“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with their brother or sister will be in danger of judgment. If they say to their brother or sister, ‘You idiot,’ they will be in danger of being condemned by the governing council. And if they say, ‘You fool,’ they will be in danger of fiery hell.” — Matthew 5:22
Well, if we take Jesus’ words literally, there will be a lot of people tiptoeing into a fiery hell. And, unfortunately, I may be part of the gang.
You can’t miss the violent language in social media posts, opinion pieces in newspapers, and even in some supposedly “balanced” news articles. “Obliterates” is a common one, such as “Reporter obliterates Trump’s nominee.” “Rips” is another: “Trump rips Biden’s legacy.” Then there are the names: socialist, MAGA-hater, Nazi, redneck, idiot, fool… And, of course, such a verbal assault invites a return volley, just like one bomb begets another.
Words can be used as violently as a punch or kick. Bodies aren’t wounded by them but hearts and spirits are. They reveal inner hate and anger. They also reveal the speaker’s arrogance and ego, as if they are in the position of God, to render pristine judgments.
All this is to say, whenever I see inflammatory rhetoric, regardless of source, I’m going to be skeptical. More importantly, when I find myself using them, I’m going to be more introspective. What’s going on inside me that makes me lob the verbal bombs?
Jesus was very clear. What we say should be a lot less violent. No fooling.
THANK YOU Rev. Weeks. The world today makes it so hard. I read Matthew and I think of the political turmoil and I cringe. I may well be part of that tip toeing gang then too. I pray and pray for good to triumph over evil.
I do so miss visiting Manchester UMC when visiting my daughter back when you were lead pastor there. Prayers for YOU and your continued work on the web.
So true. We should all feel shame at the rhetoric we are fed daily. There seems to be no filter for those spouting such offensive language.