On my way home from work, I was thinking about growing up in Mississippi and now living in the big city of Philadelphia, which isn’t that big after all. I began thinking about the cultural, economic, and religious diversity of somewhere such as Philadelphia versus the predominant South. What I concluded is that we, our society in general, look at diversity and say, “They got it right.”

However, is that the proper way to see things? I’m not so sure it is. Why? First, for many diversity is synonymous with acceptance. I’m not talking about being judgmental. What I am talking about is standing firm in one’s convictions and loving people where they are in life. As I have posted elsewhere, I don’t endorse homosexuality from a Christian perspective, but I have many gay friends who I love dearly and cherish their friendship. My desire is to love them well while standing firm in my own convictions.

Secondly, due to a relative mindset in the name of diversity, many people are unaware of and apathetic to beliefs and convictions. My generation and those after me aren’t sure what they believe and are unsure as to whether it matters or not. I have been in large rooms with people discussing various religious topics only to watch people walk in and walk out, later telling me, “I just don’t like conversations dealing with religion.” For many, religion is an afterthought at best. With the rise of the “New Atheism”, religion is a topic for the simple-minded.

Lastly, diversity, by its very nature, propagates ideas and understandings of syncretism. What I mean is that due to diversity, many people will pick and choose from diversity the aspects most appealing, creating their own system of beliefs and standards. Many call that an intellectual pursuit, while I and many leaders in religion call it laziness. People want the bits and pieces that appeal the most while leaving the difficult and challenging stuff. Many want a god that meets them where they are without sacrificing themselves in the process.

I uphold cultural diversity as long as it doesn’t make us spiritually and intellectually lazy, as I’m afraid it has done for many today. I want to see people engage in personal conversations and gain deep understanding from one another, but let’s do that in such a way that we know who we are afterwards, even if it means much disagreement. Have you had such conversations lately?

I want to leave you with this great video I shot right before getting on the train.