"[Hm, that was hard to put into words]"

oh, my....One of the biggest problems with sharing and debating ideas IS the difficulty of saying what we mean with clarity, and NOT 'coloring' it with language that raises red flags.

Those who have one simplistic and hard-nosed viewpoint canusually say what they 'think' they mean succinctly, but usually these folks have little idea of the premises and implications of their positions. (even that little sentence took some careful wording, and I'm sure I could have said it better..[remember the old college saying..."I don't have time to write a short paper!"?])
   I am struggling with writing **anything** on this subject, because I have hours of complex, interlocking thoughts about it and related subjects, and keeping to one point is almost painful.

Susan & I are aware that we have different opinions about some basic premises in life...but we both value how a person lives more than the details of their theology, or lack thereof. Obviously, not everyone feels this way, and sadly, many feel that 'details of theology' IS the surpreme issue in life, and respect or despise others largely on that basis.

I do submit that IF "... you wanted to express yourself in my direction on a belief of yours, knowing that it differed from mine--", it would need to be done carefully, because there truly are some thorny places to negotiate. I have some pretty rigid opinions about basic premises, and how these relate to reality that I cannot demand Susan (and others) accept, just as Susan has some basic opinions about religion and its relationship to life & reality the she knows *I* can't accept.
   What we do have is a formula (not explicit, but understood), for avoiding the harder parts of the debate, while exploring the aspects that ALL people need in order to live together. ...(which means in this complex WORLD, as well as next door).

Told ya' it was hard to express!...You oughta see all the stuff I left out!