Introduction
The attitude toward opponents is a rather frequent theme in the Bible, the perspective on which shifts gradually, yet the general idea of retaining animosity and viewing their perspective as illegitimate remains mostly the same. For instance, in the Gospel of Luke, the portrayal of opponents as people filled with fury is exemplary of the attitudes toward opponents: “But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus” (Luke 6:11, The New International Version, 1983). The specified stance could be contradictory to the teachings of Jesus, Who encouraged people to be kind to each other and treat one another with dignity and respect (The New International Version, 1983).
However, the demand for unwavering faithfulness o God, which Jesus also promotes, could be seen as the reasoning behind the need to oppose the divergent views with ferocity. However, the described approach represents an ethical dilemma between the need to oppose the ideas that appear to be ethically or religiously wrong and the need to treat others with kindness and dignity, as well as learning to live in peace and, therefore, being able to compromise. Since the theme of Jesus and His opponents remains contentious throughout the Bible, leaving no single answer to the problem of disagreements, the specified ethical conflict has seeped into present-day relationships within the Christian community, as the latest situation in the sociopolitical lives of Christians, namely, the opposition between Republicans and Democrats, shows.
Ethical Issue
The attitudes toward treating the opponents and their opinions have been quite a contentious issue, to which even the Bible could not provide a consistent answer. Specifically, whereas the teachings of Jesus initially promote the concepts of humility and resignation, the perspective that some of His students provide when relaying His words is far from being just as humble and non-belligerent.
Biblical Era: Unbridled Ire
Remarkably, the specified ethical dilemma as it is observed in the Bible could be traced to the stereotypes of behaviors observed during the Biblical era. Namely, since piety was typically attributed to masculinity, the idea of approaching the conflicts with opponents from the perspective of humility and, therefore, encouraging the notion of a peaceful search for a compromise would not seem out of place during the specified era. The Gospel of John supports the specified idea by explaining the sacrifice that Jesus would make to absolve the humankind from sin: “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed” (Luke 20:18, The New International Version, 1983).
Nonetheless, the choice between trying to understand the place from which the opponents’ arguments come and the willingness to incinerate those with the opposing views remains one of the major ethical dilemmas observed in the Gospels of John and Luke. Despite the focus on piety as one of the major masculine threats and, therefore, the expected stance that one is expected to take when approaching a disagreement, there is an evident sense of ire in the expression of the attitudes toward those with opposing views.
Modern Approach: Slight Changes
Remarkably, even with the tremendous changes that have been made to the ethical and political landscape since the events described in the Bible, humankind still struggles to brace the idea of a compromise and the concept of human dignity as the basis for treating the opponents. The propensity toward dehumanizing those holding alien viewpoints has been especially prevalent in the recent sociopolitical discourse, where political tensions appear to have reached their pinnacle. As a result, the demonization of opponents, which has been occurring on both ideas of the debate, has become a ubiquitous phenomenon seeping into both the everyday discourse and the media representation of the subject matter (Sotomayor, 2021). For example, a recent article published in Sotomayor (2021) portrays the described hostility toward political opponents very vividly: “Republican leaders initially sought to distance themselves from Greene when she was running for Congress last year.” Thus, the ethical dilemma of eviscerating the opponents versus attempting at understanding them and reconciling with them is still alive in the modern community.
One could argue that nowadays, the idea of demolishing opponents does not suggest the same brutal destruction that it meant in the Biblical era. While the specified statement is true, the intentional misrepresentation of opponents and the refusal of each option for reconciliation come from the same place of fear and hostility as the examples from the Bible offered above. Nevertheless, the signs of people’s unwillingness to search for a compromise and accept the others’ right to hold a different opinion on a certain issue are quite clear nowadays, particularly, on social media. Therefore, the same propensity toward intolerance toward the opposing opinion can be observed in the present-day social setting.
Conclusion
Although a significant amount of time has passed since the events that took place in the Bible and the present day, the need for greater tolerance rates and the improved ability to accept others’ opinions as valid remains urgent. Moreover, a rise in sociopolitical confrontations in the online setting and the resulting rift occurring between different political sides, specifically, Democrats and Republicans, indicates that humankind needs to return to the foundational values and ideas taught b Jesus, including love and respect for one another. Thus, the opportunity for restoring global peace will emerge.
References
Sotomayor, M. (2021). Rep. Greene’s fundraising haul alarms detractors, who warn she represents a dangerous side of American politics.Washington Post. Web.
The Holy Bible. The New International Version. (1983). Zondervan.