Now that the primary field has narrowed a bit, and election season is taking on more of a “Us vs. Them” feeling, much of social media is quickly becoming intolerable again. As Catholics, we are called to participate in the political discourse and informed by our faith, we are called to responsible citizenship. That means voting, and it means that we don’t get to sit the whole thing out. Sticking our heads in the sand is not an option. With that said, we are also not allowed to forget about everything Jesus said, and we are definitely not supposed to act as if our faith is in any politician.
Here are a couple of guidelines I am setting out for myself this political season, that I think you might be able to benefit from as well.
Pray
Okay, that might sound a little predictable from a site that calls itself Everyday Catholic. We should always pray. But, when things are hot, when tempers are close to the surface, prayer becomes more important. The devil is a liar. He takes truth, and he twists it to his own diabolical ends. The political season is a dance party for him. There is a truth that some very important issues are in the balance. But, our hope is in the Lord, and these things will not be decided for good, apart from reliance on the Lord. If we are to enter into the political arena then we need the Holy Spirit to guide our words and actions. If not, well, then we are telling God that he is not God of our politics. As a Christian, if he is our Lord, then he needs to be the Lord over our entire life. Separation of Church and state was put into our founding document to protect the free practice of religion. It is there so that the government will not be allowed to tell anyone how they should or should not worship. It does not mean the Catholics should divorce themselves of their faith when voting. Sorry, that is not how it works. So PRAY PRAY PRAY, and then speak.
Love each other.
Yes, go ahead and disagree. Argue even, but never give up love. Remember Matthew 5:43-48,
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors* do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.
I think Jesus means what he said. We don’t get to throw out the Gospel, ever.
Argue, but don’t bicker.
Arguing is not about screaming at each other. Arguing is about ideas and persuasion. Here is the definition we should have in mind,
give reasons or cite evidence in support of an idea, action, or theory, typically with the aim of persuading others to share one’s view.
That sounds very controlled and rational.
Bickering, on the other hand, is the back and forth of uninformed children. It isn’t about persuading. It is about winning.
Try to understand where the other person is coming from.
Doing this will give you empathy for the other person. It humanizes them. We need more of that in the internet age, where so much of our interaction isn’t happening face to face, but face to screen. We need to see the person on the other side of the screen. Also, seeking to understand where the other person is coming from will help you to reexamine/ reconsider your own positions. It will show you any flaws in your position, and it may help you trying to persuade the other person as well.
And seriously, if we are not going to at least try to understand each other, then maybe we should all get off the internet and go scream at the walls instead.
Treat other people the way you would want to be treated.
Oh boy, shouldn’t this be obvious? And yet, I have seen so many people, when challenged, jump right into personal attacks and slanderous comments. If you were misguided or wrong, how would you want to be treated? Would you want someone to gather all their online troll friends to flood your online profile with hateful things? Probably not.
Don’t repost anything you have not read.
Seriously. DO. NOT. DO. THIS. Headlines are written intentionally to make people click on them. As such, they are often misleading. Haven’t we all seen headlines with inflammatory, or unbelievable claims that linked-to articles that only vaguely referenced the headline, or at worst completely misrepresented the facts to arrive at the headline. Read before you repost.
If an article seems to make claims about what a candidate or their supporters did or said, that you want to believe, but seem too outlandish for reality, go ahead and do a quick web search to see if there are any corroborating reports. If you can’t find any, don’t repost.
“Biden’s billionaire supporters are working on an animatronic puppet for debates!”
“Trump drinks the blood of virgins!”
“Sanders camps pushes plan to nationalize all churches.”
Crazy headlines get clicks. Crazy headlines and fraudulent articles sway the slow-witted. Don’t give in to this, even if it is coming from your preferred echo chamber. If you can only find one piece and its sources are dubious or non-existent, then pretend you never saw that article. Foreign interference is a thing. It is not pro-Republican or Pro-Democrat. It is anti-American. Ignore it, report it, block it, move on.
No name-calling.
Even if the candidates you support, the pundits you listen to, or your coworkers are doing it. You are better than that.
If you can not remain rational and respectful in an argument, then excuse yourself.
It doesn’t mean you lost. It does mean that you are a grown-up. The goal of an argument is to persuade someone. Not to belittle. It is not to bludgeon the person over to your side. If you feel yourself losing control, step away.
Don’t be afraid to take a conversation with a friend or loved one off the public page, and continue it in DMs or IRL. (Don’t do this with strangers.)
The reality is that we should be talking to people we love about important things. Politics are important. Maybe not as important as the 24hr news channels would have us believe, but they are important. What if, instead of screaming into the hurricane of social media, we just talked to each other. If you post something and someone you know replies back, and it is obvious you don’t agree, instead of posting a public shouting match, why not pick up the phone and give them a call? At the very least, send them a direct message. The stakes are lower. Things like tone and inflection allow you to hear what the person is saying in the way they intend it to be heard.
These are just a couple of the points I am trying to remember. Did I miss anything? You can feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments.
