I confess: I often look at Facebook.
That is a confession. I’ve found Facebook to be the McDonald’s of social media: lots of people go there, but no one wants to admit it.
I kind of like looking at the silly things some people post: one former radio colleague comes up with a different theme each day and solicits suggestions for songs based on that theme; another — mayor of a nearby community, no less — posts certified groaners throughout the day. (He still manages to run his municipality pretty well, and this is one way to keep in front of the voters, like Fiorello LaGuardia reading the funny papers on the radio during a newspaper strike.) I’ve also re-connected with a number of old friends whom I hadn’t seen or heard from in ages.
But lately, something else has been creeping into my Facebook feed: subtle attacks on my faith. When I say “attack”, I don’t mean outright, full-frontal, mistheistic* assaults on Jesus, God and anyone who worships Them: I mean little doubt-sowing jibes, quotes from some of the great atheists like Christopher Hitchens, using reductio ad absurdum logic to shake people’s faith. One wants to engage, but also knows that it’s a mug’s game: trying to argue back to someone on such topics only drags the discussion onto the devil’s turf and too often, turns the situation into a debate over “who’s right” rather than “what’s right”. It’s actually starting to make Facebook a rather dark place to go to.
I wonder if professing Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, and others who aren’t afraid to state their faith online are getting the same treatment? Is there some Facebook algorithm (I have no idea how an algorithm works, except that it’s some kind of high-tech alchemy) directing certain content onto my/our feeds in some nefarious ploy to sow doubt or make us think twice about expressing ourselves?
(Lately, I’ve been playing a little game with the newsfeed that comes up on my iPhone. For a while, I, like many others, was fascinated to watch Donald Trump’s out-of-control spiral and the various sideshow acts connected with his presidency and the continuing Big Lie. But a few months ago, I realized I was getting practically nothing but Trump news. “Where the heck are the other stories in the world?” I asked myself. “What about Canada?” So I stopped with the Trump-scrolling and started deliberately checking out stories on other topics. My newsfeed is now much more balanced. Things that make you go “hmm …”)
In other words, it’s entirely possible, and the way things are going these days, I wouldn’t put it past the techosauruses to pull something like that. Either they’re mistheists, themselves, or they’re simply doing it Because They Can.
In any event, I know it’s hard, but we can’t allow this to get to us. Jesus tells us we are not to return evil for evil; the way to conquer doubt is through faith: the way to conquer hatred is through love: the way to conquer lies is with Truth.
This is not a time to recoil from the darkness, but to bring even more light. We have an opportunity in front of us.
And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation,
but as it is written: “To whom He was not announced, they shall see; And those who have not heard shall understand.”
— Romans 15:20-21
Remember: Jesus never said it would be easy, but He did say He would never leave us nor forsake us and the Holy Spirit is always there to give wisdom.
*Not to be confused with “misotheistic”, which is a hatred of God or (as in Greek mythology) the gods. “Mistheistic” and its noun, “mistheist”, are words I’ve coined to mean someone who directs their hatred at the people who worship God. They’re a little more than atheists: not simply non-believers in God, but actively out to destroy the faith of anyone who is. For what it’s worth, I’ve submitted that word to the Oxford English Dictionary for inclusion. Haven’t heard back.
Two Minutes for Cross-Checking! 