Should I Stop It?

[Annie12]

So, I can't help being fervent. It makes me very unpopular with people who know me. They see me as a "Jesus freak". It's just that I can't help it. I have no control. I open my mouth and out comes catholic stuff. It's especially bad on Facebook. I certainly have no discretion on there. I always share and post religious stuff. I've even noticed my number of friends listed on my profile is going down. I can't help but be FERVENT!!!!!! I CAN'T KICK THE HOLY SPIRIT OUT!!!! (nor do I want to) but I can't stop and was wondering should I stop or is this what God wants me to do?

[KnightofChrist]

Answer: No. Love God above all things and people, set your eyes upon the Cross, embrace your own, love your brethren, defend truth, and never, never, never, never give up or give in.

[Annie12]

okay!


I know catholic people who have told me that I should stop it.

[Lil Red]

[quote name='Annie12' timestamp='1343856404' post='2461254']okay!

I know catholic people who have told me that I should stop it.[/quote]
if you're referring to your status update here, just say so. no need to be passive-aggressive about it.


that being said, if all you post is religious/Jesus stuff, yeah people will probably get irritated about it. it can make you seem preachy, holier-than-thou, and self-righteous. note: i am not saying you are! but from my own experience, people who exclusively post religious/Jesus stuff on facebook really do come off as i've described, whether they mean to or not. consider your audience, as Jlol said.

[beatitude]

It is not just what we say that is important.

Why we say it. How we say it. When, where, and to whom. These are all just as important.

One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is wisdom. Like all fruit, it takes time to grow. It's not always easy to know how to talk about your faith. Looking back on how I was in my late teens and early twenties, I cringe a bit, because I was brash and belligerent and I made my religion everybody else's business - in a bad way. Looking back, I doubt anybody could have seen Christ in me when I did that. I think they only saw me, and not me at my best either.

We learn a lot about God by meditating on the nature of the Trinity - a loving relationship, source of all love and template for all our relationships with one another. Jesus' encounters with people teach us still more: he was always very aware of the particular needs of each person he met, and that always shows in how he spoke to them - Peter on the shore, the Samaritan woman at the well, doubting Thomas, his own mother. He loved them so much - each individual one of them - that he always knew exactly the right thing to say to that person, at that time. We don't have his knowledge of hearts, but our own evangelism has to be modelled on his. There are few people who will benefit from a constant barrage of religious posts on Facebook (including other Christians). It's too impersonal, and as Red said, it can feel preachy and self-righteous.

You have asked PMers for advice about Facebook before. That website seems to preoccupy you more than is reasonable, which suggests that perhaps it may not be a good idea for you too spend so much time with it.

Edited August 1, 2012 by beatitude

[mortify]

Those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter

[somethingfishy]

[quote name='Annie12' timestamp='1343856004' post='2461250']
I can't help it. I have no control. I open my mouth and out comes catholic stuff. It's especially bad on Facebook. I certainly have no discretion on there.[/quote]

A deficit of self-control is not an inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The best witness is growth in grace, maturity and prudence. If you overshare and proselytize to everyone, how will anyone trust you? How will they know they can confide in you? Try not posting anything for a month -- start now. Break the addiction. You'll manage -- no one has ever died from lack of Facebook.

[Lil Red]

[quote name='beatitude' timestamp='1343857313' post='2461260']There are few people who will benefit from a constant barrage of religious posts on Facebook (including other Christians). It's too impersonal, and as Red said, it can feel preachy and self-righteous.[/quote]

YES!

many times, if i do post religious on facebook, it can be funny like:
[img]https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/529037_422184164491953_1161735000_n.jpg[/img]

or serious like:
[img]https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/s720x720/530117_10150979314583061_899272243_n.jpg[/img]
(although Jlol didn't like it )

[Maggyie]

If people are actually unfriending you on facebook I would reconsider your approach. It could be you are unintentionally turning people off from Jesus (yikes). If you truly can't help it consider making more of your posts private so that only a selected group can see them (who you know don't mind all-religion all the time).

Interestingly, if you ever meet someone involved in Opus Dei, a lot of times their homes will not have a ton of religious decor and they won't be very "in your face" about their devotions. Their approach to evangelization is one of subtle attraction, which I think is very well suited for Western society in the 21st century.

[MissyP89]

Others here have said with much more grace what I would have. There is absolutely nothing wrong with zeal. But in my personal opinion, it's easier to talk spirituality when you're having a one-on-one, face-to-face discussion with someone.

Look at Phatmass for a really good example. You know how sometimes we get all fired up and angry at each other over different opinions? It's hard to judge tone and character on the internet. We don't understand each other as well as we would if we were actually sitting down talking -- some of us witnessed this firsthand at the Phamily Reunion this summer.

Like I said on your status, it can even annoy other Christians when a person posts about their faith with basically every post they make. It's kind of like getting it shoved in your face all day, every day. That can be very irritating or tiresome, even for someone who shares that love of God.

After all, if you have a friend that loves her boyfriend, you wouldn't want her talking ONLY about her boyfriend, all day, every day, right? Eventually you'd want to talk about something else for a while ... like the good book you read. Or cooking. Or what you're doing this weekend.

I hope some of this makes sense to you, Annie.

Edited August 1, 2012 by MissyP89

[Annie12]

[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1343856582' post='2461256']
if you're referring to your status update here, just say so. no need to be passive-aggressive about it.


that being said, if all you post is religious/Jesus stuff, yeah people will probably get irritated about it. it can make you seem preachy, holier-than-thou, and self-righteous. note: i am not saying you are! but from my own experience, people who exclusively post religious/Jesus stuff on facebook really do come off as i've described, whether they mean to or not. consider your audience, as Jlol said.
[/quote]

No! sorry!!! Other people have told me besides my status! I'm not being passive. Sorry!!!!!

[Annie12]

[quote name='beatitude' timestamp='1343857313' post='2461260']
You have asked PMers for advice about Facebook before.
[/quote]

Really? wow. I don't remember that at all... must have been a long time ago.


Hmmm... I don't think I represented myself very well in describing this situation. I post uplifting stuff. like quotes from saints and stuff that is meant to make other happy. like at one point my profile picture was a picture of the sacred heart of Jesus. Also, when I said I can't help it, I said that because I feel so strongly that I should share it that I would feel bad if I didn't; like I missed an opportunity to help God change hearts. When I'm on Facebook, I realize that I am repenting Catholics as a whole and try my best to be a good one. I have a feeling it's not me but my friends. Many are from the HS I graduated, which tended to teach anti-catholic things. As a part of the new evangelization the church has recognized the importance of social media to reach people. I just try to be me. I'm never mean or rude about it. And who knows... I may not be losing friends because of the stuff I post. They could have just been "cleaning" out their friends. I'm only close with around 10ish of the 200 friends I have on there. I've been thinking I would delete my account but I feel like I'm just giving up if I do that. I dunno...

Edited August 2, 2012 by Annie12

[Papist]

Love God, and do what you want.

Also, dump Facebook.

[beatitude]

It was because of a debate you had got into about gay marriage on there. It wasn't too long ago.

[Annie12]

really?


that's weird...

I don't remember making a thread about it...

So, then I promise to never make a thread about Facebook ever again! No troubles meant!

[Papist]

Annie, I think you need another outlet for evangelizing. Facebook ain't it...trust me.

[Annie12]

[BG45]

Others have said everything I'm about to say in far better terms than I, just as Missy said. But, I think often the way one approaches things, is how it ends up being perceived.

For instance, I have a lot of friends of varying beliefs. I have people with PhDs who are nominally Christian or outright Atheist. I have Neo Pagans who know more about Christianity than most Christians I've met in my life (and it is thanks to many of them that I am a Catholic Christian). Devout and moderate Muslims. One friend is a Jewish man I've known since middle school who is a card carrying member of the Socialist Party. Democrats, Republicans, Independents. Pro gay marriage, anti gay marriage, pro life, pro choice, etc. Recently my asking why Chick Fil-A's stance on gay marriage was suddenly news devolved into a massive flame war and I've had to endure some possible professional consequences due to the fallout from that.

So I found myself, having had a previous such devolving situation cost me a friend, thinking, "Is it something I'm doing that's provoking these sorts of fights when I don't mean to?" And the answer was, to me at least, that even though I didn't intend for things to be read a certain way, we all bring our biases to to the table with us and view our reality through that lens. In Sociology and Criminology circles it's related to Social Construction Theory, when dealing with the media, it's called Cultivation Theory, etc. I had always prided myself on never deleting a comment or a thread, never defriending a person, but I laid down the law when I realized I was giving people too much freedom on my wall; I will delete comments now (got accused of it before anyhow) and I will delete threads if they get out of hand. Not because I want to, but because I want to safeguard my own reputation and to not be a cause of division.

What I'm trying to get to in a roundabout way is how we present things can often impact how people perceive them. Also, how people come to us with their perceptions can warp even the best of intentions. One more personal story on that front...it was the other year during the Arab Spring. I posted what I thought was the feel good article of the new millennium; Muslims and Christians in Egypt were acting as human shields for one another while the other group prayed. 150+ flame war comments over the next two days and 3 threads. No matter our intent, it can be misconstrued by someone looking for a fight.

Hope your day is going better though.

[Hubertus]

Facebook is hard to debate on because it is such a weird mix of public and personal. It's hard for someone not to get upset when seeing something disagreeable when it involves all of their friends seeing it. Every argument, every post and every little comment, is proclaimed from a pedestal for a large group of friends and relatives to see. This can make things awkward.

Also, someone can be having a bad day, in no mood to be debating something, and then they just happen upon your post with which they do not agree, and then they decide to tear you up. The more tactful discussions of real life are more tactful because you can lead into the debate, instead of just running up to someone and yelling, "GAY MARRIAGE IS BAD AND OUR SOCIETY IS GOING TO HELL IN A HAND BASKET FOR IT" (as a hypothetical example)

I would do what Papist suggested... Delete your Facebook, at least for a little while. You can resurrect it again later and you'll still have your same profile and all the same messages and everything. Taking a break from it just helps you to get some perspective on what role it really should play in your life, which should probably a very minimal role. I've done it several times and it's always refreshing.

[Jesus_lol]

As for being in peoples faces, consider the reputation of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Can you actually think of anyone seriously going "oh, yes person on my doorstep with a watchtower pamphlet, you have changed my life!"??

No. 99.9999999% grow to disrespect and laugh at them. Can you imagine knocking on your friends doors and going "excuse me, old friend, have you accepted the Lord Jesus as your holy savior?"

Many people live with family that believes differently than them, plenty on this board, and most of them are smart enough not to try and convert them over dinner.

Maybe you havent had a whole lot of experience with it, but from the few times ive heard it.
"Hey, so I ran into ____ the other day."
"oh yeah, how is he?"
"well, he has gone Born Again..."
"oh."

wouldnt have a worse reaction from "he is on drugs now and asked me for money"