It can be difficult to figure out why someone does or says things that run contrary to principles you both seem to share.
It can be hard to put your finger on what the reason is.
You meet people who talk about love and respect or say they are Christian, and they seem nice in a way, but you notice that they also say and do a number of things that seem very wrong to you. It can be hard to put your finger on what the reason is.
First, what do we mean by “nice” when we talk about someone? What may come to mind is a gentle voice and smiles, for example, but those indicators can be misleading. Second, people can have very different ideas about love, respect, and Christianity. Also, people can give you general definitions of love and respect that sound right, but they have ways of thinking that can be very different from what they say they believe.
For example, many people have a mindset that is antagonistic toward formal authority figures and rules, even if they are good rules and fair authority figures. This mindset can lead to behavior and comments that clash with what they say about love and respect. This is why a person who likes to smile and talk about love and respect can also shrug their shoulders over news of an African-American cop who was attacked while walking to their patrol car.
