Why Are You Commenting?

   C has always had a missionary spirit. Finding his faith and joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has helped him to improve his life and come to terms with several difficult things from his younger years. As a result he loves to talk to people about the church, faith and God, in the hope that they might find some of the comfort and help that he has found over the years.

  As a result he started a page called "Come Unto Jesus Christ" on Facebook.

   The page has gotten some attention. The vast majority of the attention it has received has been positive.

  There have been a small number of comments from people who deride the page and religion as fake and fables. One person was annoyed at the fact that he felt that faith was being crammed down his throat.

  Part of the me is annoyed by these comments. The other part of me is curious. Obviously these men (I think they are all male.) do not believe in any kind of higher power. I have no problem with that. It's a choice and if someone chooses not to develop any sort of religious faith, that is their business.

   Since they don't believe, why are they taking time to comment on a page that promotes religious faith? Why would anyone take the time to comment on a subject that they believe has no relevance to them? Also how can someone feel that they are being forced to talk about or read about faith. You can scroll past the page suggestion or ad or delete it. It is entirely up you. You don't have to read it or look at it. 

   I have no answer to that question. I wanted C to ask those men what prompted them to comment in the first place. He didn't think that is a good idea. 

  One reason could be that they are hoping to shake people and convince them that faith is wrong. I don't think someone who is solid in their beliefs is going to have that faith shaken by a negative post on social media.

  It could be that they want to get into a debate about proof. If you can provide empirical proof that God exists, then they will believe. Things that I would consider proof, nature, the beauty of flowers the fact that at the moment our planet is in just the right place to sustain life, would not be good enough for someone seeking empirical proof. My answer to them would be to prove to me that oxygen ( or any other invisible stable gas) exists. You can't see it, smell it or touch it. You can show me the effect of what oxygen can do, but you cannot offer proof that oxygen exists. (For the record, I have a science background and I do believe that oxygen exists.) There are a lot of things that do exist, but cannot be discerned by use of our five senses.

  It could be that those commentators simply enjoy being mean. I've met people like that. I knew several people like that from high school. These are people who get enjoyment and pleasure from being mean, hurtful and destructive.

   There's another thing I'm curious about. Why is it that some people out there seem to be so against those of us that have a faith in a higher power? Why do they feel compelled to be angry and  antagonistic? Why do they want to make sure that those of us who have faith understand that our views and beliefs are unwanted and unwelcome. We would be strongly advised to keep our mouths shut and not force our "delusions" on anyone else.

  There are a few people who believe that their faith teaches them and in some instances requires them to harm others. I'm thinking of suicide bombers and the people murdering doctors at women's health clinics in the 1990s. There are a few that interpret what they read in religious texts to oppose certain groups. (There is a Baptist Church that pickets the funerals of various groups of people.) These are a minority.

  If I believe that I am accountable to a higher power and this belief causes me to give to the poor, stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves, care for the sick and elderly, comfort those who are in need of comfort, and keep our environment clean, how is that causing harm? If I believe that my purpose is to be the best person I can be and to improve the place where I live, how is that being offensive? I'd like an atheist to answer those questions. 

   To me that is what it is all about. It is about being the best person I can be and about making things better for those around me. Not just those around me who look like me, not just those around me that believe what I believe, not just those who are in the same economic bracket as I am. Everyone. Period. No exceptions. If that is offensive to some, too bad. I am not going to change.