Observations

The topic I originally came up with was to look at videos and comments made in response to the Youtube video, "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus." However, I wasn't going to look at just any ol' response. No, I stated that I was going to hone in on Christian responses. Well, this is still accurate of my primary focus, however I believe it will be beneficial to look at many different video (and comment) responses whether they are Christian or not. This will open up an opportunity to compare and contrast how other religious beliefs react versus how Christians react to a "Christian" video. On top of that, there can further be a comparison of the Christian Church's reaction versus the Youtube users who generally haven't earned a doctorate in theology. My primary focus, however, will remain on the Christian responses to this video whether those Christians are in agreement or disagreement, and that, my friends, is where things become interesting.

I have only watched a handful of video responses and yet the opinions vary widely even amongst Christians. Is this a surprise? Well, perhaps to some it is, but to me it isn't a shock. First of all, the internet is open to all. Come one, come all! That's what the internet offers, which leads to myriad of opinions, thoughts, perceptions, etc. With the internet so readily available to millions of individuals, of course one is going to come across different opinions, even within one's own set of beliefs! This is where a line starts to appear, the line between official and lived; what you do and say at church versus your actions at home, at work, or at school (Or on the internet. *hint, hint.* See where I'm going with this?)

I watched a few different videos in preparation for this post and I specifically chose videos that seemed as though they would have interesting views whether that reason be because it argued with the original video or defended it or added to it.  One thing I  will point out as something that I find interesting is just how many responses have been created in light of this video. I would also like to point out the fact that this video is about one year old, give or take, and there are comments being posted as recently as four minutes ago. Literally. I just checked. There are still conversations, and extremely heated debates, still thriving on this video that's a year old. That's impressive for our short attention span society! So what is it that is spurring these Youtube users on? Why do people fight so vehemently, especially over the internet, about their religious beliefs? Well, as far as 'why on the internet,' that's easy: It's safe. There's no danger of things going further than verbally violent. So the second part is, why such a fuss about religion? Easiest answer: People are passionate about it. That passion is spurred on by religion's, and theology's, goal to answer questions that both fascinate and frighten people. What is ultimately true? What is good and evil? What happens after death? Where is joy found? These are just a few questions that different religions attempt to answer, and people either adore, accept, or abhor the answers religion provides. Anyway, I digress.

Back to the videos I watched. The first was a video response named "Why I Love Religion, and Love Jesus." Well, I think it's relatively easy to tell from the title where this response is going, but let's look at  it. This video is a Catholic response and the description of the video states it was made "in a spirit of love, but also with a spirit of passion...to be direct about what [they] believe and what [they] stand for." Using scripture and the spoken word, in the same format as the original video, this response is made as a critique and disagreement, albeit polite, of the original video's message. Even this video, a mere response to the original, has comments being made today ranging from people praising it for what they find to be truth to people claiming all religion is a scam. The second was a video who also posted in the same format as the original (spoken word), but he seemed to agree with parts and disagree with others. The third video, and the one I found most interesting, was a response by a Catholic priest, Father Barron, who was asked by his students to post a response to "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus." His response is interesting because it is by someone who has dedicated their life to the study of Scripture and theology, and the practice of religion. He discusses the pros and cons of Bethke's (maker of the original video) theology and the information being presented. Fr. Barron even says toward the end, I'm paraphrasing, that he agrees with Bethke that corruption in the church is not good and something that should be changed. He also points out that saying you dislike church corruption is like saying you dislike rotten eggs. Of course it's not going to be liked, that's a given. He also says that if you look for church corruption it's going to be like fish in a barrel, you will find it rater easily. But he also argues that Jesus did not come to abolish religion as Bethke is claiming. In the end Fr. Barron says he is opposed to Bethke saying that "Jesus did not come to abolish religion, but to fulfill religion."

One of the interesting things about these responses on Youtube, and the original content itself, is that it isn't necessarily calling anyone to action or even openly attempting to persuade anyone. The way I see these videos are as informative communication. The first is meant to 'open Christians' eyes' to the dangers of organized religion. And yet people responded strongly, and interestingly, many responses in the comment section are persuasive in nature rather than informative. Plus, the fact that it is on the internet rather than face to face with someone, people are more willing to fully disclose their opinion on the matter. In some ways, this may open communication about religion, particularly between Christians or between Christians and the secular. However, something I've noticed is that in some ways it seems to close off conversation. You would think with lack of boundaries it would only open, but that's not the case. Because people are so passionate and arguments get heated, one can almost see the dissension and animosity growing until one person passionately exclaims, "All Christians are--!" or "All Atheists are--!" or any number of other religious traditions. Thus, judgement is formed and communication is severed in many cases.

One of the limits of using Youtube to practice one's faith is the lack of true communication. Since it is a computer screen that you're responding to (not technically, but that's how it seems many times), it seems to decrease the notion of being polite or understanding. I read comments on Youtube that I would be shocked to hear out loud in an actual conversation. People don't hold much back when posting things on the internet whether they be video material or comments; individuals aren't afraid of the repercussions of posting online, because let's face it, there aren't too many threats of consequence.

The primary message, be it true or not, that seems to connect the different responses is that religion may be somewhat subjective, even within the practitioners of one religion--in this case, Christianity. When watching responses to the original post, one finds opinions varying from outrage, to agreement, to acceptance--and all claim to be under the umbrella of Christianity.