Finding the courage to use my voice…again

When I started blogging many years ago, I was an introvert trying to find my voice. Speaking spontaneously is not my strong suit. For years, I kept my mouth shut because I didn’t want to sound stupid. My introverted mind needs time to process my thoughts before I speak. Writing allows me to compose my thoughts and to express myself thoughtfully.

Unfortunately, something besides introversion is now keeping me from freely speaking my mind.

I live in a country that is extremely divided by politics and religious nationalism. Truth has been thrown to the ground. Evil is now called Good. Anyone who speaks out against the Trump regime risks being ridiculed, condemned, alienated, and even threatened.

These days, I often zip my lip to avoid antagonizing Trump supporters. It’s hard because silence in the face of evil is acquiescence at best. Some would say it is complicity.

Building a wall to protect myself

Several months ago, I put MAGA family members on a restricted friends list on Facebook. Restricted friends only see what I choose to make public, which primarily consists of pictures of nature.

I also put friends from church on this list because I don’t know whom I can trust. I have learned that many people who claim to be Christians are easily triggered by any criticisms of Trump.

Church is too often the most risky place to be spiritually honest.

Pete Enns, Author

Why restrict this subset of friends from seeing valid criticisms of Trump and the Republicans who enable him? I know that I will lose friends if I share my opposition to Trump. By building a wall, relationships have remained intact, but the friendships are not deep or genuine.

Ardent Trump supporters only see what they want to see and only hear what they want to hear. Their minds are closed. If I share posts that are critical of the Trump regime, I am unlikely to influence them. They have been misled by the media and by false teachers for years.

Understanding Cognitive Dissonance

I suspect that many MAGA Christians experience cognitive dissonance – the psychological tension caused when a person’s actions are not consistent with their beliefs. For example, if you believe that sexual assault is morally wrong, but you support an adjudicated rapist, your conscience should be troubled. You should feel uncomfortable. If you believe that judging people by the color of their skin is wrong but you support a racist, you should feel ashamed of yourself.

I used to think that when presented with facts, reasonable people would change their minds. I was wrong. Cognitive dissonance causes people to avoid sources of information that increase dissonance and seek sources, including conspiracy theories, that reduce dissonance.

Why is it so hard for Trump’s supporters to admit they are wrong about him? Why do they lie to themselves?

Because most people see themselves as good, smart, ethical and kind, when confronted with evidence that they did something bad, foolish, immoral or cruel, they tend to reduce dissonance not by changing their positive self-concept but by justifying their behavior.

Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson, Brandeis Magazine

Social psychologists Carol Tavris and Elliit Aronson say that “[s]elf-justification is the most common way of reducing dissonance whenever the self-concept is threatened.” When a person is emotionally invested in a movement or cause, they convince themselves that their actions are justified.

Little old me has no hope of getting through to MAGA friends and family. I feel like I have no choice but to separate myself from them. I pray that God will open up their eyes to the truth.

Finding allies

I still occasionally share political or religious posts on social media because I can’t pretend that these are normal times. Since I don’t knowingly share content with ardent Trump supporters anymore, I may be preaching to the choir.

Because there is so much opposition to Trump, I know that I am not alone. Two of my former pastors now speak out against Trump. I ran into a few people from church at the No Kings protests.

I admire the bravery of Christians who speak out frequently, like Amy Hawk, Paul Kahnke, and Jason Chukwuma. Others understanably choose to post anonymously, like a man who calls himself A Country Pastor.

Why do I want to speak out? What are my objectives?

• demonstrate what it really means to follow Jesus
• expose religious nationalism as heresy
• protest against authoritarianism
• expose corruption and abuses of power

Introversion no longer keeps me from sharing my thoughts. The problem now is that it feels like no one wants to listen. At this point, I lack the courage to risk losing more relationships. Ultimately, I have to be faithful to Christ, so I may eventually need to let these relationships go. I believe that God wants me to use my voice to speak the truth, not just about what I believe, but more importantly, about who He is.