Are you unfriending people who voted for Trump (or Clinton or someone else)?
Ending friendships (online or otherwise) over political preference doesn’t make any sense to me. (And I’m speaking of friendships here, not following public figures.)
At the very least, it is highly likely that all the horrible things that made you vote against your friend’s candidate are not the reasons why he voted for that candidate. So your reasons for rejecting that friendship probably don’t even apply. I believe that most people vote in good faith.
Remaining in the presence of people whose ideas, pain, struggles, personalities, etc., are uncomfortable or even repugnant and not letting anxiety take over is a key element in emotionally maturing as a person. And intellectually, it actually helps to sharpen and perhaps even revise our own thinking.
And of course, if you’re a Christian, you have to love not just friends who are challenging you but even enemies:
But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. (Luke 6:27-31)
Think of all the awful things people have done in this world. Jesus still loves those people. Jesus still became incarnate and died for those people. Jesus loved them even while they were still sinners!
And you are one of those people.
Father, a well needed and excellent post!
Agree Father! Thanks
Thank you for this Father. This encourages me to deal with patience, kindness and gentleness with many a people who have accused me and continue to call me a racist and homophic bigot for having supported Donald J. Trump, which I did following the conviction of my heart and conscience, after much prayer. There is a lot of animosity right now among half of the country. I pray the Lord would soften all of hearts and heal this divide.
I unfriended someone I knew for 40 years because his posts accused anyone who supported Trump was morally suspect.
I unfriend one who said bad things about a priest because he voted a particular way. It was unkind and close to scandal. Many people tried to defend. I chose the easy way. First person I’ve ever unfriended. Confession: Had Hillary won I would have unfriended a few more. I’ll keep them go now and try to win them to prolife. Isn’t about who they voted for as much as WHY.
Reading an endless stream of angry posts whether for one’s political choice or for an opponent isn’t spiritually enlightening. It goes beyond one’s friends, because one is subject to the posts of friends of your friends as well. It’s easy to get caught up in arguments and controversies, and provoke anger in others.
Fortunately, there is a middle ground on Facebook between reading everything one of your friends posts (including things that are a temptation to anger) and unfriending them.
On every post that someone does there is a little drop down menu in the top right corner. Click on the drop down menu then click on “unfollow (persons name)”. The person will not know you’re not reading posts by them, and will remain your friend.
Then later you can start following them again when the political noise has died down.
Yes that is an option however it does not prevent them from going onto your posting continuing to spew their hate. This is an area that I have had a great deal of difficulty with and I have tried my very best to advocate the need to pray for our leaders whoever they are as well as the need to address policy as opposed to the individual. That said I think there are times that when someone continues to come home and spew hate on your threads that you have to take the only option you can and that may be to unfriend them via definition of Facebook friends that does not mean however, that you cannot love them and still consider them a friend outside of Facebook . I have many dear friends who do not engage in Facebook or other social media . Personally I believe that Facebook has bastardized the definition of the word friend.
I’ve had a big massive dumping of friends to be honest. I got tired of being bullied and some trying to intimidate me for having a difference of opinion about their preferred candidate. I don’t take kindly to being called certain words and I also don’t take kindly to people verbally assaulting my priest I’m under nor any of my Protestant friends. Makes me so mad!
I was unfriended BEFORE the election because of my support of a candidate. The choice is my choice and I will stand by it for the next four years. I still love and care for all people. That has not and will not change. Friendships are earned, just like respect. My savior and King, JESUS CHRIST, continues to hear and answer my prayers, in His way and time. If I am unfriended due to the results of the election, that person is probably best removed from my life anyway.
Having lived in the suburbs of Washington DC my whole life – my unsolicited advice from having had way too many conversations about politics and having fallen into the many pitfalls of Facebook – is don’t unfriend your friends over an election. Friendships are more valuable than political candidates or platforms.
Politicians are bound to disappoint but friends are to be cherished.
Before unfriending why not just change your FB settings so your they can’t see a particular post?
A few years ago there was a group of my friends that seemed to misconstrue everything I posted – things that were not even political they turned political. I was very very tempted to just unfriend them – so I get it – but then i know them from high school – That’s. long time – I am in my forties.
So for about a year I changed my settings so they simply could not read anything I posted.
Everyone carries their own burdens and we are called to bear one another’s.
In the long run loosing friends over Donald or Hillary is not worth it – better to lose a friend over Christ Who is unchanging rather than the changing tumultuous whims of politics.
That said, I have not been on FB since a a few weeks before the election and reading this post has encouraged me to stay off for a few more weeks!! 😬
Father,
I needed this today because I didn’t vote for either popular candidate. It’s hard to be humble and forgive when I feel I am the one who is in the right. Thank you for the reminder.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
This is wonderful, Father. Thank you so much.
May I suggest everyone check out the Time Eternal blog by Nicole Roccos? “Praying when the Times Hurt” will benefit those of us worrying about who to unfriend or friend. It may also give you some insight as to the fears faced by those of us who didn’t support the president-elect