arguing on facebook

How wonderful and pleasant it is
      when brothers live together in harmony!
For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil
      that was poured over Aaron’s head,
      that ran down his beard
      and onto the border of his robe.
Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon
      that falls on the mountains of Zion.
   And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing,
      even life everlasting. (Psalm 133:1-3 NLT)

I was discussing with a couple of friends the other day about what we wear to church.

It had begun oddly enough with a picture of an Easter Parade in New York City in 1904. I commented that it seemed like a different universe.

The response was odd enough and became what could have been vitriolic enough that I took the post down.

I said that I had worn a suit Easter morning. One person said that he felt it best that we dress as best as we can. The other seemed to say that we had an obligation to not make people feel uncomfortable when they came.

The two had what seemed like an online argument over what to wear. I stepped in and said that I had not intended to make any judgments, but that I just commented on what I wore. One of them made another comment and I took the post down.

I think they were arguing apples versus oranges, respect versus culture.

It made me feel slightly embarrassed. It wasn’t my fault, but it is hard to know what to put up and what not to.

Yesterday, I made a recommendation of a movie about Alice in Wonderland, a 1985 TV miniseries that I liked. Someone else had to make a comment about the prevalence of homosexuality in modern America (or at least it seemed to be).

I like Facebook and I like the online conversations we have. I have also made some friends that I either didn’t know before or hadn’t seen in years. I like that.

But I do not like the need to argue that can sometimes affect Facebook users.

We have become an argumentative society, a society that seems to want to have the last word. rarely do debates solve anything anymore.

I am not really sure they have accomplished much in the past one hundred years, but that is another question. They used to be an integral part of our culture before the days of mass communication, when people would use them to argue their points of view.

In those days, they were done civilly and usually put in print afterwards for others to read. It is a fact that many time, in the print version, the losing side would win the debate. The oral debate was won too often on ability to speak rather than organization and effectiveness of thinking.

I could not have known that such an innocuous picture as one of an Ester Parade one hundred years ago would engender such a strong debate.

And I didn’t like it when two friends and brothers argued so bitterly.