Speak The Truth

I love the wording on this house, "Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes."

One of our confirmands echoed this statement in her statement of faith that she shared with the congregation on May 31st, "I believe in accepting. I believe I can accept others opinions without arguing with them to try to change their minds. I accept what others believe because I think it’s very brave to tell others your religious beliefs when you don’t know what someone may do or say in response to those beliefs."

I find that I keep thinking about her statement and what a great foundation it provides for her, and for all of us. If each of us could listen to one another with such openness, more of us might have the courage to speak the truth as we see it.

President Obama reflected on the importance of speaking the truth in love during his speech in Cairo, June 4th, when he addressed the ongoing tension between the United States and Muslims around the world, No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have all the complex questions that brought us to this point. But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly the things we hold in our hearts, and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground. As the Holy Koran tells us, "Be conscious of God and speak always the truth."