When God's People Get Mean
You're not on their prayer list, you're on their shit list.
Proverbs 6:16-19 “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”
I remember one of the first times I covered a Grantsville Town Council meeting as a newspaper reporter. It was winter, and the parking lot was covered with ice. Two elderly council members stood outside the door following the meeting, and I offered to escort them across the lot. With crones on each arm and me in the middle, we started across the ice. The ladies chose that time to tell me about a few other council members.
“So and so is living with a nigger,” said one.
“And whosit is a gay,” said the other.
I thought about letting go of their arms and leaving them to fend for themselves across the parking lot. That’s when I realized (again) that “good” people can truly be low-down, mean, and wicked.
That was nearly 21 years ago. The low-down and dirty have upped their game since then, dressing themselves in the “cape” of good deeds while using social media and bullying tactics to vehemently attack those who question their methods and/or their plans.
So, what happens when a charitable non-profit organization becomes the biggest blessed bully in town?
They infiltrate the local Republican party, attack elected officials, run for office, control the local online media, influence local legislation, intimidate, collaborate, attack, promise jobs then threaten to put them elsewhere, set up the business with the elsewhere address, preach, and pray on the porch while they commit you to their shit list.
(And no, private nonprofits, by tax law, are not permitted to do many of these things. See here also.)
Lord, save me from your people.
With the arrival of summer, my husband’s failing health, and the fact that my 90-year-old mother still pushes me to get a “real job,” I ventured online to look for additional remote work during this time when my private tutoring slows down for the season.
Imagine my surprise when I saw a “remote writer” position for the newspaper I wrote for all those years ago. Before Facebook and most popular social media, before MAGA Republicans, before “truth-seeking” blogs, shouts of “fake news” by those who can’t control facts, before bullying and intimidation became open business strategies.
It seemed like providence, and maybe it was. I stepped in, asked questions, and thus, poked the hornet’s nest. Because the newspaper no longer had a local physical office, (or phone number even), my home phone and Facebook accounts blew up. The queen bee had a new target, and she immediately let loose. Of course, anyone stepping up in my defense in her group was immediately blocked (including me). Addendum: Since this posted, my links to their nasty FB posts have been blocked as well. So, here are a few screen shots:
(If you have collected screen shots of some of this, please feel free to share them with me.)
Add in the fact that the previous employees quit (not fired) when stripped of all editorial control due to past publications, and within 14 hours of getting hired for a part-time remote job, I became the editor.
Suddenly, I was in a fight that wasn’t really mine, under attack on social media, hearing nightmare stories from other victims, including the circuit clerk, the county clerk, county commissioners, and the mayor.
Nine days later, despite significant support from victims and readers, I quit. That was the day someone let the air out of my brand-new tires while I was parked in town attending a county commission meeting.
This is a side job? This is remote work? These are God’s people?
Well, then let God deal with them. (Or the IRS, or the WV Attorney General.)
Should good works excuse bad behavior? Does prayer replace proper paperwork? Frankly, in this day and age, it seems so. But what makes it so terrible and traumatic is that these are all good people I have known or seen as good (except maybe one). These are people whom I have, for the most part, carried some level of respect for.
They are all good people hoping for good things in their impoverished community. Even now, I hope the promises come to fruition; that the ends will somehow justify the meanies.
I shouldn’t have written this; shouldn’t post or share it. It’s nothing more than a new target placed upon my own head. I’m criticizing do-gooders. I’m messing with a millionaire determined to “save” her hometown. There is hope and momentum and faith, and I’m playing Devil’s Advocate.
How dare I?
This is me waving to the mob mentality, to those who have such distaste for civil discussion, swill hate so easily, and swear that God is on their side.
God says I should forgive them, and extend love to them.
I guess I’ll add them to my prayer list.