Love is not Provoked: Part 3

Heresy and Heretics

Many of the people who risked the dangerous journey from England to the New World did so for the hope of securing religious freedom. Many who had been persecuted by the state church in England fled to the new colonies in search of a freedom to worship as they believed. Many of these people had been branded as heretics in England, but in America, they could worship in peace and according to their faith. Ironically, however, many of the early colonies, formed by those who had been heretics in England, passed their own laws to punish those they judged as heretics. In many colonies, heresy was punishable by death. It is ironic that those who came seeking religious freedom ended up denying that same freedom to those who worshiped differently from themselves. It was Virginia that was the first colony to enact laws guaranteeing the freedom of religion for all its citizens.

No one likes a heretic. However, we often think of heresy as being limited to issues of religion, yet the definition of a heretic is simply one who dissents. A heretic is simply one who dissents or disagrees with our “doctrine” or our beliefs concerning what is right and true. Often our love is challenged by those who disagree with us. When faced with dissention, it is easy for us to repay with anger. We can be easily provoked by those who challenge and disagree with us. This happened in the father/son relationship between King Saul and his son Jonathan. Jonathan had formed a friendship with David, whom his father saw as a challenger and an enemy. It was during a festival of the new moon. David was absent and when asked, Jonathan made an excuse for him to his father. King Saul reacted with anger. “Then Saul's anger burned against Jonathan and he said to him, ‘You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Therefore now, send and bring him to me, for he must surely die.’” (1 Samuel 20:30-31) Jonathan sought to further defend David, causing his father to increase in his anger. “Then Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him down; so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death.” (1 Samuel 20:33)

What had caused King Saul to become so angry, even to the point of trying to take the life of his own son? It was because Saul had become so convinced that he was justified in his judgment of David that it was an affront to him personally that his son would disagree with him. When we are passionate about something it is easy to get offended when someone disagrees with us. They are as heretics to us; dissenters from what we “know” to be true. Sometimes our passions are for noble things, like the Word of God, other times our passions are the result of a more base desire, such as revenge for an offence. I have known people who are so angry, and self-justified in their anger, with someone who wronged them that they also became equally angry with anyone who challenges the justification for their anger. We are angry with someone and cannot accept anyone else who is not. This was King Saul’s problem. He distrusted David, he considered him his enemy, and he could not tolerate anyone, even his own son, who disagreed with him.

Love is willing to let others have their own opinions and feelings. Love does not insist that others feel the same way about certain people as we do. Love is willing to consider that maybe we are wrong, maybe others have a different perspective that we can benefit from. Love is willing to put anger on hold and to give others a hearing, to consider what they have to say, and to value them as a person.

David Robison