I have a new hero:
Sebastian Castellio,
who wrote,
at the height of the Reformation,
that to kill another in the name of God
is the ultimate blasphemy.

Meanwhile,
Reformers (Luther, Calvin, etc.)
and Catholics
hurled their toys about Europe
like spoiled children storming through the nursery,
throwing murderous tantrums,
slaughtering their sisters and brothers
over religious doctrines
that Jesus never even mentioned,
nor intended.

Castellio was one of the few voices speaking truth–
the single command Jesus issued so clearly:
we are to love one another,
no matter our differences,
without reservation,
without judgment.

Text and image © 2012 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.