A Beyond Disgusting Cheerleader for Sin

We've all been there.  Any comments section on the internet, whether on a blog, a news article, or on Facebook, is a breeding ground for trolls.  And at one point or another, everyone has been the victim of a troll.

And yet, the vitriol can still blindside me from time to time.

Last week saw the passage of Senate Bill 1062 by the Arizona legislature.  SB 1062 was a broadly worded law that would have permitted business owners and individuals to deny service to any individual based on the service provider's religious preferences.  Widely reported as targeting homosexual individuals, the legislation arose in the wake of several lawsuits (in other states) where same-sex couples successfully brought discrimination lawsuits against business owners who refused to provide their services at same-sex weddings (photographers, bakers, florists, etc.).

In the face of enormous public pressure (everyone from the White House to the NFL to scores of prominent businesses came out against the legislation) the governor finally vetoed the bill on Wednesday.

After Governor Brewer vetoed the bill, I took to my Facebook status to express surprise and relief that she had done the right thing.  (She has a history of crazy political actions so my hopes hadn't been high). Obviously, I was not in favor of this legislation.  I really didn't say anything about why I was not in favor of the law, although any number of reasons could have been given.  There are compelling arguments on both sides, but in my opinion the cons of the legislation far outweigh the pros.

A short time after posting my update, a member of my religious faith took to the comments section and proceeded to rake me over the coals.  He made disparaging remarks about homosexuals and gay marriage, going so far as to say that gay marriage is a sin "and you know it."  He even said that I was a cheerleader for these sins and that my position on the issue was "beyond disgusting."

Keep in mind, at no point did I voice any opinion (let alone on the issue of homosexuality/gay marriage) other than to cheer the vetoing of the bill.

So what is the point of this post?  As I have advocated since the birth of this blog, I long for an increase in tolerance, respect, and civil discourse in the world around me.  A safe space, if you will.  It is so easy to take a firm position on just about any side of any issue, to bolster that position by dwelling in the echo chambers of the internet, and then to fling polarizing talking points at the enemies of your ideology.

Especially troubling to me is the frequency that people I engage with online have the audacity to tell me what I think, and what my position on an issue is.  Often, people will take one fact about me, (my membership in a certain church, my (sometimes assumed) position on a certain issue, my association with a given group, etc.) and assume that they can then extrapolate that fact to cover every thought and feeling of my heart and mind.

Clearly I can't stop this from happening to me, but I can keep from doing it to other people.  I am certain that I have been guilty of this kind of thing from time to time.  I can have a sharp tongue.  Shocking, I know.  Some of you reading this may have been on the receiving end of that kind of treatment.

So I can do better, and that is my pledge with this post.  I will continue to share my (sometimes strongly held) feelings because I think open conversation is so important.  But I never want to cross the line and castigate, mock, or belittle those I am talking to.  I will not assume that I know very much at all about others when I know one thing about them.  And always, after sharing my thoughts, I will listen with ears, mind, and heart wide open.  I will do my best to create and preserve Safe Space.

I invite you, dear reader, to do the same.