Skip to main content

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.     
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

4 Reasons I Affirm Paedocommunion

If you have interacted with me on social media, you know that I have always been outspoken on the issue of Paedocommunion .  It is a theological position and a liturgical practice about which I am passionate.  Having been raised, and having raised my children, at the Table, I cannot imagine attending a church that didn't allow PC.  I hope that when I am old and gray, I will still be an advocate for bringing little children to the Sacrament. Throughout the 12 years that I have had this blog, I have written scattered thoughts on the topic, but it appears that I have never written a concise summary of my reasons for affirming PC.  I was thoroughly convinced that I had, but I can't seem to locate it, so I guess I never did.  So, to rectify the omission, here are four reasons I hold to PC. 1) Paedocommunion is Biblical.   Any discussion of the topic should start here, and I would hope that both sides of the debate would make this assertion.  However, l...
Post a Comment
Read more

1 Corinthians, the Covenant Hermeneutic, & Paedocommunion

As an adherent to Paedocommunion  (hereafter PC), I have always found it painfully ironic that Credocommunionists use 1 Corinthians 11 to withhold children (among others) from the Table.  One can imagine St. Paul shaking his head as he watches theologians using his discussion of unity at the Table to divide the body at the Table.  You're missing the point! he would say in exasperation.  Not only does 1 Corinthians 11 not forbid PC; I would go so far as to say that there is no better defense of PC in the New Testament than the epistle of 1 Corinthians. Credocommunionist logic is pretty straightforward.  1 Corinthians 11:28 says, "Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup."  If, they argue, one is unable to fulfill the exhortation to examine himself, then he may not eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  This is a pretty logical deduction, right? Credobaptists would adamantly agree.  Acts 2:38 says, "Repe...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Real Presence & Paedocommunion: A Deeper Rift Between Reformed Churches

You're going back to Rome! Theological disagreements within the Reformed world, especially those of the last half century, often devolve into these sorts of accusations.  As controversialists like Doug Wilson and Peter Leithart began to break away from the larger conservative Presbyterian and Reformed denominations, it became clear that the rift was deeper than semantics and systematic minutiae.  Much like the Reformation four centuries before, the Table was a primary point of conflict.   What does it mean?  Who may partake?  What do we call it?    These questions, along with a few more, divided Reformed brethren as the physical elements of our religion reflected deeper conflicts.  Good men began to understand that the problem wasn't just in our logos, but in our pathos and ethos, as well. Paedocommunion (hereafter PC) has been one of the hottest points of contention.  PC has always been normal to me as I grew up with it.  I underst...
Post a Comment
Read more