Although I blog and Tweet about a lot of things, one thing I don't usually write too much about is religion. I'm Catholic, but not the "I feel guilty about EVERYTHING" type of Catholic. I used to know some people who went to church almost every day, and they were basically the "I'm holier than you, you, and DEFINITELY you" Catholics. They criticized me because I only went to church on Sundays. (But I know that not everyone who attends church every day are the holier-than-thou types.)
I know that religion is a touchy issue for a lot of people, similar to politics. Most people have their own views on those issues, and when they start debating them, it can get complicated. But sometimes someone will say something negative about Catholics or Christians, and I'm not always sure how to respond.
For example, I follow several people on Twitter who are atheists. How do I know they're atheists? Because they Tweet about how they believe that everyone who reads the Bible is ignorant. They criticize anyone who believes in God. On Ash Wednesday, there were WAY too many offensive jokes about Catholics who got the ashes put on their foreheads. They say a lot of things that make me MAD. I know that not all atheists are like that; I've met several atheists who never talked about religion at all.
One of the best things about living in America is the right to free speech. So even if those people's Tweets about religion offend me, they have the right to write them. They have the right to their own beliefs, including the right not to practice any religion.
And I know that Catholics don't have the best reputation, especially in light of the abuse scandal. And I don't agree with all of the Church's perspectives. For example, I don't support its stance against gay marriage; I think that gay people should have the right to get married, and I don't think that straight people should be in a position to withhold that right from them.
But even though I don't support everything that the Church stands for, I am still a practicing Catholic, and I still believe in God. That's why it angers me when people claim that I'm ignorant or stupid for reading the Bible, because I'm NOT. I have the right to practice any religion I want, and that's another great thing about living in America.
Whenever I read a Tweet that offends me, I want to write back to that person and say, "God can see what you're Tweeting!" or "If I had a lightning bolt right now, I'd throw it at you!" But I don't. I know that if I say something to them, it will probably provoke an argument. And I really don't want to fight with people I don't even know. So I figure that it's better just to ignore the Tweets that bother me, or unfollow the people who write them.
I did, however, once write a Tweet that said something like this: I don't go around preaching my religious beliefs to everyone on Twitter. It'd be GREAT not to read any more Tweets that bashed mine.
I don't expect everyone to agree with my religious beliefs, but it'd be nice if they respected my beliefs, just as I respect theirs.
What about you? How do you deal with it when you read something online that offends you?
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1 day ago
Interesting. I'm a lapsed catholic for some same reasons you listed (abuse, gay marriage, and also treatment of women) so catholic jokes don't really bother me.
ReplyDeleteIf it's just a random twitterer, i'd ignore their tweet. But if its someone you know irl, some kind of gentle or funny response is, in my opinion.
Hi Gia,
DeleteThanks for the advice! I don't know anyone on Twitter in real life; it's surreal that we all talk to each other online even though we've never met. I still keep my identity (mostly) concealed online, because I like having an online alter ego, so to speak.
The Tweet you did send out is perfect. The vocal haters act like they're in support of freedom, when really they're trying to stifle our right to faith.
ReplyDeleteYou're very wise to avoid getting into Twitter arguments though. I've learned from personal experience that there is no reasoning with people like that. They want to hate so that's what they'll keep on doing.
Hi Nicki,
DeleteI know what you mean about those haters; they think that religion is too controlling, but like you said, they try to control others by claiming that their perspective is the only accurate one.
It's tempting to argue with them, but I have a feeling that the argument would never end. Right now Twitter is fun for me, and I think that arguing with them would ruin that.
religion can be a tough nut of a subject, but that all depends on if the person or audience is open minded or not. my catholic friend and I respect and openly chat about our religions with no biased opinions.
ReplyDeleteHi Tammy,
DeleteIt's nice to be able to talk openly about religion with other people. I must admit that I've gotten into arguments about religion in the past, so now I just avoid the topic for the most part.
I've found that there are two major subjects that REALLY get people going, and they are 1) religion and 2) politics. That's why I avoid talking about them anywhere on social media ;) The only thing that really bothers me is when people try to force me to join their religion or imply that what they believe is what I should believe. Otherwise, I'm all about people following whatever/whoever they want to follow!
ReplyDeleteHi Julie,
DeleteSorry about my late response! I came down with a cold and have been in bed for the last couple days. Anyway, it's true that politics gets people fired up too. I read a lot of news articles about politics, and I sometimes read the online message boards; people are always arguing about politics. I've learned to avoid the topic of politics too; it's easier that way.
I know exactly what you mean. I'm friends with lots of athiests through my writing, and our disparity of (non-)belief doesn't really get in the way because we understand the concept of respecting other people.
ReplyDeleteBut just like you get over-zealous Christians (who I also want to try to shut down asap when they start their crap) you get over-zealous athiests. And I have tried to reason with both nicely. Sadly though, their heads are too far up their own backsides to realize how ignorant THEY sound.
So these days I just ignore or unfollow when someone takes things too far.
Hi Misha,
DeleteOver-zealous Christians and atheists bother me because they often try to make me feel bad if my views are different from theirs. I think we all have a right to our own opinions.
There are a few people on Twitter who write funny Tweets most of the time, but some of their comments on religion really offend me. It's gotten to the point where I don't think I can ignore their ignorance and cruelty anymore and I think I'm going to unfollow them.
Yeah it's the same with me. I'm still someone who can laugh at some religious aspects to my faith (since I see the two as separate) but there's a line that people cross when they mock God or my faith and that's when I unfollow, because I just don't see why I have to put up with it.
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ReplyDeleteMargaret Atwood, in an interview with Bill Moyers, said that atheism is a religion because it is dogmatic. I would say when we get dogmatic, we get dangerous. I am a lapsed catholic convert, kind of stuck in a I-don't-know-what-I-believe no person's land. I sometimes desire to have a spiritual practice but I'm not sure I believe god exists, yet I recoil from the attitudes (holier than thou) of people from both theist and atheist circles. I fear that we use beliefs-atheists included-to create an us/them divide. I do like the positive things about spiritual practice: learning to love yourself, to love your neighbor, to feel symbolically connected to the cosmos, etc. It's an important part of being human.
ReplyDeleteHi Charles,
DeleteSorry about my late response; I've been swamped with work lately. There are positive things about spiritual practice and about being a practicing Catholic as well, which is why I am still a practicing Catholic. There's still something about it that is meaningful to me. I've learned to accept that not all people share my beliefs, though.