Calling out a Drive-By Virtue-Signaling Troll

A few days ago I wrote “Anti-Christian latest intolerance: Swiss Christian Chocolate Company.”

I had a comment that was left by someone that reeked of self-righteous virtue signaling.

You might have heard about the phenomenon “preaching to the choir.”  That’s not as bad as you think.  What’s worst is “preaching hell fire brimstone to the choir.”  Basically I’m talking about a message that’s not relevant to the person its addressing and while the content might be true for some other audience, it is disturbing for being so angry to the wrong audience.

Enter this troll.  I’m struck by how many “I” in his comment.  For instance in the first sentence in the comment he said

Fellow Christians do not like me, because I have a habit of speaking the truth about us Christians and Christianity and our hypocrisy on the subject of tolerance.

I admit I already was bracing myself.  What a way to open a conversation.  It’s almost saying “Hey you too might not like this but its not my problem…” I was bracing myself because some people have a hard time identifying the real root reason why people don’t like them.  And those that have the hardest times are those that often are so sure they know why people don’t like them and the reason has nothing to do with them.

His few sentences after that was grammatically awkward.  But I’m going to tolerate that (pun intended).  Let’s go to the next item of substance…

We decry the radical extremists of other religions, especially Islam, while we fail to call out and decry the radical extremists of our religion Christianity.

We have intolerant Christians during Christmas for example. They demand that private companies like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts put Merry Christmas on their cups, etc. We demand that all towns and cities display Christmas displays of Jesus in chreches, but are intolerant if any other religious, or non-religious group wants to add their idea of the Holiday season to a chreche? Well we Christians meltdown and scream no.

I’m amazed at the comparison.  He points out Christians call out the sins of radical Islamists…while Christians also want Starbucks to say Merry Christmas.

I’ve blogged on here before that I don’t really care what Starbucks does nor whether they want or don’t want to say Merry Christmas, I don’t feel its a big deal.  But Christians who want Starbucks to say “Merry Christmas” on their cups is a far cry of a comparison to jihadists chopping people’s head from their body or suicide bombing on civilian targets.  He’s going to call out Christians for calling out the evil of murder…because some Christians in his word have a “meltdown and scream no” over Starbucks?  The elephant in the room and the log in this instance is radical Isalmists not the guy who wants words on his red Starbucks cups.  This troll is confusing what’s the speck and what’s the log in people’s eye!

He goes on to write the following:

Historically? Protestant and Catholic Christians were intolerant towards Pagans, Jews, Native Americans, Africans and many others. Heck, honestly? In our intolerance of them? Of our thinking we were superior to them? We brutally murdered them, enslaved them, tortured and brutalized them. And we as Christians? Have to in fact? Recognize this, accept it, and change it to where this never happens again in the name of Jesus and Christianity.

I admit there are Christians and people who call themselves Christians that have done some evil things in the name of Christianity.  I have been willing to own up that those who are Reformed historically isn’t perfect here in this area either.  But I’m weary of those who hijack a post that focus on an evil done CURRENTLY to then talk about a wrong done in the past.  Some people have a hobby horse of carrying out a single topic conversation even if it goes tangent from what others are talking about.  As an analogy it’s as if a modern Japanese American individual was talking about the current horrors in North Korea only for someone to say “Hey, what about you guys in World War Two?”  The Japanese guy says “Yeah, Japan was wrong, but I had nothing to do with it, I’m a third generation Japanese American and the conversation was about North Korea right now…”  Then the guy tells the Japanese American “you know, most Japanese don’t like me since I have a habit of telling the truth about what Japanese done wrong….” And the Japanese American guy is frustrated but the guy sees that and thinks that’s further affirmation he’s right.

Again I’m not denying people have done bad things in the name of Christianity.  But if you read his blog I found it troubling how he blames every Christians for it.  That’s not right.  Here’s a quote from his blog:

 I realize how Christianity rose to power. That all of the denominations are guilty of these Crimes Against Humanity. That if only Christianity had not rose to power on slaughter, on brutality, on torture, on forced conversions of others.

Here he’s saying all denominations are guilty of Crimes against Humanity.  He’s specific to say these crimes involve slaughter, torture and forced conversions.  This is a big claim.  Is it true all denominations of Christians have done those acts?  The burden of proof is on him for such a large assertion.  But its also obviously factually wrong.  There’s some Christian denominations that are pacifistic; they don’t slaughter by definition.  Some denominations stress free will and aren’t out to force any conversions.  Even still there are those denominations that don’t believe in libertarian free will that don’t force conversions either since they believe its God’s job to open hearts to believe in the truth, and that’s not the job of believers.  Then there’s newer denominations that has a short history; certainly we can look at those groups and know they haven’t commit crime against humanity of murder and torture.  But I’m digressing.  Don’t forget the burden of proof is on him to prove ALL denominations sinned in this way.

After talking negatively about how bad other Christians are I’m intrigued that he then talks about himself; and here he’s virtue signalling:

I abide by Jesus greatest commandment to live my life, including loving ALL my neighbors, be they homosexuals, Muslims, Native Americans, Pagans, Jews, or what have you.

Talk about showboating his self-righteousness.  Guest what buddy: I genuinely strive for that too.  I imagine many of the Christian readers here too.  We treat all people including nonbelievers with respect since they are made in the image of God.  It’s as if he thinks most people who profess to be Christians are torturing and slaughtering people.  Its scary how he thinks.  Scarier to then see him brag about he’s so different and so superior than other Christians.  Quite ironic actually and hypocritical of him.

There’s so much more I want to say.  Readers might also want to read my “Responding to Objection against Christianity: Religion causes problems”