Ever since the Garden of Eden, “trolls” have existed. I’d contend that the serpent was the first troll. He came along throwing shade, disparaging what had been posted, and questioning established truth. Yup, the first troll ever was Satan himself, and I’m convinced he still lives in the comment section.

There was recently posted an event on our church’s Facebook page. It was a promo for an upcoming marriage/relationship weekend event called “Through Thick & Thin.” Not propaganda. Not political. Not even religious. Just an event for people to come to in order to have some good fellowship, interact with others about healthy relationships, and have a great time.

Not long after posting it, this comment appeared…

Like anyone would, I raised my eyebrows and first thought, “Hmmm. Okay.” Clearly this person has an opinion about religion.

My second thought was, “I don’t 100% disagree with this comment, albeit a bit crass.” After all, religion itself hasn’t ever been the answer to the world’s ills. And those who say religions have caused a terrible amount of pain rightfully point to things like 9/11. Or the Crusades. These and other historical events are atrocities done in the name of “religion.” So while I don’t think the comment is intelligent, articulate, or appropriate, I can understand the viewpoint.

My third thought was “I bet this person isn’t even a person. It’s likely some bot that just trolls anywhere and everywhere. Easily dismissed.”

My fourth thought was, “If this person does in fact exist, I’m sorry they felt the need to comment the way they did. And I’m sorry for whatever has happened in their life that brought them to have such vitriol. I think I’ll pray for them.” And I did.

As for my fifth thought, I’ll confess to you that I gave in to temptation to actually go and visit their Facebook page. There, I found this person, based on their photos, to be an Al Roker doppleganger (if Al Roker were hooked on meth), who mostly re-posts unoriginal videos having either to do with political views or anti-Christian sentiments. In fairness, I didn’t scroll very far on their page. I kind of got the jist of their angst and got outta there. In summation and based on what I did see, I would say that they are the type of atheist I’d categorize as an “angry atheist.” I know atheists who are benign, passive, and quiet; simply living their non-believing life with no ax to grind. I got nothing but respect for anyone’s choice to believe whatever they feel the evidence and their convictions drive them to.

But angry atheists come from a different type of background, I’ve found. They’re usually jaded because of some past hurt perpetrated on them (whether real or imagined) by someone who either claimed to believe in God and/or follow Jesus and yet hurt or let them down in some way, usually catastrophically. Abuse (actual or alleged) isn’t uncommon as a part of the angry atheist’s history. I certainly know that’s not true of all atheists, or all angry atheists for that matter. But it’s too common to ignore, in my opinion.

Here’s my nutshell take on atheism: It’s far more societal, social, and relationally based than it is intellectually, logically, and evidence based. Anyone who views the known physical universe and comes to the conclusion that there is no design or intentionality to it is, in my opinion, choosing to ignore facts that glaringly point out obvious patterns, symmetry, and intelligent design. This is not at all a religous statement. I’m saying nothing about the God of the Bible. I’m simply saying that what we see all around us on this earth and in our own little corner of the galaxy drips with the evidence of a creator being behind and the cause of the creation.

Let’s tackle the issue of religion, then. As stated, while I do not fully agree with the commenter’s unclassy comment, I can see how someone who’s been hurt would hold all relgious expression in contempt. I’m sorry for it, but I get it.

What I really desire(d) to say to the commenter, which I’m sure would be like trying to hug a brick wall was, “If you’d come sit with me, have some lunch, talk about your story, listen to mine, and even be willing to meet some other followers of Jesus that I know, I’m sure you’d have your perspective tweaked at least a little bit, if not outright dismantled.”

You see, none of us who claim to be followers of Jesus would dare say that we are perfected or that we are better than or above anyone else. Further, I have yet to meet the follower of Jesus who labels themselves as “religious” or even a lover of religion. Quite the contrary. It is the love of God shown to humanity through Jesus’ birth, life, teachings, healings, truth-telling, death, and resurrection that drive His followers to stoop down and wash feet. Both proverbially, socially, and literally. When we fail to take up our cross, we fail to reflect Jesus as He truly is. And when we do not reflect the real Jesus, the world simply labels us as religious and we are tossed onto the dung heap of all other religiosity, with all of its baggage.

So, Mr. (or Mrs.) Commenter/Troll, I wish that I could have the chance to wash your troll-y feet. After all, I know it’s what Jesus and those who know, love, and follow Him would take the time to do. In the meantime, know that we too have a side-eye for “religion.” We simply choose to apply our energies not to pushing others down, but pointing everyone to Jesus.