divisive language

i wasn’t really interested in writing today, but i was thinking over the weekend about writing on this topic and then i read something this morning that made me decide to write afterall…

as of late, i have found that the way people talk is often filled with unnecessary chatter… people have a hard time making a point without labeling, criticizing or accusing… it isn’t enough for person A to say that they disagree with person B and support it with objective information… to really make their point, they’ll slap a label on person B… or they’ll accuse person B of being a hypocrite or something else… and often, sarcasm is used to criticize the actions of person B…

for instance: a writer who is pro-choice will author an article about how he disagrees with pro-lifers… while the pro-choice author states his case about why he is pro-choice and why he disagrees with the pro-life stance, it is not enough… beyond simply making his points, he also peppers his article with accusatory statements such as, “pro-lifers just want to take away women’s rights to choose”… or, the author may label pro-lifers as “war-loving conservatives”… and perhaps, the author will sarcastically criticize pro-lifers for being “so old-fashioned, if they could, they’d make women wear corsets”…

this type of language is common, not only in the media but also in talking with people everyday… people make their points using the divisive tools of labeling, criticizing and accusation… while i don’t believe that most people genuinely believe this, their language communicates that if someone disagrees with them, the one who disagrees with them must be this type of person or do this type of thing… furthermore, it is seemingly impossible to think that those who disagree may genuinely believe that their opinion is really the best solution or option (which is basically an assumption that there is an ulterior motive)…

divisive language is every where and it’s prevalence often discourages me from reading the newspaper, listening to the news or talking about anything political… i don’t like divisive language, because it is simply that: divisive… we don’t need more division in our world today, we need unity and love… unfortunately, those who are united often use divisive language, often in the form of protests against this or against that… they use Martin Luther King Jr. as an example, but Martin Luther King Jr. never protested against anything, he only marched and demonstrated FOR a cause… there’s a huge difference between protesting against something and demonstrating for something… one divides and is anger based, while the other unites and is love based… which is better???

sadly, divisive language is everywhere, even the Church… Christians cannot lovingly disagree on doctrine, liturgy or music… they use the same tools as the world… to make their points they use accusation, labeling and sarcastic criticism which results in divisions which have manifested themselves as denominations… Martin Luther, an instigator of the Protestant Reformation, never intended for another denomination to come about when he posted his 95 Theses.... but an unfortunate result was that accusation, criticism and labeling came about and which is why new denominations are still forming to this day and also why society could care less about the church… we accuse, criticize and label each other and simultaneously accuse, criticize and label the world… “Charismatics are over-emotional!”… “Christians who are rich don’t really love Jesus”… “all Homosexuals are promiscuous”…

I Corinthians 13:1 – “if i speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, i am only a resounding gong or clanging cymbal”

let’s lose divisive language…