Tuesday, August 25, 2015

The Smell of Moral Outrage


I love the smell of moral outrage.

I read today that a group of Ashley Madison clients have joined together for a class action law suit.  If you’ve missed the news, Ashley Madison is a website whose specific purpose is to hook up married people who want to cheat.  Their slogan is "Life is short. Have an affair." Last week Ashley Madison’s servers were hacked and the names and emails of their clients were made public, literally tens of millions of people were outed. 

Apparently some people who had no problem breaking their marriage vows are upset that Ashley Madison didn’t keep their promise of confidentiality. Sniff, sniff, is that moral outrage I smell or hypocrisy?

I find it interesting that the villain in the story isn’t Ashley Madison, a company based on adultery and betrayal and the villains aren’t the men and women who were willing to violate their marriage vows and betray their partners. Instead the hacker is portrayed as the villain.  They are the ones being blamed for all the harm that might be caused when would-be adulterers are exposed, not those who were willing to break their marriage vows.

Maybe Instead of “Life is Short” Ashely Madison’s new slogan should be “Be sure your sins will find you out.”   Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Sharing isn't always good



Perhaps you’ve seen some of the warnings and maybe you’ve even shared them.  Many of the warnings have been showing up on Facebook and other social media.  They involve Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) and they are alarming and true.  People are being warned that DHMO is used by the nuclear power industry, that it is used in the production of pesticides, is present in most poisons and it is guaranteed to be fatal to humans in large quantities and yet it is still used in everyday products and food.

And it is amazing how many people simply hit share in order to warn their friends about the dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide without further investigating the claims about this mysterious and supposedly deadly compound.  If people checked, they would discover that DHMO is a colorless and odorless chemical compound, and is simply another chemical name for. . . water. 

And that’s just funny and pretty much harmless.  But not everything that people share on social media is funny or harmless and if you share it than you are responsible for it.   Be sure that what you are sharing is consistent with your faith and your witness and maybe even ask yourself: WJST? Would Jesus share this?   Because if He wouldn’t, chances are, you shouldn’t either.

Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.