Protestantism

» paper_turtle - Change

Phil wrote:
But, the question is, how can we understand where another person is in their life if we are unable--in our own mind--to give voice to their position. We must be able to articulate their understandings. We cannot know how another thinks unless they unload to us. Is it ever important to have that kind of a relationship where people can be so intimate that they are able to lay it on the line? Many Christians CLAIM to care deeply about the existence of all people on a personal basis.
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I'm not sure if I understand what you've said here. Are you saying you want to know what someone would say about a particular issue *before* they have said it? Are you implying you can know another person well enough to predict what they might say about Issue A or Question B?
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Or, are you saying that within a particular discussion when Mary presents her points you completely understand them?
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With regard to the first option, I think that's impossible--at least not to the extent that you can possess full and total knowledge of another person's way of thinking. And I think assuming one does fully know another in that way is a barrier to understanding. We are all full of contradictions and surprises.
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We do have a sense of which kinds of topics/statements might be persuasive to another. We can be reasonably sure, say, that John will get angry if we contended Jesus rode a motorcycle. When I'm teaching I intuitively understand what "hooks" my students and what turns them off--but I can't always verbalize this understanding.
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With regard to the second option, restating the other's position in one's own words, or asking the kinds of questions I have asked here usually work for me.
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And one more thing, where a person is in one's life in the present may not be readily apparent in one's position on a particular issue. But what is universal to all people is that certain emotions lead to certain responses to the issues. Times of fear lead to prejudice, restrictive laws, and increased violence.
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peace and love,
Paper Turtle

-- posted by paper_turtle