Yes, I spend too much time on Facebook. Maybe I should be ashamed, but I have good
intentions. To be in a position to
evangelize, one must be in touch with others.
When I do Facebook likes or shares, most are pertinent to sharing my
Catholic faith. My Facebook friends
would have little doubt as to which church I attend. Obviously, promoting the Catholic position
publicly will be to the consternation of many others in the secular world. So, how should I respond when a friend
posts something anti-Catholic likely intended for me? Should I respond at all?
Many people on Facebook are compelled to respond angrily to
anyone who expresses a view counter to their own. Internet interactions can degenerate quickly
into vicious exchanges, especially when the combatants do not know one another. In Catholic apologetics, an angry retort is
never appropriate.
Responding to every little Catholic dig on the Internet
would be impossible and counterproductive.
Some people are simply trying to elicit a responder to become a target
for their abuse. They have zero interest
in engaging in an intelligent conversation.
No reasonable apologist wants to play that game.
Knowing when a seemingly anti-Catholic post requires a
direct response requires some discretion on the part of the apologist. If the posting contains a false claim by
someone who is seriously misinformed but reasonable, then a charitable
correction is appropriate and necessary.
Some anti-Catholic claims are so ridiculous that only an idiot would
believe them, and trying to have an intelligent discussion with an idiot is
futile.
Still others need to be answered, but knowing how to do so
in a positive productive manner is not always clear. One can either reply to the post directly, or
address the topic in a separate post that avoids confrontation with the
original poster.
Two consecutive postings recently appeared on my Facebook
feed. Both came from individuals I have
known for over fifty years. One is a
former Catholic who now actively professes the Baha’I faith. The other is a rather liberal friend whose
religious persuasion, if any, is unknown to me.
I know both to be loving, gentle souls, intelligent, generous, and very
likeable.
The latter shared an Internet meme that portrayed
supermarket clerks of various religions refusing to sell certain items due to
the their beliefs. The Catholic clerk refused
to sell condoms. The Muslim clerk would
not sell ham. The JW would not sell a
birthday card. You get the idea. Finally, an American clerk who believes in
equality offers to sell anything because “he’s not a small-minded bigoted
a**hole who hides his bigotry behind religion.”
So, now I know what my friend thinks of me as a Catholic. The premise is absurd, and I tend to ignore
these things on the Internet.
A Catholic should never put himself in a position where
cooperation in evil is necessary, but we must also distinguish between material
and formal cooperation. Even within
those classifications, there are varying degrees of culpability. One must never violate one’s own
conscience. Being a good Catholic means
forming the conscience properly and acting accordingly. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a
good place to start. Certain jobs can be
unacceptable for a Catholic to perform and must be avoided. Working as a cashier in a supermarket is not
likely one of them. When one does find
himself in a position where refusing service is necessary, it is done out of
love and concern for the other person’s soul, quite the opposite of bigotry.
Understanding my other friend who left the Catholic Church
to become a Baha’I is difficult. We are
not close in belief or proximity. He
lives several thousand miles from me. Baha’is
believe that Jesus was just a good moral teacher, not God made man. Of course, that belief is untenable. As C.S. Lewis noted, Jesus is either a liar,
a lunatic, or Lord. There are no other
possibilities.
My friend lists his mission statement in life to know God,
to be fully alive, to take joy in his work, and to encourage others to do the
same. These are noble undertakings and
I highly respect him for that, but knowing God is foremost in making the other
goals attainable. A Catholic understands
the best way to know God is through His revelation, especially by His Son, Our
Lord Jesus Christ who established a Church, the Catholic Church, to shepherd us
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
If a person does not know who Jesus truly is, how can he truly know
God? Instead, my former Catholic friend
relies on the writings of Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha’I faith, and
other new age philosophers.
I have chosen not to directly respond in most of these
situations. Rather, I will often express
my catholicity in a joyous respectful manner when posting on social media,
making clear the importance of the Catholic Faith in my life. Our second reading on this Sixth Sunday of
Easter begins with the verse every good apologist knows, 1 Peter 3:15. “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone
who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and
reverence.” Should the opportunity arise
to have a dialog with these individuals, I will be ready.
