Religious arguments on Facebook
This morning, I got involved in what I initially thought was a pretty minor debate on Facebook. A friend from high school was questioning all of the recent attempts to curb voting by mail. One of my other colleagues from high school commented that people should vote in person, and added that belief in GOD (her caps) was the only thing that was going to make the country better. Well, that was what spurred me to comment. I replied that I, too, am a believer in GOD (my caps), and I didn’t see what that had to do with the issue at hand. That was yesterday.
This morning the believer in GOD contacted me via Facebook Messenger. She repeated her assertion that, if people can wait in line at Walmart, they can wait in line to vote. (She also said that she didn’t want to comment on the original post again, for fear of being “attacked.”) She then wanted to know if I was voting Democrat. When I replied that I will definitely vote Democrat, she said, “That explains your answer then.” Well, that was annoying enough: the typical Republican/Democrat dividing line had been drawn. But it got worse. This was the next message:
You are a democrat and don't read about it. The usps can't even deliver mail on time now. You are blind to what is going on. I don't see how a democrat can believe in GOD, unless you only believe certain things of GOD. How can you support abortion and believe in GOD? Democrats support that.
This kind of thing REALLY bugs me: “You are blind” is a ridiculous assertion. It immediately shuts down the argument, because it assumes that anything I write, no matter how well intentioned it may be, is invalid due to my “blindness.” Still, I maintained that I was equally baffled as to how a Christian could support Trump. Then the argument got even nastier...
The devil has blinded you. If you would pray for wisdom and discernment you would see why he is the president.
I will admit, this made me see red. What is it about some Christians that makes them believe that their opinions are from God, while those who disagree with them get their opinions from Satan? How is it possible to have a discussion if your belief is that your “opponent” is not merely misinformed, but actually being influenced by the devil himself?
She wrapped up the “discussion” with a backhanded blessing:
Have a great day Cory. Peace be with you.
At this point, I was unable to wrap up without some degree of snark. I replied in this fashion:
I pray peace to you as well. However, if the devil is blinding me, then I hope God accepts my prayer.
Yeah, I know, not exactly sincere. (I’m not sure whether I will pray peace for her or not. I’ll do my best.) At that point, I decided there was no point in pretending this person was actually a “friend,” so I blocked her. The whole episode left a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t actually enjoy religious arguments. I’d rather share my position and hear someone else’s position with the clear understanding that we both have the same rights to our own opinion. Being shut down by the “you’ve been blinded by the devil” argument is unpleasant.
I am beginning to think that, here in America, we are quickly losing the ability to disagree with others without things getting ugly. And I admit, the argument I had this morning with someone I barely knew in high school may have gone differently if we were speaking to one another in person. The protection of being miles apart and typing our argument on a keyboard does not encourage a civil exchange of ideas. I accept blame in this situation: if I had been confronted with this person’s ideas live and in-person, I may have tried to be more amicable. As it was, I admit that I let my temper get the best of me.
I still will most likely not unblock my classmate, as I believe the argument would just continue, and it would likely be more unpleasant as it continued. Still, it’s not a great way to start my day. May God grant me more patience in the future.
