Fighting the Holy Comment Wars
Should you even begin that battle?
Over the years, I’ve occasionally fought the holy “comment wars” on social media. I usually saw a posting about religion that annoyed me, and then I made the mistake of reading the comments, and got into it with the fellow commenters. At my best, I “bravely” plowed into the region of non-believers, made the Christian case, and then moved on. At my worst, I was trying to win the argument no matter what, and if that included irony or sarcasm, so be it. Regardless, I usually could not respond to all the counter-responses as there were many and it seemed to be pointless. I was not changing anyone’s mind.
Was I wasting my time? Or even worse, did my efforts at evangelizing actually make things worse?
This calls to mind the Christian dilemma. We are called to evangelize. In fact, we are ordered to do it by the Lord Himself: “… you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8.
The counter-point to not speaking up is a famous quote attributed to St. Francis, "Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary." It turns out that St. Francis never actually said this. We are not to keep silent. We have good news to share, and God wants us to share it. The problem is that, as one quickly realizes, sharing the gospel can seem fruitless, but even more concerning, it seems like we can make things worse by not doing it very well.
Here are my ideas on this topic, for what they are worth.
Should We Fight the Comment Wars?
I say yes. Some may feel a particular calling to do this work, but generally speaking, extracurricular online activities should never take you away from things to do in your “physical” life. Yet, if you are spending some of your extra time surfing social media, certainly that time could not be better spent than sharing the good news in some fashion or the other.
However, this is something that we should not get consumed with doing. I would only do so when I feel particularly moved to respond.
Keep it Christian
When you wade into the comments section of a post that deals with religion in any way, you will expose yourself to foul sewage. Sadly, there’s always lots of bitterness and ugliness out there. Do not let it seep into your responses as I know I’ve done myself in the past.
When your intent goes from eventualizing to looking smart and winning the argument, you’ve crossed the line. Stay Christ-like.
Don’t Make Things Worse
I think about the “bullhorn” evangelists in the streets around so many public gatherings I’ve attended. I’m a fellow believer, yet I’m usually turned off by their screaming voices about sin and damnation. I can only imagine what effect they are having on the very sinners they wish to convert.
The point being that no matter how true a message may be, the manner in which you say it and thus the way it is received can mean everything. For online commenting, I suggest thinking about that “bullhorn” stereotype before you respond to anything.
Take a breath and prayerfully review what you want to say before you send it. Ask yourself: Will the way I have responded possibly put off more people than not?
Remember Your Place
Your efforts can quickly seem fruitless. Your comment may not be noticed at all. Or you will have multiple disagreeable responses, more than you may want to spend time replying to. It becomes obvious that you cannot change people’s minds.
Here is where I remember my place. I am not the Holy Spirit. It is only he who can move people’s hearts. I can only do what I can as a believer. I said my piece, now I will let the Holy Spirit do as he wills.
Do Not Argue
Make your point and move on. You may be moved to make a few replies to comments, but keep it to one round or possibly two. As St. Paul writes:
Avoid foolish and ignorant debates, for you know that they breed quarrels. A slave of the Lord should not quarrel, but should be gentle with everyone, able to teach, tolerant, correcting opponents with kindness. It may be that God will grant them repentance that leads to knowledge of the truth, and that they may return to their senses out of the devil’s snare, where they are entrapped by him, for his will.
2 Timothy, 23-24.
St. Paul’s advice to Timothy sums up how we should always comport ourselves, both online and in our physical lives. Share the good news. Be gentle and tolerant and correct with kindness. Don’t get into quarrels. Remember it’s God, not us, who changes hearts.
What would Facebook and Twitter (now X) do if we all followed St. Paul’s advice?
