"And For Heaven's Sake, Whatever You Do, Do NOT Read The Comments!!!"
- Yours Truly, MySpace page for The Mike Church Show, 2005
“I was reading G.K. Chesterton’s The Everlasting Man book when in chapter 4, I disagreed with him on his claim of ‘Darwin’s stupidity and a-scientific ramblings’. I burned the book when I discovered he had disabled the comments.” - Typical internet troll upon discovering actual literature.
In a moment of pride, I activated the comments on this page for the public, meaning, anyone with a neurotic desire to make others miserable, has a computer and keyboard and an internet connection.
In a moment of stupidity I broke my own rule and read the comments on one of my Substack’s.
I won’t make this mistake again.
On my talk radio show which is now closing in on 30 years, I can count the number of times I have spoken with a disagreeable caller on my fingers and toes, some have become friends. This is because the interactions were honest and real names were used. Reputations and even possibly, salvation itself are on the line when in discourse with real people in reality (in person).
The sin of Scandal can be deadly and in the age of “social media” it has taken on the patina of being normal. It isn’t. What makes this matter worse these days is that people who are genuinely struggling with sin and trying to lead holy lives can be come easily enmeshed in what amounts to an embroglio with a phantasm. Yet, this embroglio, if made publicly, has made the penitent’s struggle with e.g. intemperance and pride, both serious sins, a matter of record.
This is to say nothing of the foul-mouthed keyboard phantom mentioned above who has made ad hominem attack his flaccid lance.
I write here for people who wish to read my words. If you don’t like what I’ve written, compose your opposition in letter form using your real name and email it to me. A “disputation” thus received will be treated with the dignity it was written with and a similar response made.
The Church has some beautiful teaching on this subject, beginning with Canon 2284-87, we could all do with a reading of it as a guide to living an ethical life in public.
“2284. Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. The person who gives scandal becomes his neighbor’s tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense.
“2285. Scandal takes on a particular gravity by reason of the authority of those who cause it or the weakness of those who are scandalized. It prompted our Lord to utter this curse: ‘Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.’
“2286. Scandal can be provoked by laws or institutions, by fashion or opinion. Therefore, they are guilty of scandal who establish laws or social structures leading to the decline of morals and the corruption of religious practice, or to ‘social conditions that, intentionally or not, make Christian conduct and obedience to the Commandments difficult and practically impossible. This is also true of business leaders who make rules encouraging fraud, teachers who provoke their children to anger, or manipulators of public opinion who turn it away from moral values.
“2287. Anyone who uses the power at his disposal in such a way that it leads others to do wrong becomes guilty of scandal and responsible for the evil that he has directly or indirectly encouraged. ‘Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come!’”