Countering Hate with Curiosity

A Reflection at this Juncture

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Lev. 19:18

It’s January 2025. Courtesy of Project 2025, I’m distressed that I might spend the entire year thinking about that destructive plan.

I object to the plan.

I object to the White Supremacy and White Christian Nationalism it espouses.

I object to the hate and xenophobia it embodies.

I refuse to submit to that worldview.

I refuse to give up on the promise of America––the promise of liberty, equality, justice, and the freedom for each of us to speak our minds and practice our religion.

The danger of the White Christian Nationalist viewpoint is that “freedom” is defined only for them, with restriction, rejection, and removal for other people. “Freedom for me but not thee” is not the promise of America I want to see.

Yes, Christians have been the largest religious group, but they are not the only group. And spoiler alert––Christians are not at risk from other people in America.

Even in 2025, we have not yet achieved the promise of freedom and liberty for all but it remains an idea worth working towards.

The opportunities that grow from interreligious, intercultural, and interracial relationships are also worth working towards.

Are you with me?

Another question: Bridging differences in relationships can be challenging, so why bother?

Why? Because relationships, healthy ones, give us a window into another world, alter our assumptions, teach us more about ourselves, and inspire our compassion. In short, they enrich our lives and help us become better people.

It’s a process and it’s personal. For my part, I often turn to religious leaders to expand my spiritual knowledge. My current learning includes Christian thinkers Martin Luther King Jr. and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. They were Protestant Christian leaders. They were deep thinkers and complex individuals fighting for civil rights and against powerful forces seeking the supremacy of one group––white Americans and German Aryans, respectively. As Martin Luther King Jr. famously said:

“I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land”.^[1]

I also continue to read in the Jewish tradition, notably Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Both argued for depth of Jewish observance as well as engagement with denigrated groups and points of view––Black Americans and religious diversity, respectively.

The deep practice and knowledge of these men is central to their value. But balancing group identity and connection with others is critical. While group identity gives us a powerful sense of belonging, it can be dangerously isolationist when not offset by building bridges. As Rabbi Sacks notes in The Dignity of Difference, “Identity divides. The very process of creating an ‘Us’ involves creating a ‘Them’––people not like us.”^[2] Things don’t go well after that.

My message: Despite the challenges and discomfort, reach out. Courage means feeling the fear and acting anyway. I don’t suggest reaching out mindlessly or recklessly. I’m encouraging us all to stretch, to be open as we can be, to be curious.

Are you ready to expand your worldview?

Here are some things to try:

1. Read (or listen to) a book on a community you don’t know much about. Learn their history and worldview.

2. Listen to a podcast. For instance, my Living Our Beliefs podcast offers conversations––85 and counting––where you can learn about others and reflect on your own faith and practice.

3. Talk with someone you don’t know very well. Start with one degree of difference, build on the similarities.

4. Ask questions in order to learn not argue. Approach conversations with curiosity and respect.

As we sojourn into the unknown, let’s avoid the ‘Us’ v. ‘Them’ approach. Each of us holds a multitude and we do not know the experience of the Other.

We don’t need to agree with or like each other. But understanding someone’s perspective and respecting their right to hold it is critical.

Stay curious. Keep learning.

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^[1] https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/ive-been-mountaintop#:~:text=I've%20seen%20the%20Promised,assassinated%20by%20James%20Earl%20Ray.

^[2] Jonathan Sacks. The Dignity of Difference: How to Avoid the Clash of Civilizations, p. 10