Here is a suggestion: when you come across something that you don't agree with, walk away. Then, some time later, when you are feeling more curious, look into it. I call this letting the mental barrier unlock, and getting back to it when you are ready to really listen to the argument. I use the 'Jesus was not a Jew' argument as an example. My knee-jerk reaction was always 'that's stupid'. Then, one day, I decided to give the idea a listen, and I discovered that the argument wasn't at all about what I thought it was about, and that, from the genealogical perspective being used, there is an actual argument there. BUT, you have to put aside your initial knee-jerk reaction and listen to what is being said - and that, my friend, sometimes takes putting it aside for a while until you are ready to listen. If people put their differences aside until they felt ready to give the repulsive idea a real listen, we'd progress as a society. Unfortunately, potty-mouthed radio talk show hosts have trained everyone to shout down anything they don't want to hear. Too bad. There are a lot of interesting things people could learn if they would just look at ideas they automatically think are nuts. Of course, some of those ideas are nuts; we need to look at them, though, in order to know that for sure.
RE: Hang Out With People You Disagree With