In this book I dialogue with Mr. Zhao Qizheng, not only an atheist but a leader of the communist party for the People’s Republic of China. We’ve become close friends through our conversations, even though we still do not agree on the existence of God, the deity of Christ, and many other fundamental views of religion and faith.

Faith is not what divides our world.

What divides our world is lack of open, honest, truth-seeking dialogue about our faith. It’s what has divided our world from the beginning.

What divides our world today is the continued narcissistic stance that I’m right, you’re wrong, and I’m not willing to talk about it.

We all have a presupposition on truth. We all have a set of beliefs that we hold dear – whether we’re Christian, Atheist, Muslim, or any other religion. We may believe ours is the only way (the monopoly), or some may believe it doesn’t really matter at all. No matter the case, we all have certain views that we want others to understand, agree to, and take hold. That’s why we write books, attend lectures, and create websites such as this. It is why each one of these panelists decided to take part in this discussion and why you decided to read it. We all have a certain set of beliefs (a “dogma” if you want to use that word) that we want to share with others. And we all believe – or hope – that we might win others to our side.

The fact that someone adheres to a dogma, or set of beliefs, is not intrinsically wrong. In fact, it’s what makes us who we are. I feel for those who are not asking the questions:

Who am I?
Why am I here?
What is my purpose in life?
What happens when I die?

Those are important, deep questions that are fundamental to true happiness, joy, and intellectual understanding. They are questions we should all be discussing. And we shouldn’t be surprised when people are passionate about their views.

Where the dialogue begins to break down is when we begin looking down on others, viewing them as less than ourselves – less educated or less sophisticated. Truly, who am I to think so highly of myself? I’ve seen myself, I know my thoughts. I’ll be the first to tell you that I’m no saint.

It was William Somerset Maugham who said, “If I set down every action in my life and every thought that has crossed my mind, the world would consider me a monster of depravity.”

I think we all could identify with a statement like that.

True dialogue requires a humble view of ourselves and a respectful, even loving approach toward others. It requires a willingness to hear another point of view, to hear another’s true feelings, and to discuss differing opinions in an open and honest manner. It requires us to hold to our dogma with an open hand, weighing the reliability of what we believe on a daily basis.

Whether we believe we have a monopoly on truth or not, true dialogue is not only possible, but beneficial. Sadly, it doesn’t happen often enough today.

I applaud those who give their lives to scientific discovery. I encourage those seeking truth on any level, as I am one of them. It doesn’t threaten me, nor should it threaten others. If truth is our main goal, we should all be on the same side.

So what is your main goal? Self or truth? Ego or understanding? The desire to prove your side right, or the desire to find the right side?

We take science seriously. We discuss it, debate it, and disagree on it. But in the end, we know our main goal is the same – to find truth. It should be no different with religion – only the consequences of our decisions are much greater.

For more information on Luis Palau, go to www.palau.org.