My Little Devotional: "Ill Repute"

Inspiration for Today’s Devotional: “Sweet and Smoky”

Garble had a secret. He had a love for something (beat poetry) that set him sharply apart from other dragons and, if it became public, would lead to mockery and bullying. He was so ashamed of it that he not only hid it from his peers but adopted a bullying persona of his own and targeted someone who looked even “weaker” and “less dragon-like” than him, namely Spike. Over the course of the series, he used his own teasing and torment of Spike to not only make himself look better in front of his friends but also to boost his own self-image.

That was…until Fluttershy confronted him and pointed out how Spike was ironically braver and bolder than him, because Spike wasn’t ashamed of who he was in front of others yet Garble was. As a result, he eventually made his own talent public regardless of ridicule and helped save the next generation of dragon hatchlings; earning the commendation of Dragonlord Ember.

Back when MLP:FIM was still on, I tended to only focus on the more positive aspects of the fan community. It wasn’t until after the series had ended that I realized there was a very large negative sect that had proven themselves to be antagonistic both to potential new fans and to those who already liked the show, driving them away. Yet looking around at other popular media, it doesn’t take long for anyone who is a fan of anything to realize that toxic “fans” are part and parcel for anything.

The fact is everything that you could possibly like has a group that seems to “ruin it for everyone else”. Whether it be due to harassment, bullying, or simply atrocious behavior that they feel they’re entitled to simply because they’re a “true fan”, these are people who behave so repulsively that other people who are fans end up, like Garble, wanting to distance themselves from something they love simply because they don’t want to be associated with anything that could reflect negatively on them.

Unfortunately, this sort of thinking is what eventually kills most fan bases, including MLP:FIM. If new fans are driven off and old fans leave to avoid these hostile individuals, then eventually the only people who are left will be the toxic fans themselves. Hence the descriptor “toxic”. Essentially, the behavior of these groups is poison to the very thing they claim to love more than anyone.

Recently I was listening to a series of Reddit posts that was on this very thing. It went through several people’s stories that were all the same: they had something they loved but were ashamed to be public about it because there were a number of people who liked the same thing but acted so entitled, snobbish, hostile, hateful, elitist, etc. that it stained the reputation of anyone associated with the thing; to the point where saying one liked it would be setting most people up to hate them too. Most of these were things like other fan groups, hobbies, or lifestyle choices.

One that struck me, however, was one post by a Christian who claimed to be a pastor (of all things) who was sometimes ashamed to tell anyone he was a Christian because he didn’t want to be associated with churches that had embraced and fostered more hateful ideologies (such as racism and xenophobia) and had become obsessed with increasing their own power and influence over the Kingdom of God.

And this brings me to the crux of today’s devotional.

Trying to claim that the Church has been perfect, either now or at almost any point in history is, frankly, seeing the world through rose-tinted lenses or even blinders. Even when Paul and the Apostles were still walking the Earth they had to discipline churches (and even each other at some points) that were in danger of turning into poison to the early Christian communities (1 Corinthians 1:10-17; Galatians 2:11-14, 3:1-14). If even they had to deal with Christianity turning toxic in its inception, how much more do we have to deal with that same behavior now?

Historically, people who claimed to be righteous and God-fearing have used the Church as an excuse for waging wars, conducting genocide, executing the innocent (including other Christians more righteous than their persecutors), and setting up systems of power designed to give a group of corrupt elite dominion over everyone else. And while corrupt churches might not wield as much influence and power as they used to in order to cause widespread harm, the danger of corrupt churches both to others and to Christianity as a whole is as ever-present today as it was in older days, and requires just as much constant vigilance and discipline to keep it from taking over.

However, the biggest danger from toxic churches such as this is the fact that Christianity, at least in the USA (though I have to imagine elsewhere as well), has undergone the same effect as the aforementioned fan communities. The name of Christianity has been so tainted in many places that even to mention the word “Christian” conjures images of con-artist preachers, corrupt priests covering up atrocious behavior, or people publicly rallying about how much God hates everyone who isn’t them. And I fear that the end result for many Christians is the same as what happened with that one pastor who posted on Reddit–we don’t even want to say we’re Christian publicly.

The end result will be the same as what happened to the MLP:FIM fan community: only the toxic people will be left to run everything and will confirm the image beyond any doubt.

Lord Jesus warned us that if we are ashamed of Him before others, He, in turn, will be ashamed of us before God. “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26) It is simply not an option for us to hide that we are Christians. On the contrary, we were told that it is our duty to be the Light of the World and the Salt of the Earth.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16)

The impetus to us is that people are to see the good that we do and give glory to God. And the truth is Christianity still does bring good to a lot of people, in spite of being overshadowed by public perception. Some of the nicest and most welcoming people I knew in college were Christians, and they encouraged and helped me through some of my darkest and most depressed times. I have two different family members who were addicted to drugs and alcohol who were able to get into recovery as a result of turning to Jesus, and their demeanors and lives also changed for the better as a result. And then there’s the testimonies I’ve heard at my mother’s own church from people coming out of the darkest and bleakest situations...ones I know I myself could never have gotten through...by the power of God. Whenever I’m tempted by the perception of Christians as being conceited little power-hungry xenophobes rather than having any meaning or power behind their faith, I often think of these people and how much they changed and were able to stand up against this world’s negativity and their own bad circumstances. They end up confirming to me that Christianity is more than just a word but is a life-changing experience of power and faith.

If we as Christians feel like our image is being drug through the mud and the message is being overshadowed by human greed and corruption, then the Bible doesn’t tell us that the way out is to run and hide or keep our faith a secret. On the contrary, it’s more important than ever that we live up to the command to be the “Light of the World” and strike back, not only against corruption within the Church but against the public image. It’s up to each one of us to do what we can to show people why we believe in God, why the power of Lord Jesus’ Sacrifice is so real and effective, why this faith really does change lives for the better, and why we think the Kingdom of God is worth promoting.

To coin the more modern proverb: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Suggested Prayer: “Lord God, thank you for your Word and its instruction to be on guard against those who may falsify or corrupt it to suit their own ambitions and desires. Please grant me a love for your Word and a clear mind and conscience so that I can learn the true messages that you wish for me to hear. Grant that I always remember that I am your representative at all times to all people, and that I truly live up to your command to be the ‘light of the world’ for your Kingdom and Glory. Gratefully in Jesus’ Name, Amen.”