Internet Groups: No Wimps Allowed

Scenario:
Howard is part of an online Christian family support group. Ninety percent of the e-mail group is Protestant, but Catholics are welcome. The purpose of this group is to discuss child rearing and discipline in a Christian environment.

During Advent, a controversy arises concerning the celebration of Christian feasts. This erupts into a discussion about the history of these celebrations, and before you know it, anti-Catholic sentiment is flaming up on every side of his computer monitor. After a few days, the flames recede. The monitor of the group re-states the purpose of the digest and asks that no more comment be made on the subject.

Howard has no wish to be hotheaded, but there were several false statements made regarding the history of the Church. He wants to comply with the wishes of the group. But there are several hundred people out there who may be misled by the statements that were made. What should he do? What would you do?

I would politely request the monitor of the group to send out a bulletin retracting the statements in an anonymous way, such as: “I have been informed that numerous statements made in this group may have been false,” then quote the statements. After that, let sleeping dogs lie.

Via e-mail

If I were Howard I would contact the chat room monitor and ask if I could explain in a brief but complete statement to resolve some of the wrong statements made earlier and post it either at the beginning of the next chat or on a bulletin board that can be read easily. One has to be tactful but determined to make sure that the truth is proclaimed in every way. Misconceptions and divisive words and statements that have been made leave people with the wrong information about the Church.

Via e-mail

As in all cases, situation dictates. I would put my trust in God and place the corrections on the table. We as Catholics have been without apologists and have been “given” dogmas by other religions that are not true. Being faithful to Jesus’ commands is what we should do. After all, that is why we end up with martyrs. If for some reason the forum would kick him out for defending his faith, then what they represent is misleading.

Protestants never intended to be Catholic bashers, but somehow, somewhere, it turned ugly. As a Catholic, I myself have had to stand up for the Faith, and when it’s done correctly with someone open to listen, I have changed a couple of minds from basher to listener. As a surprise to them, once they found out from a real Catholic what it is to be Catholic, they found out they are not all that different from us.
Beyond that, total conversion is up to God. By the way, Catholic doesn’t mean doormat. Too bad most of us don’t realize this.

Marceleno Hernandez, via e-mail

Howard should speak out, or type out, what the false statements were and correct them (with love, of course). When the monitor sends a warning message of possible expulsion from the group, Howard should send the monitor a message back, telling him to read Acts 4.18-21, and ask him if he thinks Peter and John could relate to this situation.

Randy D’Agostini, via e-mail

If I were Howard, I would e-mail the group that statements made about the Catholic faith were not true and resign from the group. Each Protestant group believes a little differently from the others; so any attempt to correct any untrue statement about Catholicism would fall on deaf ears; and the monitor correctly points out that the group is not for religious discussion but for child rearing. Howard should not be a part of any group that is anti-Catholic.

John Dilts

In most e-mail groups, a kind of friendship can develop between the moderator and group member. If Howard has good feelings for the moderator, he should e-mail him and express his concern. Quite possibly, if Howard offers to provide the moderator with information that proves the comments made to be false, the moderator may post his own message to the group himself strictly as a caring friend, enlightening the group to the truth, and asking them to be more careful in the future not to insult one another’s faiths.

If the moderator does not wish to tell the truth to his group, then Howard should politely do so himself and be willing to face the consequences of being banned from the group. If the group has him banned for telling the truth, then it isn’t the kind of group he should really be spending his time with anyway.

C. R. Hoerauf, II

Stand up for who you are . . . defend and correct but do it in a sensible way and use an approach which will not cause another flare of anti-Catholic sentiment. It can be done once again — with conviction but with a gentle approach.

John and Pauline N., via e-mail

I wouldn’t have waited a couple of days before informing them of the Catholic
position. Then, I would write to the monitor and tell him that in the interest of truth, both sides should be heard and I would like the opportunity to refute the half-truths already written. I would not insist that I be allowed to do so, but would appeal to the monitor’s sense of Christian fairness.

Via e-mail

I would e-mail the monitor of the group and ask permission to post in the discussion a correction to the false statements that were made.

Don Disch, via e-mail

E-mail the moderator and ask him to post the corrections. If the moderator refuses, post them anyway and see what happens.

Kenny Scagel, via e-mail

Using non-threatening language, I would post a message respectfully correcting the inaccuracies, mentioning that loving and respectful dialogue between religions can occur only when there is agreement on the facts at hand. Then I would join a different list.

Bridget Cronin, via e-mail

Next Issue’s Scenario
Sophia is a thirty-four-year-old professional Catholic manager. She supervises nearly twenty employees in her department. The company she works for has a very open policy toward Christians. There is even a Christian Bible study that meets in the building once a week.

Sophia has no interest in joining, but has heard some anti-Catholic rhetoric being spouted at the water fountain this week. Having read the latest issue of Envoy, she knows just how to counteract the apostasy, but she wishes not to disturb the favorable Christian atmosphere in which she works. What should she do? What would you do?

Two-hundred-word-or-less suggestions
or
mail it to
“What Would You Do?” P.O. Box 640, Granville, OH 43023.