf we as the human race can not find a way to live in peace with each other we are doomed to fail as a race. Happiness is found within yourself. Don’t look to any external thing to find it.A one dollar bill and a one hundred dollar bill are the exactly the same printed on the same paper. No real value.Just because we believe it’s worth something is only in our minds that make it so.

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Robin Morris CherryMy 32+ years as a maternity nurse has taught me that no matter who we are or where we came from we all fall deeply in love with our children

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John WolforthThere is so much wisdom available in this world if we would just listen. Listen to the words, not to the dress of the person saying them. Listen for the meaning, not just the cultural symbols used to them express them. Tune out your own baggage long enough to really hear the other. Don’t worry, your mind will still be there when they’re done talking.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 18 hours ago
Angela Morin ReiswigThe relief of forgiveness, the intimacy of being accepted…

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Kulu SadiraAdorable kids, Frank. May those tiny bulbs bare the most heavenly blossoms for many years to come.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 19 hours ago
Keith Tina CarpenterI believe differing opinions and positions are healthy if considered thoughtfully and with love and openness to the merit of them all. Being rigorously honest when sharing a view or a position without a sugar coating or being disingenuousness. Honesty and love can help in being more respectful and open to ideas and produce real meaningful societal improvement.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 19 hours ago
Greg WrightWhen I was really little, my folks would hire a baby sitter to watch us kids while they went out “to play bridge.” When I heard that, I always thought they were meeting with friends to re-enact the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. I always wanted to know which of the four players took the part of the troll under the bridge.

The truth is, we never really understand the games others play… and they don’t understand ours.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 19 hours ago
Michael RaburnPraying still fills me with a sense of peace.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 19 hours ago
Robert C DemingEvery person is unique. Completely unique

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 19 hours ago
Erin Eldridge DalingWell, there are plenty of people in my life with whom I disagree on many issues. But life and people are very nuanced and if we threw the baby out with the bathwater, that is to say, if we distanced ourselves from every single person with whom we disagree, life would become very very lonely. There are many frustrating things but there can be many beautiful and enlightening things in a relationship with people whom you disagree. Also, we never learn anything if we hang around with only “yes-man or women”. We need to stretch and grow and that can’t be done with people who believe or do the exact same thing as you. Besides, I’ve started the mantra “killing them with kindness” and “be the change you want to see in the world” because hate and bitterness tends to affect me much more than them.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 19 hours ago
Kevin MillerI think Tim Horton’s sour cream glazed donut is the bomb.

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 19 hours ago
Carolyn OlsonLove is simple, until we complicate it.

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 19 hours ago
Rod JanzVery simplistic but I saw this in the grocery store ironically written on the little stick you use to divide your groceries from the next persons groceries in the check out line. It’s a well known quote and I don’t know the source and for some reason i…See More

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1 Reply
Graham WeeksI am one of countless people who owe a huge debt to your father for what he taught in understanding, belief, Christian living and apologetics.

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 19 hours ago

3 Replies · 11 hours ago
Tim BooneThanks Frank this is worthy of you. I have found love surpasses everything. It overcomes.

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 19 hours ago
Dennis BranineI woke up today and I’m at peace!

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 19 hours ago
Fitz DearmoreBecause Assholes are teachers too? Atleast, we can have a reminder of what we don’t want to be.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 19 hours ago
Rodney WatersIn all cultures music connects us more deeply to ourselves, our communities and our spiritual practice. I don’t think anyone could imagine life without the music he or she loves and all that it represents.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 19 hours ago
Teresa Heinrich HodekI’m 100% with you, Frank. The love I have for my kids is the strongest emotion or sense of meaning I know, and that kind of love overshadows any mere thoughts or opinions. It is difficult when our thoughts get in the way. Having gone through religious deconstruction, I can see how thoughts can radically change. Can we all try to follow the golden rule and treat others how we’d like to be treated?

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George Elerickbelonging. it seems the central component to the human project. this is why: capitalism works.cults work. religions work. community groups work. mainly due to the fact that we all crave interdependent validation. and thats okay. but, its something we need to work on more and more. violence (large or small scale) is just a passive aggressive desire to be held. but, i think we all agree that to belong should be what we strive for, and not in some pseudo-kumbaya-grab-a-guitar-by-a-campfire-belong, but the deep down soul kind of belonging…let’s strive for that

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1 Reply
Khalil FordThat we can all agree on…everyone is important if only to themself and they yearn to be free, happy, and fullfilled. I really had to dig for that one because so human beings can be some disagreeable contrary little crapheads.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 19 hours ago
David ShawI spent 19 years, 11 months, and 13 days on active military duty. I always considered it my duty to ensure that *everyone* had their opportunity to express themselves. I consider it my privilege to tell you the same.
Peace, Frank. Your words do not fall on rocky ground.

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 19 hours ago
Tom OumedianWe all sin, and we all judge others

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 20 hours ago
Bill MurphyThis is your magnum opus, Frank. Your finest post. It is kind, gracious, compassionate, patient, and heartfelt. Thank you!

Two or three years ago, a light went on in my head. I realized all of what we argue about on a daily basis – all of the perceived divisions of politics, religion, age, income, gender, etc. – especially here on Facebook – was all in our minds. Concepts. Ideologies. Philosophies. And, as such, no matter how vociferously we argue our “side,” we will never win, and the world will only go to hell that much faster.

Why? Because all such concepts and ideologies require dualistic thinking – the creation of an “us” and a “them,” an illusion of opposites – to exist. Without dualism, without making opposites, the perceived differences between us evaporate like morning mist.

So I began to consider: What do we all have in common? What could “solve” or “fix” the rising anger, the polarization, the bitterness? Not just here but all over the world?

Love.

Love is the common denominator.

As Frank noted in his post, he loves his grandchildren as a “10” on a 1-10 scale and everything else a “1” by comparison. That’s wonderful!

Obviously, I’m not offering anything new. I’m only suggesting we apply it more often.

“Only love dispels hate,” as the Buddhist Dhammapada says.

“Love one another,” as the Christian Bible says.

“All you need is love,” as the Beatles sang.

Although we have a plethora of examples of love in action from which to choose – Dr. King, Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Jesus, Buddha, Viktor Frankl, Thomas Merton, Saint Francis, Malcolm X (toward the end of his life), among others – we don’t even try to tap into that resource. It’s not even on our radar, not a fleeting thought. We jump immediately into defending concepts, arguing ideologies, and pummeling others as best we can with our “facts,” along with our inflated self-righteousness.

So I have tried very, very hard in the past couple of years to stop thinking in dualistic terms. To not foster the illusion of opposites. To put “only love” into action. Especially when driving, standing in lines at the grocery store, being waited on in a restaurant, when stress at work mounts, and when people rise up in “activist” mode (I am a non-activist).

I created The Only Love Project FB page and web site. And I have been interviewing high-profile authors and activists, as well as everyday people – from Hollywood to Peoria – to ask them about love and its application. The response has been overwhelming. So much so that I’ve begun to write a book that I know will get blasted by Evangelicals, and likely ridiculed by atheists. It’s too conservative to be liberal, too liberal to be conservative, too Zen to be Christian, too Christian to be atheist, too atheist to be Christian, too non-activist to be activist, etc. I honestly don’t know who the “market” is for this book. But I am compelled to write it because I am interested in building bridges between us, to see if if love truly can heal…and open our eyes to the cause of the escalation of violence and anger: our OWN ideologies and concepts – not “theirs.”

Because I firmly believe that, I know full well that everything I just wrote could be “wrong.” It could all be bullshit. It’s just my opinion about what’s important in life. It’s not THE TRUTH by any means. It’s just something I worked out on my own and am trying to apply. Your mileage may vary.

Personally, I am a softie by nature. I cry easily watching movies or reading books, even listening to passages of music. I am deeply moved by life. And by nature.

So, if we were all neighbors, I wouldn’t be discussing politics, concepts, or ideologies. I would be sitting down with you over a cup of tea or coffee to see what I could do to help. I would ask, “How may I help you?” Or, if I saw that your yard needed raking to get the leaves off, I’d do it. If you needed a ride to work, I’d offer one. If you needed food or clothes, I’d offer some. What money I have, I’d give you to help you out of a jam.

In short, I am nobody special. Not a celebrity. Not yet even a published author. I often joke that I am a character actor, one of the people in a movie there to make the star look good. That’s all I’ll likely ever be.

And that’s okay. If I was supposed to be a “star,” I would have been one by now. I can live with being a character actor, especially with my wife. She’s the star, and always will be.

Unlike · Reply · 6 · 19 hours ago · Edited

3 Replies
Shary Kroeker HauberThe giggle of the two year old. The jumping excitement of the six year olds discovery. The wit of the twelve year old. The passion of the fifteen year old to stop abuse. Those are my grandkids. Not perfect but wonderful.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 20 hours ago
Diane MorrisonI love the beauty of nature.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 20 hours ago
Irene ClarkEvery day is the first day of my life – smile, it’s a wonderful feeling! Take time to smile at someone today and really mean it – it can change their day!

Unlike · Reply · 4 · 20 hours ago
Joyce MorinIf we want society to be transformed, we must be willing to be transformed.

Unlike · Reply · 6 · 20 hours ago
Susie Smith ThompsonDon’t seat the small stuff. In the end, it’s all small stuff. Everyone is dealing with something. Be nice. Be kind.

Unlike · Reply · 4 · 20 hours ago
Robert StonerI have been a very family-oriented person for a long time, but I have had how important family is driven home in a new and very personal way when my wife was diagnosed with uterine cancer less than 2 weeks ago. I loved her very deeply before the diagnosis; I realize now I love her even more than ever and I try every day to make sure in a tangible way that she knows it.

Unlike · Reply · 4 · 20 hours ago

2 Replies
Melody M Smitha nice hot shower in the morning on a cold cold day.

Unlike · Reply · 5 · 20 hours ago · Edited
Midge Chiantella Junghans

Unlike · Reply · 6 · 20 hours ago
Christy Broberg HilliardThe size and scope of the universe is incomprehensibly vast.

Unlike · Reply · 5 · 20 hours ago
Cindy SerplissI am a hospital chaplain, and every day I find that just being a caring presence to people who are hurting means a great deal to them.

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 20 hours ago
Bill Mayesreality is unmoved by the emotional word salads we create to pretend it is.

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 20 hours ago · Edited
Bonnie Benschneider OlsonPeople are all basically good. I too believe in free speech and the rights of others as long as they do no harm

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 20 hours ago
Tim WestI think we can all agree that Vitamin D is essential to our health.

Unlike · Reply · 6 · 20 hours ago

1 Reply
Sarah NoackRegardless of how people feel about the sometimes horrifically volatile topics of vaccinations, breastfeeding vs formula, attachment parenting, public education vs homeschooling, gay marriage/parenting rights, abortion rights, cosleeping, or many other…See More

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 20 hours ago
Peggy Vanek-titusDon’t know original source;
Mary Kay Ash was fond of saying, “Everyone has an invisible sign around their neck that says make me feel important.”

Unlike · Reply · 5 · 20 hours ago
Gerald ShealyMy belief in God enables me to cope with life and see other humans as deserving respect & dignity.

Unlike · Reply · 4 · 20 hours ago
Deborah Priest BrownWhen you lose the presence of the love of your life, it hurts … deeply, profoundly, endlessly.

Unlike · Reply · 6 · 20 hours ago
Deb AroraOf all your posts, this is my favorite.

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 20 hours ago
Stephen TaylorI am almost finished with an M.Div. I want to become a pastor, but my first 4 years working in a church have have already traumatized….can I handle 20+ more years? And how does this square with the gospel?

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 20 hours ago

2 Replies
Jeff FreierThe sun also rises…

Unlike · Reply · 6 · 20 hours ago
Yvonne Powell ThayerI think women need supported by real friendship, helping hands, and understanding; emotionally, economically, socially, and mentally, period, and not just throwing money at them. It would cut down on abuse, despair, bad choices, unwanted pregnancies, poverty, and abortions. We surely can agree on that.

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 21 hours ago
Zachary AtterberryIn the grand scheme of things, love not opinions last!

Unlike · Reply · 5 · 21 hours ago
Hazel Purog AparecioI like you being so honest and real.

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 21 hours ago
Helena WhiteoakLet’s just live in the moment because, really, life is uncertain and the present moment is all any of us have. In this moment I will look in your eyes and remember that whatever you are doing or not doing, saying or not saying, you are doing the best you can and so am I. Let us accept both ourselves and one another.

Unlike · Reply · 4 · 21 hours ago
Elijah John McKnight“Trolls” is a funny word.

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 21 hours ago
Graham Van DixhornI am fairly certain that fresh water will become the new oil.

Unlike · Reply · 5 · 21 hours ago

1 Reply
Ferg BreenThe truly wise talk little about religion, and are not given to taking sides on doctrinal issues. When they hear people advocating or opposing the claims of this or that party in the church, they turn away with a smile such as men yield to the talk of children. They have no time, they would say, for that kind of thing. They have enough to do in trying to faithfully practice what is beyond dispute.
George MacDonald

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 21 hours ago · Edited
Libby Bratzler MaxeyDriving with my fellow humans, I do my best to have good car-ma and especially, good truck-ma, making space, waving people in, SMILING, staying back, signaling…all the while, remembering that everyone on the road has somewhere to go, something to do, someone to see, and we all deserve to do it safely.

Unlike · Reply · 5 · 21 hours ago
Zach CampbellMy Dad died on Christmas Eve… I’m trying to figure out how to live again and on top of that help my Mom keep from losing her mind. We all thought that he would be around another 20 years. We were wrong. I’m worried about my mom and what she will do.

Unlike · Reply · 4 · 21 hours ago

4 Replies · 7 hours ago
Dan HendersonThe time I get to spend with my grandson especially showing him the diversity and grandeur of nature, is perhaps the greatest joy I can experience. When he discovers something new and expresses his natural exuberance of just running and jumping outdoors, it is a contentment and joy that I can’t come close to expressing in words.

Unlike · Reply · 6 · 21 hours ago
Tomas Pollen StavikGod must indeed love us.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 21 hours ago
Michelle Morr KrabillThanks Frank. I think we can all agree that we long for significance, to make a difference for love and see positive change happen because we drew breath. We want to know we left the place a little better than we found it, that we will be missed when we leave, and that our legacy will live on in some way.
Love to you and Genie from your Krabills.

Unlike · Reply · 6 · 21 hours ago · Edited
Joey RollinsI accepted Jesus 9 years ago, listening to Greg Laurie on the radio, pulled over and my life has been better ever since. The parking lot where I opened my eyes to that love, was the parking lot of a Free Will Baptist church. It became my Christian home…See More

Unlike · Reply · 21 · 20 hours ago · Edited

2 Replies
Lynn Laughlin.. Honestly, I’m not sure what I can think of that everyone would agree on.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 7 hours ago
Milton BrewsterDecency. The concept of decency.

Tell the truth and keep your promises.

All people are created equal. Most of what they do is not my business.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 15 hours ago
Wendy FranciscoWhen I see how much grappling there is in Paul’s letters as he defends his theology and encourages his listeners to move from law and bondage to grace and freedom, I know we’re dealing with a dialogue that is very old. We are still in that dialogue bec…See More

Unlike · Reply · 5 · 18 hours ago · Edited

1 Reply
Rosalba Garcia CoferThe joyful way of living that is demonstrated to me by my dog is unlike any other. She is everyday Grace.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 19 hours ago
Ellen KozisekI love music. Music helps me feel connected to something beyond myself. It also also helps me connect with my inner self.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 19 hours ago
Lori Lyon Adams

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 19 hours ago
Bryant BeardfacéRegardless of your political or religious solutions or justifications, I think we can all agree that poverty, hunger, war, disease, sex slavery, lack of person freedom of expression, and abuse of all kinds… they seriously suck and it’s really a shame they have to exist.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 19 hours ago
Timothy BeauchampI believe Agape Love would transform the world if we would simply employ and allow it. Imagine…

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 19 hours ago · Edited
Phyllis Anne WeeksBefore I became so entrenched in politics and social media, which makes me anxious and irritable, I made beautiful quilts for my families. We lived 2000 miles away from 6 grandchildren, and it was my way of staying personally involved with them. I labeled the quilts with “a hug in every stitch”. Each quilt was made with love, given with love, and received with love. The quilts were literally loved to shreds. I see so many injustices in our country and would like to be an agent of change. Maybe that is accomplished with hugs,

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 19 hours ago
Theresa KyneA glass of wine, a loaf of bread shared with the love of my life.

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 19 hours ago
Tami HollowayWith my dog, Oliver, and my cat, Leila, I know for sure who saved who. I appreciate their unconditional love and affection every day.

Unlike · Reply · 5 · 19 hours ago
Raphael VenegasWhat a beautiful picture!

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 20 hours ago
Karla WebbI have, for most of my life, had no interest in religion or politics and discussions thereof. What I have done is tried to do unto others as I would have them do unto me. I am not interested in your words so much as your passionate sincerity. Take care of those around you in need, love and try to have a good life. Is there really anything more important?

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 20 hours ago
Joanne BurnsMy thoughts…I’m learning to really love and honestly express that to everybody while were all still here and able, especially my children. My Grandchildren are beautiful gifts. But, for quite sometime, I missed addressing the healing/reconciliation/restoration needed between me and a few my own children. Everyone is a child inside even us Grammies, Grampies, Nanas & Papas too . We all crave love..So lets get on with it.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 20 hours ago
John FuscoLet their rhetoric expose them as the small minded bigots that they are…

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 20 hours ago · Edited
Brent Gordon McPikeOne of my most joyous experiences in life was when my daughter was about 3 months old -or thereabouts. She was tiny, and I had her sitting up – with my hands under her arms and around her chest – holding her in my lap facing me. She was making baby babble noises: ‘agoo’, ‘oooh’, etc. I started imitating her – and after a few imitations – she broke out in laughter for the first time. That was JOY!

Unlike · Reply · 5 · 20 hours ago · Edited
Karla WebbThank you, Frank, for starting this. All sorts of wonderfulness here!

Unlike · Reply · 6 · 21 hours ago
Jeff CombsI completely agree with your sentiment although I can’t always practice it myself. For the sake of harmony, sometimes I arrange my privacy settings to minimize exposure and cut down on arguments that may happen over things I share on FB. For public people such as yourself I think trying to foster and facilitate healthy debate is a good thing.

My issue is very specific: Other than people who directly profit from this, everyone should support legislation requiring doctors, clinics and hospitals to make all pricing for all procedures readily available online. For the free market folks, how can a free market possibly hope to control health costs when it’s impossible to compare prices?

Unlike · Reply · 4 · 21 hours ago
Russell GallmanI’m 55. My mom’s brain was toast by 70 (Parkinsons, Alzheimers, and Dementia in one package) and she was 24/7 with us for another 7 years after that. I take each day as if my brain too will turn to snot in 15 years. The clock is ticking. Time is incredibly precious. I do work that I love. I choose fights for which I have a passion. And I remember to laugh and enjoy people. When we die, we rot. That’s how I keep perspective.

Unlike · Reply · 10 · 21 hours ago

1 Reply
Nancy Line JacobsEvery day I smile at strangers or try to do a small courtesy for them, like open a door or yield the right of way. When I do, I don’t have any idea whether we can agree that the sun is shining, but it feels good to be pleasant.

Unlike · Reply · 13 · 21 hours ago

2 Replies
Alex Joye GrenierMe and my brothers were abused as children. I think we can all agree that Child Abuse is wrong and that children in our society should be protected and loved and disciplined responsibly.

Unlike · Reply · 11 · 20 hours ago
Robin CockerellI’m vary disappointed by how petty and hateful the bulk America has become. Americans would rather have the police kill J-walkers, than help old ladys cross the street. We profess to love freedom, while we have more people in prison than some countrys have people. We have millions of unemployed, and everyone can’t seem to correlate it with rising crime, drug use, and suicide. Predatory police policy. I sometimes think I should talk my kids into moving to Brazil.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 19 hours ago
Jennifer C. MartinToday, the cold wind bit at my skin as I walked to my office, and I felt grateful and privileged to be able to walk into a warm building. I thought of all the people or even animals who might be miserable in the cold weather with no place to get warm, and my heart was broken. No matter how hard we struggle – and our struggles should never be discounted no matter how hard it is for others – we should always look for that bright warmth of grace and love, of appreciation and thankfulness, of what we have, and what we’ve been given. In turn, we should then try to be kind to others and help them in any way we possibly can, connecting and empathizing with our fellow humans and loving them boldly and fiercely, imagining the kind of hurdles they might be facing today as we interact with them.

Unlike · Reply · 5 · 20 hours ago
Anny Ruchi was going to say we all agree God is good! a gaffe for many!

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 20 hours ago
Anny Ruchi think we can all roughly agree that life is both hard and beautiful. make moments count. love well. live well.

Unlike · Reply · 7 · 20 hours ago
Manny PanningA wise man plants a tree so his grandchildren will have shade.

Unlike · Reply · 4 · 20 hours ago
Alex Joye GrenierWell done Frank. Good example.

Unlike · Reply · 3 · 20 hours ago
John RasmussenI have walked in the mountains of Colorado, on beaches in California, on plains and hills in Nebraska and Kansas, and in many other places on Earth. Always, always I marvel at the beauty I see, the articulated silence of the country, the wind’s touch on my skin and hair. Even with the damage was we’ve done, it is still a beautiful planet.

Unlike · Reply · 1 · 15 hours ago
Jason Davenport

Unlike · Reply · 9 · 20 hours ago

Jason DavenportFacebook is a great laboratory for personal experiments in sociology, The one that Ive been working on for the past 3 years is this.. Joseph Goebbels assertions are true about how a repetitive lie will eventually prevail, Is the same true of truth? Or will the repetitive telling of truth trump the repetitive deception?

Like · 20 hours ago
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Mike MorrellI have teeth. And a nose.

Unlike · Reply · 2 · 9 hours ago
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Frank Schaeffer

Detail of my painting, “A New Eden,” oil on canvas, 18 x 18, $675.FrankSchaefferArt.com

Photo: Detail of my painting, "A New Eden," oil on canvas, 18 x 18, $675. FrankSchaefferArt.com

Frank Schaeffer is a writer. His latest book —WHY I AM AN ATHEIST WHO BELIEVES IN GOD: How to give love, create beauty and find peace

Available now on Amazon

Follow Frank on Twitter www.twitter.com/frank_schaefferSee Frank’s paintings http://www.frankschaefferart.com/Follow Frank on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16Contact Frank at http://www.frankschaeffer.com/

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