This is a guest post by Lisa DeSherlia. Read more about how you can guest post on Christian Web Trends here.
Make America great again! Happy days are here again!
Not my President! No hate in my country!
She won the popular vote! Get rid of the Electoral College!
Never Trumpers are traitors and sniveling crybabies!
You guys lost! Get over it, you whiners!
What kind of country do we live in?
I’m done with you! You voted against all we stand for!
Good riddance, Killary!
Dealing with Toxic Social Media
Behold the Current Hatefest
The hatefest raged during the bitter primaries. Here’s one example. Throughout the primaries to today, users have flooded the page of a Governor who had opposed the President-Elect out of principle. They have trolled him with vile epithets. Mud-slinging kept up through the general election. Both sides of a vehemently divided nation continue the toxicity. I’ve never seen anything like it! My Facebook friends have been flooding my Timeline with hateful, rage-filled, inflammatory posts. Generally, I’ve ignored them. Yet as they intensified after the shocking election results, social media has become oppressive and depressing.
Dealing with Toxic Social Media
Winners and Losers
The election results left me reeling. I’m sure all of you have strong feelings about the election results one way or another. Are you a Donald Trump supporter? I’m safe assuming that you feel happily surprised, thrilled, and optimistic about your man’s victory. You see your country being taken back! What about the whiners and sore losers? Get over it! You lost! Are you a pro-life “NeverTrump” voter or a Hillary supporter? I know that you don’t feel good. You probably feel stunned, heartbroken, scared, even devastated. What kind of country do you live in? A nation where half the people voted hate, fraud, sexual assault, and immorality? Now you are being trashed as whiners and crybabies?
Dealing With Toxic Social Media
Social Media Users, Unite
This election has been the most divisive one in history. Social media has intensified it. Users can hide behind a computer screen and sound off about anything. Election season makes it worse. Right after the election, I found myself un-friending a person who posted a hurtful comment under my post. Also, I blocked the posts of some Facebook friends from showing up in my Timeline. I simply ignore the rest. Meanwhile, the hatefest rages on. On both sides. Out of my experience, I believe that we can restore civility to our discussion and restore grace to politics.
Dealing with Toxic Social Media
Helpful Ideas
Here are ideas for restored class and civility. Remember that those who voted differently from you did so out of conviction. Like you, they faced tough electoral decisions. If your side won, don’t gloat. Please don’t write off the losing supporters as being crybabies. Instead, know that they voted out of conviction, as you did. Be kind to them. They’re hurting now. One of those whose candidate lost? Who fought to “stop Trump?” Give yourselves time to grieve. Yours was a long a hard fight, especially if you fought to “stop Trump.” Hillary Clinton did win the popular vote by a whopping 2 million. But she lost under our system because of the Electoral College. At some point, you need to accept the painful loss. It hurts to lose, especially when your candidate wins the popular vote but loses the Electoral College. It’s tough but we need to accept that we’ll have four years under a President we didn’t want.
Above all, we Christians need to remember that we dare not pin our hopes on any politician. Place hope in Jesus alone! He remains in charge no matter who wins the White House. Are you all in?
Photo by Sean MacEntee and licensed under CC-BY 2.0.
Hi lisadesherlia, you are expert! Shared me the great information which I need, great!!! Thank you 🙂
Hi Lisa, thanks for writing today’s post. One thing I try to keep in mind when it comes to social media posts about politics is that Jesus is our savior and the government never will be. So, if a candidate I disagree with gets elected, it’s not the end of the world, and if a candidate I like gets elected it’s nothing compared to the day Jesus returns. I also try to keep in mind that almost nobody ever changes their mind based on an argument made in social media. It’s a waste of time or worse. There’s value in fostering calm, thoughtful discuss, but not in proving your point or insulting people who disagree with you.
thanks. i agree with Paul Steinbrueck.
Thank you for sharing. This is off-topic, but my site was down for the weekend so I could re-design it with a new theme. It’s back up now!
Hi lisadesherlia, 2017 is coming soon, will you update any article of social media? I am very interest in this kind of articles 🙂 Thanks 🙂
Hi lisadesherlia, today I heard from one of my friend, he talked about that there are a kind of social marketing platform which could find target visitors not as Facebook or twitter (popular platform), do you know these kind of platforms? 🙂
Dear Lisa , I read your comments about how to deal with the insanity of the far left views
while using Facebook or any social media app .
In everything we do and say as disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ Wisdom is first to be used
before we even put our words on a random blog .
as i read your comment about the left , and how you described in vivid detail every little thing
they say and do to us as Christians , The lies , the hatred , racism , the blatant in your face attitude of them demanding to be heard , even before a Christian or someone that is in the moderate view or the right speaks . Yes its maddening and upsetting , and i gathered that is why you wrote about it ?
But do you realize that when we are believers in Christ Jesus
As the book of Ecclesiastes states Ecclesiastes 1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
It may look like this is something new , but its is not . take a look at the feminist movement
that was going on since 1848
Then take a look at the ones that are screaming racist while taking a knee in sports
black nationalist and socialist organization founded by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton in October 1966 that was called the Black Panther Movement
then you had the sexual revolution ( the Hippy Era ) during my time
sex drug , rock and roll , children uprising against parents
using the peace sign labeling their movement from God ? when it was just to cover their
own rebellious sinful lives .
I do not know how old you are or how long you have been a Christian my dear child
but do you understand that God’s word gives us perfect instruction on how to deal with
these kinds of people ?
Read the Book of Proverb 1:20-33
on Wisdom
There is no doubt that our responsibility to government is to obey the laws and be good citizens (Romans 13:1–2). God has established all authority, and He does so for our benefit, “to commend those who do right” (1 Peter 2:13–15). Paul tells us in Romans 13:1–8 that it is the government’s responsibility to rule in authority over us—hopefully for our good—to collect taxes, and to keep the peace. Where we have a voice and can elect our leaders, we should exercise that right by voting for those who best demonstrate Christian principles.
One of Satan’s grandest deceptions is that we can rest our hope for cultural morality and godly living in politicians and governmental officials. A nation’s hope for change is not to be found in any country’s ruling class. The church has made a mistake if it thinks that it is the job of politicians to defend, to advance, and to guard biblical truths and Christian values.
Believers throughout the ages have lived, and even flourished, under antagonistic, repressive, pagan governments. This was especially true of the first-century believers who, under merciless political regimes, sustained their faith under immense cultural stress. They understood that it was they, not their governments, who were the light of the world and the salt of the earth. They adhered to Paul’s teaching to obey their governing authorities, even to honor, respect, and pray for them (Romans 13:1-8). More importantly, they understood that, as believers, their hope resided in the protection that only God supplies. The same holds true for us today. When we follow the teachings of the Scriptures, we become the light of the world as God has intended for us to be (Matthew 5:16).
Political entities are not the savior of the world. The salvation for all mankind has been manifested in Jesus Christ. God knew that our world needed saving long before any national government was ever founded. He demonstrated to the world that redemption could not be accomplished through the power of man, his economic strength, his military might, or his politics. Peace of mind, contentment, hope and joy—and the salvation of mankind—is accomplished only through His work of faith, love, and grace.
hope this brings peace to know God is on the Throne
and we just need to place our eyes on Jesus
cause when we turn our eyes on Him the worlds view and their opinion’s grow dim
and really don’t matter
what matters is the TRUTH
so let them whine , cry , moan , sit in a corner sucking their thumbs in rebellion
in the end Every Knee will Bow Every tongue will Confess
HE is LORD