Sparring with Shadows

“Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;” 1 Corinthians 9:26

If we love the Lord and His Church it’s only natural to want to share the faith with others. This is especially true on the Internet. Yet it is important to be wise stewards of all that the Lord has given us including time.

One of the biggest waste of that time is engaging “trolls”. That is an Internet term for people who just want to sling mud (or less mentionable material) at people without any desire to discuss whatever subject they are ranting about. You see these types of folks in all sorts of chat areas. Back in the old days (20 years ago) they were found on Internet Relay Chat (IRC), bulletin boards and Usenet newsgroups. These were the predecessors to social media. Now their favorite place of abode is Facebook.

Protestant Trolls

 In Facebook, there are pages called “groups”. Some are open to the public and some require that you join to see or post in that group. For Catholics, there are a multitude of groups. There are groups that restrict their membership to Catholics only such as our own “Unity Around the Truth” group. This group is intended to be somewhat of a “haven of rest” for Catholics to fellowship and encourage one another as well as discuss the various points of view within the Church today. It’s best that those sorts of things be kept “in house” and not made available to the opponent of the Church as ammunition.

There are several groups that purport to be a place of “debate” or “discussion” between Protestants and Catholics. In reality, what they are is a haven for anti-Catholic “trolls” to rant and spew hatred toward Catholics and the Church. In groups, you have administrators or moderators. Their job is supposed to be to police the group and kick people like that out. Unfortunately, for whatever reason or excuse they give themselves they actually protect and encourage the “trolls”.

Many well-meaning Catholic brothers and sisters will get ensnared spending hours upon hours of their time per week refuting the same lies over and over and over again… chasing their tails around and around to the amusement of the “troll” and the edification of no one. Many justify it by saying that they are countering the lies for the benefit of the casual reader. But the fact is that the casual reader who truly is seeking Truth sees these types of arguments and stays away.

But what about the “Great Commission”?

The Great Commission

I have been accused by some Catholic brothers of not believing in fulfilling the “Great Commission” because I encourage folks not to engage these “trolls”. Let’s take a look at what the verses in question actually say.

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

“And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall he condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16)

These four verses form what is called by most “The Great Commission”. It is basically the “job description” for Catholics… to spread the “good news” or “gospel” everywhere we go. The end of that, according to the Lord, is to make disciples. A “disciple” is one who follows the commands and instruction of their “master” … with the goal of one day having disciples of their own with whom they will repeat the procedure. That is how the Church grew from the little seed planted in Jerusalem to the mighty oak she is today.

One cannot force the unwilling to become a disciple. You cannot give the Truth to ones with “no eyes to see and no ears to hear” That isn’t what the Lord intended at all and does not fulfill the Great Commission. In fact, it actually violates the instruction given by Saint Paul to Saint Timothy:

“And avoid foolish and unlearned questions, knowing that they beget strifes. But the servant of the Lord must not wrangle: but be mild toward all men, apt to teach, patient,” (2 Timothy 2:23-24)

In conclusion

As Saint Peter told us, “… always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with gentleness and respect:” (1 Peter 3 :15). We must be equipped and prepared to share the Truth God has entrusted to us through the Church which He founded with those who have an honest and legitimate desire to learn. Along those lines I will be doing a couple articles very soon that may help in answering some specific questions asked of other Catholics and me in various groups.

It's with those folks with whom our evangelization efforts should be spent… and not in empty sparring with shadows.