Facebook Again

A "facebook friend" posted one of those personal attacks on President Obama that factionalists so love. His post was more vile than most: which is saying a lot in a society that's come to regard vicious personal attack as acceptable political discourse. Very much analogous to our deadened acceptance of people spewing profanity in public places.

This particular post was more vile than most because it was filled with hatred not just for the President, but for every person who voted for him (a majority of voters, in our political system), their reasons for voting for him...and as my "friend" put it, anyone who "thinks he is O.K." That's a lot of hate.

The format was something like: "If you voted for Obama...because of his qualifications, then you are ignorant...of his economic plan, then you are a moron...;" and so on, through "delusional," "a racist," "greedy," "a tool," "an idiot," etc.. The kicker (for the approving choir of factionalists, anyway) was, "if you voted for him because you TRULY know what he stands for, then you are a traitor."

Only five or six sentences: but lots of hatred, towards lots of people.

Spiritually, such stuff is of more substantive sin than someone ranting profanity in public. I have to guess the writer of this post is ignorant of what God says about speaking evil of rulers, or what Jesus said about calling people "fool;" and doesn't realize he's pouring forth sin. Or maybe he knows what God says in those scriptures, and just doesn't take it seriously, in practice.

But there's a spiritual consideration besides foundational belief and practical obedience. In this time of intense spiritual warfare, I've learned to weigh all things in those terms. It was a no-brainer in this case: spewing hatred is manifestly spiritual attack.

What impressed me, when my facebook "friend" replied to my disapproving comments, was that his response was more civil and thoughtful than the hate-filled post he'd copied to facebook under his name. He clearly despised Obama (which he professed to believe was the issue), but without the belligerent rhetoric: and agreed the post's attacking so many other people was uncalled for. It brought the spiritual warfare into focus for me.

I doubt President Obama, or those who voted for him, or anyone who "thinks he is O.K." is harmed by the vitriol my "friend" 's copied post directs at them. Maybe the original writer of the post operates on the voodoo belief that he can wound and kill people by targeting them with words of hatred: I'm a Christian, and don't. Indeed, as a Christian, I'd consider the spiritual effects of such a diatribe runs the other direction, wounding and (ultimately) killing anyone whose heart is so hate-filled.

The matter of posing also came to mind. Speaking as himself, my "friend" was clearly much more honest, temperate...decent...than the post he approvingly copied to facebook. NOT that his "posing" was hypocritical whatever: he truly despises President Obama, and doesn't pretend otherwise. But neither is he a creature of violent malevolence like the writer of the post (who might himself be striking a pose more demonic than his real character).

Indeed, I don't use "posing" here in any negative sense. Few of us are so completely authentic that we don't pose some times, in some degree, as someone not exactly who we really are. In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis even points out that "posing" is part of how we become fully Christian. Beginning with the first words of the prayer Jesus taught us to say, "Our Father...", we are enjoined to talk and act as if we were the Son of God: knowing we're only "putting on Christ" (Romans 13:14) like a mask of One much better than we are, over our true faces. In Lewis' understanding, Christ fulfills the ancient myths in reality, as our faces grow into the likeness of the Son-mask He bids us wear.

It seems to work the same way in the other direction. Decent, "good" people: perhaps Christian people: may also pose as something much worse than their real character. It's beyond my understanding WHY a good person would want to be seen as evil: but many of my facebook "friends" seem to, usually as a "political" stance. Some even seem to be growing into that mask, if their love of "enmity, strife, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions" (Galatians 5) are good indicators.

God is liberal in mercy: maybe He'll call back to their first Love some who've chosen to pose in "the deeds of the flesh." But there are masks worse than that carnal one. Scripture says flatly that those who profess to love God, but hate their brother, are LIARS. (I John 4:20) It seems a cautionary scripture for Christians who choose to pose as something less (and every pose but Christ is something less). The most fearful thing I can imagine happening to any person would be choosing the pose of hatred: and taking off the mask to find one's face grown into the likeness of the father of lies.