Religion is incredibly important to some people, and for good reason. This importance often manifests itself in defining doctrine. After all, it is difficult to be passionate about a thing that is vague or ambiguous. Unfortunately, doctrinal distinctions can be quite detrimental to unity. This is, of course, only natural, and I do not intend to imply that such distinctions should not be made.
My point is that many of these distinctions end up being a way to ostracize others. I belong to the right and true religion which worship within the vein of orthodoxy. This is a comforting thought but only to the exclusion of everyone else. Would I be so proud of my religion if no differing party existed? After all, this is how it will be in heaven. Too often one develops a sense of superiority over others. It should be clear that this air of superiority is in no way Christian.
We must realize that nearly every movement in the church has some sense of legitimacy. Even if the movement is utterly absurd, there is a legitimate motivating factor behind it. It is a pastoral work to address these motivating factors. For example, there is a great tension in American Catholicism between using traditional music and contemporary music in the mass. There is tension between Catholics and Protestants over the role of works in salvation. One could generate hundreds of examples.
Often I find that people will argue a point when they are in fact saying the exact same thing. Each side is simply emphasizing a different aspect. For example, Protestants fear that Catholics do not understand the wonder of grace. Catholics likewise fear that Protestants will simply fail to uphold moral standards.
I don’t mean to say that doctrinal differences don’t exist, but to put it simply…
Being nice>Being right.
But sometimes you need to pull a Mattathias
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