crazy Catholics …

… on blog I can enjoy a certain degree of fanaticism but in my every day dealings with people more normal than myself I tone down the papist zeal to a more socially acceptable level. I don’t consider this shying away from sharing my faith or compromising my beliefs… it’s more about not wanting to be *that* person. You know. The one that scares people away. Our online presence factors into this equation as well. I think people say all sorts of things they never would say in real life from behind the safety on their computer monitor. But we need to treat every utterance, whether online or face to face, with the same degree of consideration for the person whom it is directed.

An excellent article dealing with online Catholic fanaticism can be found here.

Matthew Warner writes, “Deep down, unfortunately, our real motivation for sharing is often that we just want to make sure others know that they are wrong and that we are right. But that’s sinful, and it’s not being Catholic at all. It probably gets a few positive responses from people who already agree with us, while it pushes many others outside of the Church even further away.”

Ultimately, we are held personal responsible for every person our uncharitable zeal has pushed away from the Church.