Tip #22 Handle Tragedies With Care
Jun. 21st, 2015 10:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wingedbeastI had intended to make this another tip on how to start the conversation you want in the first place. I'll come back to that next tip. But, recent events suggest that certain elements of the conversation need to take priority.
I may not be able to stop mass-shootings or ease the pain they cause. I will, however, do one little thing to help improve the conversations that happen around them.
After the Columbine shooting, the alt.atheism.net newsgroups received claims from Christians that the shooters were motivated by atheism. For some of them, the logic was that it was a mass-shooting, therefore they must be atheists.
Following the mass-shooting in Sandy Hook, within mere hours, a meme started going through Facebook with the following exchange.
"Dear God, Why do you allow such violence in our schools? signed, a concerned student."
"Dear Concerned Student, I'm not allowed in schools. God."
And, now, following this mass-shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, we have multiple examples of people claiming, within mere hours, that this is the result of anti-Christian sentiment.
I don't want to go so far as to say that you shouldn't talk about tragedies or even that you shouldn't discuss them in terms of politics. This recent shooting is rife with questions about the body politic, from the topics of gun control to national and local conversations about race. If it stops the next tragedy or finds some way of lessening the damage, sure talk.
But, there are some questions you need to ask yourself first. So, take a moment, pause, breathe, then take a few previous tips into account. Do your research, don't just rely upon memes or your expected narrative. For any claims that you make about what God does or does not do or would be pleased by, perform the test I suggested in Evil Jesus.
Also, ask if the tragedy and your topic are really related. That's an important question.
The responses listed above do not give the care and thought necessary. They simply see something horrible happen, that kills some, hurts others, and leaves echoes of pain in its wake, and see an opportunity to score rhetorical points. If you do that, you won't show that your faith improves people's moraltiy, but that thoughtless devotion has made you less moral.
I may not be able to stop mass-shootings or ease the pain they cause. I will, however, do one little thing to help improve the conversations that happen around them.
After the Columbine shooting, the alt.atheism.net newsgroups received claims from Christians that the shooters were motivated by atheism. For some of them, the logic was that it was a mass-shooting, therefore they must be atheists.
Following the mass-shooting in Sandy Hook, within mere hours, a meme started going through Facebook with the following exchange.
"Dear God, Why do you allow such violence in our schools? signed, a concerned student."
"Dear Concerned Student, I'm not allowed in schools. God."
And, now, following this mass-shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, we have multiple examples of people claiming, within mere hours, that this is the result of anti-Christian sentiment.
I don't want to go so far as to say that you shouldn't talk about tragedies or even that you shouldn't discuss them in terms of politics. This recent shooting is rife with questions about the body politic, from the topics of gun control to national and local conversations about race. If it stops the next tragedy or finds some way of lessening the damage, sure talk.
But, there are some questions you need to ask yourself first. So, take a moment, pause, breathe, then take a few previous tips into account. Do your research, don't just rely upon memes or your expected narrative. For any claims that you make about what God does or does not do or would be pleased by, perform the test I suggested in Evil Jesus.
Also, ask if the tragedy and your topic are really related. That's an important question.
The responses listed above do not give the care and thought necessary. They simply see something horrible happen, that kills some, hurts others, and leaves echoes of pain in its wake, and see an opportunity to score rhetorical points. If you do that, you won't show that your faith improves people's moraltiy, but that thoughtless devotion has made you less moral.
