Upon reading Matt Walsh’s blog post “Satan is a liberal,” I found myself torn between agreeing with Matt and agreeing with Tim. In each piece of writing, the inherent sense of sarcasm horrified me. Let me identify the specific definition of sarcasm to which I refer: mocking, contemptuous, or ironic language intended to convey scorn or insult. How can I hold either writer’s opinions as true when every word of theirs reeks of cutting insult?
Does either writer truly seek to expose “absolute truths,” or do they seek only to disprove and mock those who disagree? I will answer for you: the latter.
To start, Tim begins his letter with “You idiot.” To write a letter on behalf of God and start with name-calling—-I consider anything he says after this point void.
Despite my initial disgust, I did read further. Here is a point that gives me chills:
“You are NOT God.”
But what if he is?
Never forget the promise of Jesus’ return. Not a person alive knows when He will return, nor in what form He will walk this earth once again. Tim, for all you know, you just denied God Himself. A man named Peter comes to my mind.
Now, that’s not to say I believe Matt Walsh is God. I have a hard time believing that God would sarcastically mock anyone in an example such as this:
“Wonderful opening sentence. It really sets the stage for a constructive and meaningful dialogue.”
Does God know sarcasm? Does God get a little too defensive when people call him an idiot? Sacrifice your sharp tongue, Matt; though I am not God, I feel ashamed that you would present such a tone on behalf of Him.
Moving on to a more complicated point, I must address the ways in which each writer clearly deviates from the main ideas of his work for the sole purpose of belittling the other. The following quotes represent this point:
“You idiot.” -Tim
“Honestly I have NEVER encountered someone as egotistical and arrogant as you.” -Tim
“I know you are uneducated trailer trash who dropped out of high school…” -Tim
“They didn’t go over this stuff in college?” -Matt
“How dare you. I didn’t drop out of high school. I dropped out of community college.” -Matt
“I’m really impressed with your masters degree. But I’d be even more impressed with your master’s degree.” -Matt
Guys, these statements add nothing to your argument. You have chosen to flourish your writings with this mockery and belittlement in order to what—-give yourselves more credibility? Wave your diploma out in the air, use a loud-speaker to tell everyone how wrong the other is—-such actions only amount to a horse-measuring contest, if you know what I mean. In reality, your efforts in putting each other down falsify your credibility as disciples of Christ. I want nothing to do with those who must belittle others in order to heighten their feelings of righteousness.
Mysterious Balances 