The Neighborhood

View Original

Tools For Difficult Faith Conversations

Guest User

Ask Me Anything

Week 17: Tools For Difficult Faith Conversations w/ Becca Griffin

How do you converse with someone who forgoes logic when talking about religion?

Values to Hold Us: Mercy & Manna Values

  • Respect everyone's integrity

  • Listen without interrupting

  • Celebrate our diversity

  • Ask in order to grow -- don't argue to win

  • Humility + Honesty = Growth

  • Give ourselves to the process

  • Receive assertions as questions

  • Breathe and smile...

Helpful Mantras

  • The Bible is not a weapon!

  • Anger is a tool.

  • Whose task is this?

  • Ubuntu

    • Note: Such values and mantras are most helpful when both parties agree to the values. You and your conversation partner can always add or take away values that aren't helpful and trade them for those that are! Consider what you are both trying to achieve in your conversation about religion (and other topics that can get heated). Also this conversation is about both of you, "I" statements are helpful for clarifying how you feel. For example, "I feel like that's not logical because..." or "I learned this type of logic so I think..." or "I value [blank], so my conclusion is this..."

Tools for Religious Dialogue

As prevention for or help after the pain or frustration that often surface...