Rashional Thoughts: Have the conversation, talk about the issues and make peace with your ability to agree to disagree at times

Rashional Thoughts

Rashional Thoughts: Have the conversation, talk about the issues and make peace with your ability to agree to disagree at times

Is it ever OK to publicly slander a fellow believer — or anyone for that manner?

How about share comments and opinions about a person and/or situation in which we don’t have the full set of facts?

If you found yourself in a controversial situation tomorrow would you want a barrage of voices who don’t really know you chiming in and determining how things should play out?

Conversations and productive discussions where people are truly attempting to understand a situation and intelligently form an opinion that can be backed up by facts — yes. That is what should be happening.

But the increasing number of mean-spirited personal attacks taking place online and through a variety of media outlets surely can’t be honoring to our Lord.

Again I’m not referencing conversations and discussions for understanding purposes. I’m talking about personal attacks over seemingly secondary issues such as what is playing out among church people across the nation right now.

And even if the situation is an essential issue related to our faith shouldn’t the approach be something other than an online attack from another location?

Proverbs 3:3: “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”

Matthew 18:15–17: “If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. … But if he will not listen, take one or two others along so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.”

John 8:7: “… ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone … .’” 

How did we move from what Jesus said to determining for ourselves it’s OK to say whatever we want about someone with which we disagree? Why do some prefer trial by public opinion over a carefully thought-out decision based on fact?

Even if it is your hero in the faith who has stepped into the arena of publicly slandering others, consider carefully how far you really want to imitate him or her. No one should be worshipped except our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.