Freedom from Fear and Anger
Recently I deleted my Twitter account. It’s a shame, really, because you can learn a lot about contemporary culture from Twitter and witness firsthand the development of ideas. Originally my hope was that I could learn something about the development of Catholic thought and theology. And, I wasn’t wrong. There are some very good theologians on Twitter who regularly tweet their reflections and engage in constructive and substantive debate. I soon found myself also following Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim thinkers and learned a great deal from perspectives that are different from my own.
So, why did I drop Twitter. I think it was the anger and fear that I encountered in many posts., especially among my fellow Catholics. In an exchange of ideas it’s normal to have disagreement. In fact, that’s a good thing because we learn best when we encounter ideas different from our own. But what I saw on Twitter wasn’t openness to new ideas but anger and fear. Fear of new ideas, and anger towards those who espouse those ideas, especially ideas that call for deep and radical change. Of course, a contentious election season, pandemic stress, and social unrest can make people even more fearful and angry.
Before I go further, let me add that anger and fear aren’t bad, in and of themselves. Fear and anger are God-given emotions that can help us navigate and survive the difficulties of life. Fear keeps us from doing dumb things that can hurt or kill us. Anger is sometimes justified, especially in the face of injustice and can actually help bring about positive change. The problem isn’t fear and anger as much as their toxic combination, which leads to hate. Fear of new ideas and anger towards those that espouse them can open the door to hatred. Unlike fear and anger, hatred has no positive attributes that I can think of. Indeed, hatred is the opposite of love, which is the very nature of God (1 John 4:16).
Of course, fear, anger, and hatred aren’t just found on social media, it’s part of our daily lives. Social media, however, can magnify fear and anger and provide the fertile ground for their transformation into hatred. Those of us who profess Christianity must do our best to resist the impulse to hatred. We are reminded that Jesus, after rising from the dead, did not lead the disciples to hatred and revenge but peace and reconciliation. After the crucifixion, the disciples were hiding in fear, and I suspect some of them were angry. Then this happened:
“Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” (John 20:19-23)
Not fear and anger, but peace and reconciliation.
I believe that we in the United States are at an incredibly important time in our history. We are still in the middle of the pandemic and this election season is far from over. In addition we are changing as a nation. I hope that we are taking the next steps in dealing with the deep wound of racism, and that means change—good change, but even good change can be difficult and be a source of fear and anger. For those of us who are Christians, we are called to be involved in this change not from a position of fear and anger, but from the perspective of love, and the peace and reconciliation that flow from our example of love—Jesus Christ.
Essential to this perspective of love is understanding that Christians are not the only voice in America. We are a diverse nation that includes practitioners of every religious faith under the sun, and many with no faith persuasion. All voices must be included, especially in difficult times. The peace and reconciliation modeled by Jesus can help us to understand those who disagree with us, can lead us to act with compassion for those without privilege, and to empathize with those facing injustice. Understanding casts out fear, compassion quenches anger, empathy opens us to love, and love vanquishes hate.
(In the interest of transparency, since I first started this essay I’ve restarted Twitter because it is very helpful for catching news headlines and stories. I’ll avoid following anyone for now.)