"You shall not be a gossipmonger among your people.
You shall not stand aside while your fellow's blood is shed - I am Hashem."
Lev. 19:16 (Tanach-
Hebrew/English Old Testament).
I think FaceBook can rename News Feed to Bloodbath. Since
joining I've noticed a disturbing trend. News Feed is less of a conduit to stay
connected, and more of a forum to bash, criticize and gossip about others
publicly. Often the person in the crosshairs is a stranger to the one,
metaphorically speaking, pulling the trigger.
The person under attack may or may not be famous or have
temporarily achieved a measure of notoriety. He/she, however, has no personal
relationship with their attacker. Accusations are leveled based on information
found on the internet (so it must be true-right?) or from the accurate,
unbiased and truthful news media (that might exist in some other parallel
universe).
For those blessed to live in areas that permit free speech
it's so easy to blurt out one's opinions without thinking first. God takes
gossip very seriously; it's right up there with shedding blood. Most recoil at
even the slightest thought of perpetrating violence, but have no qualms when
their words slice and dice someone to shreds. Even those they don't know.
"The tongue has the power of life and death, and
those who love it will eat its fruit" Prov. 18:21 (NIV).
"Those who guards their lips preserve their lives,
but those who speak rashly will come to ruin" Prov. 13:3 (NIV).
"The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among
the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of
one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell" James 3:6 (NIV).
Ouch! Where's the
nearest burn unit? Our mouths and our words can get us into serious trouble if
we're not careful.
Balance is necessary. It is one thing to strongly disagree
with some one's beliefs, opinions and actions. It is another matter to try them
in the court of public opinion, even if we know them personally and have all
the facts, and not just hearsay. I recently heard a minister remark that even
though God has clearly stated that He doesn't approve or want human sacrifices,
that doesn't stop us from tossing another sacrificial virgin into a volcano!
When tempted to vent about a person or situation, remember
the Scriptures listed above. Placing a watch over our words and mouths
preserves our lives. "...speaking the truth in love..." Eph. 4:15
(NIV) removes the supposed justification for vitriol. We must carefully
measure the impact of what and how we say something on ourselves and on others.
When doing so we'll, "grow to become in every respect the mature body
of him who is the head, that is Christ" Eph 4:15 (NIV).
How about you? How can your words, in any format, produce
life and not death to you and to others? What measures, guidelines and such can
you employ when expressing dissent? In the future, how will you evaluate a
situation to determine if it is more beneficial to rant, or keep quiet and pray?
Is the matter worthy of bloodshed?
Thank you, Mary. I enjoy connecting with others on Facebook, but I've been deeply disturbed by the malicious ranting and frankly the HATRED posted on Facebook. It's done by people on the political left as well as the political right, and the saddest part is how much of it is posted by professing Christians.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary.When I am on FaceBook, I find myself not liking the "blue words" some people use. I especially don't like seeing them on a picture. I have actually de-friended a few people because of their language or their attitude. I especially like the scripture from Ephesians. It is something to strive for.
ReplyDeleteI haven't gone as far as unfriending people but I do skip over many posts and resist the urge to jump into the fray. It is discouraging at times to see some of the things Christians post that are so negative and cruel, especially in a public forum and about people that they don't know personally. We can disagree with others and still be civil and polite, something that seems to be a lost art. Thanks again for your thoughts.
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