In case you’re unaware, there’s a battle occurring online between some prominent podcasters. One side is pro-Israel, as in Israel is our best friend and only friend in the Middle East. The other side? Not so much. I can’t say the argument has devolved into name calling because that was the starting line with the pro-Israel side accusing the other side as not only anti-semitic, but traitors as well.

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Is it just me or are there a lot more belligerent Christians online recently? It seems like every time I log on to X, I see a few people that want to display for the world to witness what kind of Christian they really are, and not in a negative sense. How often are people bringing up their faith in Jesus almost as if it were exclusive to them. Very occasionally, there’ll be a discussion between a couple of people on who, between the two, is actually a real Christian and who is not (yes, this really happened recently). It makes me wonder if any of these online luminaries practice what they lecture others about.

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I’m a firm believer in the freedom of speech. Yes, even if the speech is something I might disagree with or find objectionable morally or ethically. It’s still someone’s thoughts and ideas and of course, no one is forced to hear or read anything they might find offensive to their sensibilities, nevertheless, we can find in our own western, “open” society, people that go to lengths to prosecute any speech they personally dislike.

We’re beginning to witness an uptick in this behavior and it;s sad to see. Is it not possible to have a point of view that may be unpopular in some circles (but not others!) and the intolerance has escalated beyond high school taunts to some that could be seen as threatening. Of course, it’s hard to imagine someone acting on a threat, but it’s not impossible for someone that’s dedicated to that person to believe they are acting in behalf of another. It sounds stupid, doesn’t it? If you’re on X, it’s ever-present right now. What is the feud about? The current conflict with Iraq and those who are public figures that are against the incursion.

And then there are the folks that support each side, people like me who are against this kinetic action. I’m certain that I’m viewed in the same respect: a traitor, or an Islamic apologist, or, well, fill in the blank as you will. It’s not true for me and I think it’s certain that the same charges are spurious against these others as well. Why is it suddenly unpatriotic to question the motives of our government?

This is something too good to just be reposted on X:

Recently, I’ve been thinking about the old days. No, not those old days, I don’t go quite that far back. What I was thinking about was the heyday of atheism, not that long ago, and how like a fireworks starburst, it quickly faded. For a short time though, there looked like there was some actual movement in what many atheists liked to refer to The Movement.

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