“I never knew how to worship until I knew how to love.”
-Henry Ward Beecher
What a day of contrasts; John Paul the Great beatified in the morning and Osama bin Laden the Not-Great dying in a hail of gunfire in the evening…both receiving their just rewards on the same day. What bookends.
Both men claimed to be religious, claimed to worship God, claimed to want transformation. No question that both men changed the world with their passion and convictions…all in the Name of God.
And a single news day will probably never give the world such a stark lesson in the virtue of religion.
I want to be clear; I am not writing here about one religion being better than another, about a superior worldview or doctrine. I am writing here about virtue…the practice of good habits, and the fruit that is produced by a life well-lived. Religion, if done well, can be a virtue.
And how do we know if religion is done well? A label? A set of rules? A growing number of members? It’s a lot more basic than this. It’s about love.
Love is what ultimately defines religion when it is practiced well, or not. And love was the fundamental difference between John Paul II and Osama bin Laden. One loved and one didn’t. One was humbled by love, and one wasn’t. One was moved by love to seek reconciliation with his neighbors and one wasn’t. One was compelled by love to seek social justice and honor the dignity of human life, and one wasn’t.
Religion can be a virtue, but like anything powerful it can also be a vice, used to hide from truth, oppress and terrorize others, and destroy goodness. There are valid reasons why so many nowadays are skeptical of "religion" and might scoff at the idea that it can make one better. There has been far too little love.
Our world is too complicated, too fragile, too dangerous to simply go by labels, and to dismiss or accept the notion of religion as a virtue based on a superficial read. Too much is at stake, and this world of ours needs all the help it can get.
So look at actions. Actions have always spoken louder than words. And no action speaks louder than love.
People from all religions celebrated the life of John Paul II yesterday because he loved. People from all religions celebrated the death of Osama bin Laden last night because he didn’t.
Love is the most radical concept ever created. It is the greatest, most transformative force the world has ever seen. And religion, when practiced as a virtue, produces love. It can make individuals better, marriages better, families better; challenging us to reach and stretch beyond ourselves and our privatized beliefs. And it can make the world better.
Just remember that when you think about religion, and whether it is a virtue, to look at the lives, and not simply the labels. And perhaps the two bookends of
May 1, 2011.
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About Me
- Ross Porter
- Dr. Ross Porter received his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his Master of Divinity (Theology) and Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology) degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary, where he first became interested in the integration of psychology and spirituality. He is a teacher, author, counselor, and consultant, specializing in integrative psychology, virtue ethics and family systems. He has taught at the high school, college, and graduate school levels. Ross is also the Founder and Executive Director of Stillpoint Family Resources, a non-profit organization that offers counseling services to individuals, couples, and families in crisis, with nine different office locations throughout Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange Counties (specific office locations can be found at www.stillpointfamilyresources.org). In 2009, Dr. Porter was named an “Outstanding Angeleno” by the Los Angeles Daily News. Ross and his wife Jennifer have been married for 21 years, and have four beautiful children. John Michael, their son who has Down Syndrome is their first born.
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