Even If It Kills You
Good Friday ruminations on belief and faith
On Belief and Faith
Religionists hold some beliefs which are true, but invariably will hold some beliefs which are false.
Jesus' folks had the best religion in the world, a powerful monotheism which bound them together. It was perfect ground for planting his message, because mostly he had only to tease out the best of his native religion.
His people also practiced a lot of unspiritual things.
If a false belief is a foundation of a person's faith, but is relatively benign, then it behooves us not to argue that belief. Spiritual benefit may be derived even from a fiction. If you could disprove the belief, there is great danger of the baby of faith being thrown out with the bathwater of bad belief.
Therefore, as teachers of truth, we must endeavor always to put good truth in, reinforce good lessons even from a fiction, and if there is error, the light of truth will ultimately drive it out. (And anyway, there's that beam in your own eye thing.)
Respecting the value, if not the facts, of a belief for the sake of another's faith is not a hard and fast rule. There are times you just have to bust loose and plainly speak about misguided religious leaders and whited sepulchers and all that. Even if it kills you.