“Come on, you’re smarter than that!”

Rahman had just explained to me his understanding of the source of all societal problems. As we sat in my backyard, he had taken two large stones and placed them close to one another.

“This stone is America, and that one is Russia.” He waved his hands in between them and said, “Everything in between is controlled by them. They are playing smaller countries and groups off one another for their own advantage. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be Muslims fighting with other Muslims.”

Oh, if life were really that simple, I thought.

I hear this sort of thing often. It’s easy to blame the meddling outsider.

The blame game works well where people haven’t been taught to think critically, where they have been told what to believe. Not only are they not given permission to think critically about alternative perspectives. They can’t even conceive that other perspectives exist, much less are valid.

But Rahman is a smart fellow. He’s reasonable to talk with, so I challenged him.

I didn’t deny that governments get involved in conflicts around the world—sometimes for good, sometimes for evil. But I called him out on his claim that Muslims wouldn’t fight other Muslims without some sinister outside manipulation.

“Fighting and war goes all the way back to when Cain murdered his brother Abel. It springs from the condition of the human heart, and existed long before America or Russia were around to cause trouble.”

To my pleasant surprise, Rahman seemed to get it, maybe even agree!

May this be evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit, lifting the veil off my friend’s heart and mind (2 Corinthians 3:15-17).

**This account comes from a long-term worker. Names and places have been changed for security.**

Original article: FrontiersUSA.org/blog/article/the-blame-game