I have a hard time with social media for a few reasons. Since I have had a pretty big paradigm swing in worldview structure in my life, I find myself with a wide array of friends and acquaintances. Within that spectrum, though, I find I am on a scale that is largely unbalanced. My wife and I talked about some of my social media content and how she/others think I display a wrong attitude while posting. Frankly, I found that to be hilarious. A person can easily take it for granted if they mostly see posts/content they agree with. When they see something they don't agree with, they feel threatened. I feel the same way, only the majority of my contact list has an inherently opposite baseline opinion than mine. Being a minority in social media can be tricky.
Alas, I cannot stay quiet on many issues, yet, at the same time, I don't like sharing/posting too many things on social media. I have come here to vent (again).
1: Don't read into the Proclamation on the Family anything that isn't there. Satan/The Devil/Evil/Hell is NOT there. When you imply a faith-based gay couple will go to hell, you are being irresponsible. I won't condemn that reactionary piece here, but a person doesn't have to add to it to believe in it. The LGBT community has a hard enough time trying to be faithful to their belief system. Speaking of LGBTs, another fallacy is thinking that there are steps in the future that can be easily taken because SCOTUS ruled for LGBT equality, i.e., churches MUST marry people they disagree marrying. That is a giant leap with no correlation.
2: Try and be just a little responsible in the content you post on social media. If someone can devote under 5 minutes on Snopes.com or google to debunk a claim or rip an argument to shreds, then maybe you should think twice before posting it. A conservative opinion or a liberal opinion can hold legitimate value without making truth claims. A conservative or liberal post can also state facts, but I'll let you in on a little secret: it probably will not come from Fox news, MSNBC, or any of their affiliates. I am guilty of this one as well, but I am trying. It may make social media a little more worthwhile.
3: Don't default to one side of an issue or the other. I am also guilty of this one. When it comes to racism and police brutality, I default to assume the cops could have done better. I see others who will defend cops to the point where they are willing to serve the sentence if the cop is found guilty. Simply admitting we have a problem allows a conversation to happen. This topic is a little more difficult, as the circumstances surrounding each occurrence is unique and cops could/should follow a certain protocol, and sometimes even the protocol is hard to understand if one isn't a cop or isn't familiar with their protocol.
4: Atheism or Agnosticism is not inherently arrogant or stubborn compared to religious beliefs. There are plenty of people on both sides who display arrogance and stubbornness, and plenty who display openness and humility. A post or a link to an article or blog that speaks to certain ideas that are embraced more commonly with atheism or agnosticism isn't necessarily "attacking" a belief system. On the other hand, if a post or a link speaks to aspects of a belief system, but is criticizing it with valid points, dismissing it out of hand may be your right, but is not responsible. Freedom of speech comes with the understanding that not all opinions are valid.
5: I hate to say it, but having a centrist President that is black makes it hard to not call people racist for thinking he is "destroying America." You are racist. If you cannot come up with any legitimate reasons for arguing your point (Destroy: put
an end to the existence of (something) by damaging or attacking it), then you
do not have an argument. Never has a President endured so much hate with
so little to back it up. Also, he is centrist. He has demonstrated that for the last 7+ years. When it comes to the political spectrum and getting things accomplished for the majority of Americans, it is hard to argue for anything that would have been better over the last 7 years from any Administration.
6: Criticising a personal faith journey is inherently wrong. I recently read an article from a wife who struggled with her husband (both Mormon) who decided to be Atheist. Her blog post led us briefly from his decision to her figuring things out as to what was best for her. There was a popular "response" to her article in which the author had nothing good to say about a person he never met and knew nothing about except from her brief words on an internet blog. Anyone with an 8th grade education could tell she was summarizing and keeping it brief. It wasn't a blogpost about leaving the Mormon church to end all other blog posts. Yet, this happens all the time. We judge, in part, because belief systems integrated religious exclusivity into their core beliefs from the outset. It is a natural phenomenon. Questions directed toward me about my decision to leave religion are centered around the assumption that they are right, I will regret it, and we will all find out in the end.
7: The end... Just a note on "the end." Maybe we should focus on the parts of the Christian higher commandments that we can do something about? Love god: express that love here and now through what you believe he/she/it wants us to do for the sake of humanity. Love your neighbor: primarily the means through which one loves god; seek out those capabilities which do the most good in the world and for humankind here and now. I argue one cannot love these two things reasonably in any other way. If the author of those words really meant that everything else hangs off of those two, then they fall naturally into place. If you truly love your neighbor, then you as an individual or organization that promotes belief in that author wouldn't prove otherwise by your actions. One may argue here that certain actions are ultimately concerned with the souls not only of the individuals they are judging, but the souls that are being given to "righteous," "proper" families who are susceptible to worldviews that are contrary to that organization. Somehow a breakdown of families will occur for conceding the fact that everyone deserves happiness, and that everyone (speaking of children who are in need of being adopted) deserves a chance at a better life.
8: Try to understand Planned Parenthood and their legal rights regarding the women that go and see them. Truly evil people are out there trying to undermine good work that goes on in that organization. When it comes to abortion, try and remember that pro-choice does not equal pro-abortion. Very few people from history have embraced abortion itself. Women who experience it usually don't refer to it as a highlight in their life and I doubt would want to experience it again.
