Mocking Others

    There has been a topic on my heart lately that I can't seem to shake.  Call it an observation.  Call it conviction.  Call it what you will.  Of late it has been impressed on me lately just how disrespectful we really are of each other.  Appearance.  Education level.  Political views.  You name a subject, and we'll make fun of each other because of it.  Any disparity between us becomes fodder for ridicule.   It's like the world is an 8th grade classroom!  

    How did we get to the point where we mock each other so flippantly?  Why do we feel that it is okay to make fun of each other?  Is it just human nature?  Is it something more?  I'm sure psychologists would give you all sorts of answers, but if I had to take a stab in the dark, I'd say a contributing factor is the fact that the internet makes it so quick, easy, and painless to deride others in our modern era.  The internet is like a microcosm of the real world.  You take all the good things and all the bad things out there and distill them down into a concentrate and you've got the internet.  It's just so simple and easy to be mean on the internet.  You don't even have to bully each other face-to-face anymore.  All you have to do is share a meme or type out a comment.  Our communication has become so shallow and careless to the point that we post things with little or no thought about how it makes others feel.  We are so self-absorbed that we don't even consider the implications of the content we disseminate.  

    Christians should be leading the way in treating people respectfully on the internet.  Instead, we're as bad or worse than other people.  Not only do we disregard the feelings of others, but we fail to consider how our words and actions represent Jesus Christ.  We say, share, and post mean things and think we're clever and funny because of it, but we would never say such things if Jesus were peering over our shoulder, would we?  Then why do we think it is okay to say these things to and about those with whom we share the image of God?  When we look at our fellow humans, we should see the image of God.  This is the type of respect that we should have for every man, woman, and child with whom we interact.  It's bad enough to treat anyone disrespectfully, but our sin is exacerbated by the fact that we treat our fellow Christians this way, too!  We mock those with whom we share a mutual unity with Christ!  When we look at our Christian brethren, we should see Jesus.  Would we mock Jesus?

    People are different from us.  That's a fact.  How we deal with that reflects our love and respect for God.  Maybe they have horrendous political views.  So what?  They deserve the respect of image-bearers of God.  Maybe their theology is less perfect than your own (please note the thick sarcasm)? Who cares?  That still doesn't give you the right to mock them.  There is never a reason to disrespect another human being.  There is never a just cause to treat someone as if they were nothing.  This is true on the internet and it is true in our workplaces, churches, and homes.