So, in positively unrelated events, yesterday, I had one of the most absolutely cool and uplifting events that has happened in a while.

I was at the dog park with my two monsters (whom I love very very much) and I got into a conversation with an incredibly kind, thoughtful and well spoken black preacher and his son.

The discussion went from here to there about everything and anything, but it mostly came back to history and faith.

There are those of real faith and those who make a lot of noise. One of the the statements to take away from the conversation was the difference between the two and an easy way to tell.

If someone is following the G-d of Abraham and they get the message, they will say that G-d is love. They will talk about the kindness and love of the creator and the duty to emulate that.

If someone is just putting on a religious show, they will talk a lot about who they hate. It really is that simple, is your faith something about looking at the world with open and compassionate eyes, or is it about defining us and them and hating the “other?”

I asked them if they thought that Obama had a secular bias that was bad for people of faith.

The preacher was surprised I asked that. He did not think I would see it that way. I said that I do not, but that I have heard a lot of talk, and that I wanted his take. He told me, and I love this line:

“The government of America is and must be secular. It is because of that, that I get to have my own church. I’m happy to let the president do his job so that I can do mine.”

They agree with my appraisal that all of this stuff going on isn’t about healthcare or birth certificates at all. The conversation turned to politics. My two new friends are more than a little concerned about the notes coming out of America these days by the same old haters. They spoke to me about a certain twinge they are feeling in this country. They spoke about inevitable backlashes to a step forward, from a certain very frightened set.

We ended up speaking a lot of theology that was simply harmonious.

The conversation ended with my favorite quote from the Rebbe:

Despair is the most haughty and arrogant of human emotions. Do you really think it is possible for you to mess up so badly that you could possibly derail the plans of Heaven?