Why do so many religious, “God-fearing” people post quotes from the Bible on social media? By comparison, I rarely see posts by atheists espousing their beliefs. What is the explanation?
First of all, even as a Christian I do not necessarily appreciate every use of Scripture I see on social media. I have in mind those who post a verse or two that seems to suit them at that particular time, but the rest of the time live in such a way as to invalidate their public confession. To be specific, more than once have I seen someone post a Bible verse to weigh in on the culture war. and their next post says something like "Getting drunk tonight with my girls!" This is at best hypocrisy, and at worst, a violation of the Third Commandment, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain". Furthermore, some people are guilty of using Bible verses as a kind of incantation or lucky charm, which should also be a foreign practice to Christians.
To answer your question – “Why do so many religious, ‘God-fearing’ people post quotes from the Bible on social media?” – directly, I would offer two reasons, though I suppose the possible answers may be as numerous as those who post.
1. For sincere, orthodox Christians, the Bible is not merely a book among books, nor is the Christian worldview merely one lens among many through which to see the world. On the contrary, the Christian confesses that God himself is the source of all knowledge, and apart from God’s revelation (both in nature – “general revelation” and especially Scripture – “Special revelation”) man can know nothing. “…Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Put another way, each man operates in accord with whatever his ultimate standard is. To turn your question on its head, I might ask, “Why do so many irreligious, “God-denying” people post thoughts that make use of reason and logic?” To the philosophical materialist, reason itself functions as the ultimate standard, and so to use it in an argument is akin to the Christian flipping through his Bible to make a point. We each have our standard; the difference is the Christian worldview can account for the existence and purpose of reason itself (being created by and serving as a reflection of the creator himself) while the materialist must ultimately argue in a circle.
From Cornelius Van Til, “If one does not make human knowledge wholly dependent upon the original self-knowledge and consequent revelation of God to man, then man will have to seek knowledge within himself as the final reference point. Then he will have to seek an exhaustive understanding of reality. He will have to hold that if he cannot attain to such an exhaustive understanding of reality he has no true knowledge of anything at all. Either man must then know everything or he knows nothing. This is the dilemma that confronts every form of non-Christian epistemology”
2. The second (and far less significant) reason that comes to mind is that politically, we are (hopefully) coming out of a period of time in Western society where religious claims were entirely discounted in the public sphere, especially in Canada. From the time of the so-called Moral Majority until roughly yesterday, Christians were encouraged to practice a kind of “quietism” where everyone on all sides agreed to keep religious views – and specifically the Bible – out of public life. There are youngish Christians today who are largely embarrassed by the legacy of Falwell and the MM, but also see (to borrow a phrase) it is either “Christ or chaos”, and “not whether, but which”. Furthermore, there can be a certain jolt that one gets from saying the unsayable. I would posit that today, saying publicly “Christ is Lord” is akin to saying the emperor has no clothes, and that has the benefit of being both true, and fun to say.
Paul. I appreciate your thoughtful response especially because you are clearly a well-informed Christian,
My question was one of advertising. Why do some people advertise their faith, their knowledge of the Bible, and their implied assumption that words from the Bible are to be considered as the final authority in every discussion? It's akin to every other form of intrusive advertising that I receive from all media sources and which I often block so that I might not see ever again.
I also hold strong metaphysical beliefs which have evolved over the past 30 years and is unrelated to the Bible or any form of religion. It is not atheistic. It is simply a different way of experiencing creation and reality. I suspect that my beliefs are every bit as central to my life and many of those advertising their Bible study bonafides, but I never promote my beliefs on social media (albeit I have begun writing an ebook to explain it).
I was raised in a devout Roman Catholic family as the eldest of 4 sons. I attended a Jesuit private boys' high school and was exposed to religious studies often. In recent years, I learned that one of my teachers, a Jesuit priest, is one of the 27 named priests who was to be charged with many counts of pedophilia. My point it, those persons of religious authority to whom I was expected to respect and obey were often hypocrites and not at all what they claimed to represent.
Today, I choose carefully the content of ideas that enter and influence my consciousness. Ideas can become resident in one’s mind and private thoughts if repeated often enough. This includes religious ideas. The Psychology of Totalitarianism by Dr. Mattias Desmet describes ‘mass formation psychosis’ which I believe explains the behaviour of many hyper-religious people. I know their exist and they have every right to believe what they believe. I simply am not interested in their advertising.
If you truly want the answer to your question, you should ask the people (they are your friends?) that post these scriptures. Perhaps some are, as you say, “virtue signaling”. Or, perhaps they derive genuine value in the concepts the particular scripture represents for them at the time.
Wanting to share things that bring us joy isn’t meant to be offensive. I am perplexed at why it troubles you.
I suggest talking to people more, and your computer less. Maybe you should reconsider deleting people you once thought had something to contribute to your life. Or, maybe your method of streamlining your friends to people who only share your values and beliefs is beneficial to you. I don’t judge. I do wonder, though. It’s different from my approach. I often learn from people who think differently from myself. I’ll know I’m not useful to you anymore if/when I’m blocked.
Thanks Angel. Your reply is meaningful because I know you to be a person of faith.
At age 72, I have discussed matters of faith with many people since my teens. In fact, at 18, I visited Father Lavin, a Trappist monk at a monastery in Coalville, England. For an hour each day over three days, we walked the grounds on it’s beautiful property and discussed why I had left the faith. He could not answer my questions. He claimed the faith is a decision to be made and, once made, the rewards would come. I knew this to be false because I had been an ardent catholic before age 16 and still witnessed the hypocrisy of the faithful.
My essay was asking a simple question. Why do people of faith advertise their faith via biblical passages with such regularity? Like many other ads that I did not request, I prefer to cancel them because such ads become irritating when I see too many of them.
When I was a boy, I was taught that one’s faith and relationship with God is a personal matter. Advertising it to others on the Internet without their consent is an unwelcome intrusion. People are free to believe whatever they want, but posting biblical memes on a daily basis comes across as an obsession.
I remember one visit to Woodville when two men approached me to promote Jesus and tried to engage me is a discussion about faith and if I had declared Jesus and “my lord and saviour”. Zealots like these are not worth talking to because that quote biblical verse as it is the final authority on every topic. I have to time or patience for people like these.
I think I hear what you’re saying. Thank you for sharing where you’re coming from on this topic.
I agree, there is much hypocrisy in religion. But...isn’t that reflective of every sector of society. Isn’t it reflective of the human condition? We find hypocrisy, irony and outright doublespeak everywhere now. Is it any wonder people who have found Truth in their lives want to share that?
Faith centers on a genuine personal relationship with God, not memes and proselytizing. But, I can see why people are compelled to share their faith. I understand their enthusiasm when they have found something so meaningful to them that they want others to share that reassurance and joy. I can also see why some don’t want to hear or see it. Your advice is sound...keep scrolling till you see something that clicks with you. Fortunately we still do have some control over what we read (even if what is being presented on line is censored and limited). But...don’t scroll too quickly by those scriptures - there may come a day when they’re not allowed to be there anymore.
The block option has its negatives too. One person I chose to block is a former candidate for the OLP in the 2018 election. I like his political views but the frequency of his Bible quotes has become daily and, unlike him, I don’t believe that prayer and Bible reading will change society.
Ok Gene, I'll bite.
First of all, even as a Christian I do not necessarily appreciate every use of Scripture I see on social media. I have in mind those who post a verse or two that seems to suit them at that particular time, but the rest of the time live in such a way as to invalidate their public confession. To be specific, more than once have I seen someone post a Bible verse to weigh in on the culture war. and their next post says something like "Getting drunk tonight with my girls!" This is at best hypocrisy, and at worst, a violation of the Third Commandment, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain". Furthermore, some people are guilty of using Bible verses as a kind of incantation or lucky charm, which should also be a foreign practice to Christians.
To answer your question – “Why do so many religious, ‘God-fearing’ people post quotes from the Bible on social media?” – directly, I would offer two reasons, though I suppose the possible answers may be as numerous as those who post.
1. For sincere, orthodox Christians, the Bible is not merely a book among books, nor is the Christian worldview merely one lens among many through which to see the world. On the contrary, the Christian confesses that God himself is the source of all knowledge, and apart from God’s revelation (both in nature – “general revelation” and especially Scripture – “Special revelation”) man can know nothing. “…Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Put another way, each man operates in accord with whatever his ultimate standard is. To turn your question on its head, I might ask, “Why do so many irreligious, “God-denying” people post thoughts that make use of reason and logic?” To the philosophical materialist, reason itself functions as the ultimate standard, and so to use it in an argument is akin to the Christian flipping through his Bible to make a point. We each have our standard; the difference is the Christian worldview can account for the existence and purpose of reason itself (being created by and serving as a reflection of the creator himself) while the materialist must ultimately argue in a circle.
From Cornelius Van Til, “If one does not make human knowledge wholly dependent upon the original self-knowledge and consequent revelation of God to man, then man will have to seek knowledge within himself as the final reference point. Then he will have to seek an exhaustive understanding of reality. He will have to hold that if he cannot attain to such an exhaustive understanding of reality he has no true knowledge of anything at all. Either man must then know everything or he knows nothing. This is the dilemma that confronts every form of non-Christian epistemology”
2. The second (and far less significant) reason that comes to mind is that politically, we are (hopefully) coming out of a period of time in Western society where religious claims were entirely discounted in the public sphere, especially in Canada. From the time of the so-called Moral Majority until roughly yesterday, Christians were encouraged to practice a kind of “quietism” where everyone on all sides agreed to keep religious views – and specifically the Bible – out of public life. There are youngish Christians today who are largely embarrassed by the legacy of Falwell and the MM, but also see (to borrow a phrase) it is either “Christ or chaos”, and “not whether, but which”. Furthermore, there can be a certain jolt that one gets from saying the unsayable. I would posit that today, saying publicly “Christ is Lord” is akin to saying the emperor has no clothes, and that has the benefit of being both true, and fun to say.
Paul. I appreciate your thoughtful response especially because you are clearly a well-informed Christian,
My question was one of advertising. Why do some people advertise their faith, their knowledge of the Bible, and their implied assumption that words from the Bible are to be considered as the final authority in every discussion? It's akin to every other form of intrusive advertising that I receive from all media sources and which I often block so that I might not see ever again.
I also hold strong metaphysical beliefs which have evolved over the past 30 years and is unrelated to the Bible or any form of religion. It is not atheistic. It is simply a different way of experiencing creation and reality. I suspect that my beliefs are every bit as central to my life and many of those advertising their Bible study bonafides, but I never promote my beliefs on social media (albeit I have begun writing an ebook to explain it).
I was raised in a devout Roman Catholic family as the eldest of 4 sons. I attended a Jesuit private boys' high school and was exposed to religious studies often. In recent years, I learned that one of my teachers, a Jesuit priest, is one of the 27 named priests who was to be charged with many counts of pedophilia. My point it, those persons of religious authority to whom I was expected to respect and obey were often hypocrites and not at all what they claimed to represent.
Today, I choose carefully the content of ideas that enter and influence my consciousness. Ideas can become resident in one’s mind and private thoughts if repeated often enough. This includes religious ideas. The Psychology of Totalitarianism by Dr. Mattias Desmet describes ‘mass formation psychosis’ which I believe explains the behaviour of many hyper-religious people. I know their exist and they have every right to believe what they believe. I simply am not interested in their advertising.
If you truly want the answer to your question, you should ask the people (they are your friends?) that post these scriptures. Perhaps some are, as you say, “virtue signaling”. Or, perhaps they derive genuine value in the concepts the particular scripture represents for them at the time.
Wanting to share things that bring us joy isn’t meant to be offensive. I am perplexed at why it troubles you.
I suggest talking to people more, and your computer less. Maybe you should reconsider deleting people you once thought had something to contribute to your life. Or, maybe your method of streamlining your friends to people who only share your values and beliefs is beneficial to you. I don’t judge. I do wonder, though. It’s different from my approach. I often learn from people who think differently from myself. I’ll know I’m not useful to you anymore if/when I’m blocked.
Thanks Angel. Your reply is meaningful because I know you to be a person of faith.
At age 72, I have discussed matters of faith with many people since my teens. In fact, at 18, I visited Father Lavin, a Trappist monk at a monastery in Coalville, England. For an hour each day over three days, we walked the grounds on it’s beautiful property and discussed why I had left the faith. He could not answer my questions. He claimed the faith is a decision to be made and, once made, the rewards would come. I knew this to be false because I had been an ardent catholic before age 16 and still witnessed the hypocrisy of the faithful.
My essay was asking a simple question. Why do people of faith advertise their faith via biblical passages with such regularity? Like many other ads that I did not request, I prefer to cancel them because such ads become irritating when I see too many of them.
When I was a boy, I was taught that one’s faith and relationship with God is a personal matter. Advertising it to others on the Internet without their consent is an unwelcome intrusion. People are free to believe whatever they want, but posting biblical memes on a daily basis comes across as an obsession.
I remember one visit to Woodville when two men approached me to promote Jesus and tried to engage me is a discussion about faith and if I had declared Jesus and “my lord and saviour”. Zealots like these are not worth talking to because that quote biblical verse as it is the final authority on every topic. I have to time or patience for people like these.
I think I hear what you’re saying. Thank you for sharing where you’re coming from on this topic.
I agree, there is much hypocrisy in religion. But...isn’t that reflective of every sector of society. Isn’t it reflective of the human condition? We find hypocrisy, irony and outright doublespeak everywhere now. Is it any wonder people who have found Truth in their lives want to share that?
Faith centers on a genuine personal relationship with God, not memes and proselytizing. But, I can see why people are compelled to share their faith. I understand their enthusiasm when they have found something so meaningful to them that they want others to share that reassurance and joy. I can also see why some don’t want to hear or see it. Your advice is sound...keep scrolling till you see something that clicks with you. Fortunately we still do have some control over what we read (even if what is being presented on line is censored and limited). But...don’t scroll too quickly by those scriptures - there may come a day when they’re not allowed to be there anymore.
The block option has its negatives too. One person I chose to block is a former candidate for the OLP in the 2018 election. I like his political views but the frequency of his Bible quotes has become daily and, unlike him, I don’t believe that prayer and Bible reading will change society.