The Human Element: John The Millionaire

On the way back home from a coffee shop, I ran into a man who works with his hands and his mind.  He’s a millionaire.  It was Sunday and he asked if I was returning from ‘church’ with a bit of a smirk on his face.  He’s heard me talk about God and similar themes in the past.  Our friendship has been building for months now and we’ve had light and easy topics of conversation.  We ventured deeper today.

We shared a constructive and insightful conversation about religion, God, history and perceptions among other things.  He mentioned liking the Dalai Lama and what he stands for.  I agreed that the Buddhist philosophy has its strengths.  I asked if he believed in God.  He said he does believe there is a higher power, but is not sure if Jesus is God.  The conversation continued to pull the path of historical wrongs the Catholic Church committed. 

I reasoned with him that he is not responsible for the actions of his father, nor is he responsible for the manner in which his father ran his house.  I equate the same idea when looking at an organization and those who are parts of that organization.  I then mentioned the typically unknown period of two hundred years after Christ and prior to the faith becoming the Roman state’s religion.  I pointed out the difference between those who followed Christ during those two centuries to those who began to wield temporal power and became once again engrossed in worldly affairs.

We spoke about several other things, and I had to leave him get back to his work; he was managing quite a few people who were working for him.  I see the desire men have to know truth and do good despite the world’s historical narrative.