My parish priest is as liberal as I am conservative. We get along well though and he has been an important part of our lives for the past ten years. He wrote a piece in the he parish bulletin last week that really touched a spot in my heart and I asked him if I could blog about it. He smiled and gave permission saying, “permission tribuo.”
“When Jesus said, “love one another as I have loved you, ” he was asking us to look upon everyone, even people who have very different views from our own. For example, when we encounter a person who is demonstrating for peace and for an end to the war, we need to ask ourselves how would Jesus love this person? Instead of immediately assuming that this person does not appreciate the sacrifice our military are making in the Iraq conflict, why can’t we assume that they are really trying to practice what Jesus taught us about peacemakers? It works the other way as well. Those who have firm convictions about the validity of the war deserve the same respect, and the assumption that they are sincere in their conviction.
We really need to learn how to listen to each other on issues like these. What do so many do? They write off any possibility of listening because of another assumption that they are so wrong that they are not worthy of their time.”
I submit to you that the same can be true of the written word, which is even more amazing because it can be read, studied and examined at length, and yet opposing points of view tend to bring in many cases a knee jerk, vitriolic reaction.
A few exchanges illustrate that point:
The readers of blog A disagree with comments on blog B:
the stupid trolls coming out to harass
I’m speechless at those thoughtless arses who feel the need to harangue
In case the anti-choice bunch also reads the comments….
You are a bunch of big hairy slits. Keep your vile opinions to yourself. No one gives a rats ass about what you have to say!
It never fails to amaze me that stupid people post their opinion even when it is clear that it isn’t the time or the place
The “stupid” blob B people were saying things like:
May God bless you and your family, and give you the comfort and shelter of his love.
All my love and prayers
I woke up several times and thought maybe that meant you needed prayers then, so I prayed for God to hold you close to his heart. **hugs**
Can they be reading the same set of comments? Clearly blog A was pro-abortion and blog B pro-life, but I question whether the blog A people were ACTUALLY READING THE COMMENTS, or if the fact that the blog B people had such a different point of view blinded them to their humanity?
I think what my pastor said about “learning to listen” applies to cyberspace in that we should read the actual words that are on the screen and quit applying our own assumptions to the writer.
My pastor gave some additional recommendations:
“Here are two more suggestions for becoming more civil towards others, especially with those who disagree with us. First, give yourself some reasons to talk with this person by saying in your heart, “I know God made this person good; what good quality can I see in them right now?” Second, if they are made in the image and likeness of God, and they are, how will I show my respect for the mystery of this likeness in that person.”
Powerful and challenging suggestions.
Likely, I would like to remind readers that awesome Harris twins encompassed that idea into practical how-to tips on leaving comments and I would say reading comments. In this age of Jerry Springer and Maury, where folks break each other’s bodies and spirits with incivility for all to see, I think it is very important to remember that civility is indeed part of charity, and part of what we as Catholic Christians are called to.
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