[Updated: 24 Jun 2016 — see postcript.]
Know how people say that no one has ever changed their mind because of an internet post?
Well prepare to be amazed, because I have an example of someone who did: me.
Often — and I’m guilty of this myself — when we encounter a posting that runs counter to our opinion it only reinforces our currently held belief. This cognitive bias has been studied repeatedly; we tend to dismiss items that refute our position and, even when faced with factual evidence that we are wrong, we tend to hold onto our opinions with even greater fervor.
In some cases, we’ll even hold two completely contradictory positions, which can lead to discomfort — cognitive dissonance — as we try to maintain our illogical stance.
This happened to me last night.
Last week, in the wake of the Orlando massacre, Pastor Roger Jimenez of Verity Baptist Church in Sacramento, Ca., walked to the pulpit and praised the killings, characterized the dead as predatory pedophiles, and said that the only tragedy was that the deaths stopped at a count of forty-nine. He posted a video of his sermon on YouTube (it has since been removed as hate-speech), and the backlash was harsh and immediate.
Yesterday, a Facebook meme from God (@TheGoodLordAbove) hit my feed. God linked to a follow-up article: the landlord who rents space to Verity Baptist Church has asked the church to vacate their tenancy, effective immediately. God include a single word of comment: SMITE!
Chuckle chuckle, I said. Hehehe. Good on ya, God.
At which point I began to choke on a super-sized portion of my own hypocrisy.
Cognitive dissonance came with an immediate headache — I’m talking physical pain, here — and the inability to hold two ideas in my head at the same time. You see, I’ve long been a proponent of equality for members of the LGBT community, and as such, I hold strong opinions about all these so-called “religious freedom” initiatives that have been weaseling their way through state legislatures across the country. Whether it’s a Colorado baker who refuses to bake a cake for a gay wedding or a county clerk who refuses to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, my position has been stalwart and unshaken: one person’s religious freedom cannot infringe upon another’s rights in a secular society. If you open your shop to the public, you must accept all members of the public, not just whites, not just straight folks, not just the ones you like.
So, when I found myself fist-pumping for the landlord who refused to rent his buildings to someone they didn’t like, I had a quandary. The landlord here was doing the same thing to this (admittedly repugnant) pastor that the Colorado baker had done to the two guys who just wanted to get married.
And if one was wrong, so was the other.
It took me about ten minutes to actually get both ideas in my head at the same time, and it took me another ten (or more) to puzzle out what the issue (summarized above) really was. Then I went through a period where I dissected both situations, and tried to maneuver my way to some sort of exceptional reasoning that would allow me to maintain both opinions at the same time.
In the end, I realized I had to change my mind.
And so it is that I have to say that I stand with the pastor, the radical Christian extremist, and condemn the landlord. As reprehensible as the pastor’s opinions are, as totally un-Christian as I believe his sentiments to be, he cannot be kicked out of his offices because of his beliefs. The landlord has no more right to unilaterally break the lease and kick the pastor out because of what he says and thinks than a Colorado baker can refuse to bake a cake for a couple because they’re of the same sex. As long as the pastor and his congregation aren’t harming the facility or engaging in illegal behavior, they cannot be removed.
I don’t like it, but Pastor Roger Jimenez of Verity Baptist Church has every right to be a total ass, a blithering bigot who spouts hate in the name of love, and an example of everything that is wrong with religion. It’s his right, as long as he doesn’t incite immediate violence or break laws, just as it’s my right to denounce his vile words and cruel ideology here. Dammit.
Thanks, God.
k
[Update]
PS. New details regarding the landlord’s handling of Verity Baptist Church’s tenancy allow me to change my mind again, this time in favor of the landlord. The landlord is not breaking the lease, has informed the tenant the the lease will not be renewed, and will allow the tenant to break the lease without penalty, should the church wish to do so. However, the post above is still an accurate description of my mental machinations at the time when I thought the landlord was breaking the lease.
Unraveling Time
Desert Wind
Ploughman's Son
Ploughman King
The Year the Cloud Fell
The Spirit of Thunder
Shadow of the Storm
The Cry of the Wind
Beneath a Wounded Sky
Cryptogenesis: A Memoir
Kurt R.A. Giambastiani 
[…] Cognitive Dissonance Resolved […]
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Amen! Exactly why I’ve never understood people who kill doctors who perform abortions (are there levels to “Thou shalt not kill” I didn’t see in the Bible?)…. Or those who pull the video feed on C-SPAN (I think it was?) during the Democratic sit-in (these are the folks making laws based on the Constitution, which provides for free speech and the media’s right to remain free from governmental control)…. Or….
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You have to do a lot of ad-hoc justification to hold on to two contradictory positions like that. I know the pro-lifers will argue that killing one to save a thousand is a justifiable defense — you know, the old “If you could go back and kill Hitler before he came to power, would you?” conundrum. Of course, you have to ignore little things like putting yourself above the law, turning yourself into judge, jury, and executioner, and other pesky details.
I’ve been having a discussion with a friend over on FB. She’s trying to explain why this situation is different than others (like the baker refusing the gay couple). I’m not saying that the situations are identical — they’re not — but in my opinion the similarities outweigh the differences, and so I feel they must be treated in a similar manner.
As for the GOP turning off the CSPAN cameras during the Dems’ sit-in, well, I think that may have backfired. A bit.
😉
k
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Cognitive dissonance is very harsh, it means to live in tenses, the uncomfortable push and pull and for one to go there is crazy, but I, like yourself, go there as well. The thing is here, if the renter was inciting support for a terrorist group and saying publicly that more americans should be killed, does the landowner have the right to vacate the rental agreement? And why?
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All speech is not protected under the First Amendment. Incitement to immediate violence (believe it or not, called “fighting words” in legal terms) is not protected speech. Hate speech, though, is protected, in most cases. It’s why I can burn the American flag on my lawn in protest or why neo-Nazis can spout their filth without legal repercussions.
The pastor wasn’t inciting immediate violence against homosexuals; he was praising the person who did the killing. He didn’t encourage his congregation to go out and do likewise. Even telling his flock to send money/support a terrorist group would probably be protected. This is hate speech, but not “fighting words.”
So, absent any actual illegal action, and absent any damage to the facilities rented, I don’t see that the landlord has a basis for breaking the lease.
What the pastor _did_ do (imo) is slander the individuals killed and injured at The Pulse in Orlando. By calling them predators and pedophiles, he has denigrated them and brought disrepute upon them, but that’s a civil case, and I think you’d have a hard time proving damages.
In short, the pastor has “kept to the windy side of the law” while being thoroughly reprehensible.
Thanks for the comment!
k
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Technically he is not breaking the lease, he is just not renewing it. And I am going to have to disagree with you on this because we have moved into an era where even if I say, lets say on a plane for example, Isis should bomb more Americans, you can bet I would be arrested. And if someone who is a verbal terrorist supporter you bet they would be fired from their job. We are entering a new time where even people saying mindless things on the internet are getting arrested. That isn’t freedom of speech. Speech these days carry intent or possible intent. He took a terrorist act and praised him for it supporting violence. So no, that isn’t just hate speech, that is intent to ‘teach and condone’ terrorism in the US whether he referenced just gays or not.
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Thanks for the comment. You’ve raised some interesting points.
You’re right, the landlord is not breaking the lease; he has asked the pastor to leave, immediately, with no penalty for breaking the lease, has stated that they will not renew the lease (which is a different situation). So, I really don’t have a problem with the landlord’s actions; my conundrum sits entirely within my own conflicting opinions, wherein I was originally OK with the landlord kicking someone out (or not renewing the lease) but not OK when others refused the business of LGBT folks. My basic point (which is easy to lose in the details) is that I find it inconsistent to insist that one business takes the custom of a group I support, while simultaneously cheering on another business that denies the custom of a group I abhor. THAT is where I hit the dissonance.
As to your other point, I see it, and we may have to simply disagree. However, I would counter thus: if a plane passenger can be singled out, harassed, and told to change clothing because he’s wearing a shirt that says “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” then we are obviously trampling over civil rights in our desire for safety on a plane. It doesn’t sound like you’re in favor of folks being kicked off planes or losing jobs because of what they say (I might have misinterpreted that), but I can tell you that I’m not comfortable with those actions, simply as a matter of free speech.
It is a thorny, knotted issue, and I don’t presume to have the answers. Ultimately, I want all people treated fairly and equally, even those with whom I disagree. I do believe that we are curbing or infringing on our constitutional rights — in the name of safety on one hand, and in the name of religious freedom on the other — and I don’t like it. A whole segment of our population is moving toward fascism and totalitarian rule.
Speech has always carried intent, and we can debate whether or not the pastor’s words were hate speech or “fighting words” separately. The bottom line (for me) is that a person who hasn’t committed a crime shouldn’t be refused service by a business.
Anyway, I really appreciate your thoughtful response. Thanks!
k
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I get what you are saying and I love the discussion that brings more sides to it, that’s all. I am actually in favor of people getting kicked off planes and losing jobs over those things lol. I was just adding a point of contention that those factors (like the illustrations I gave above) now have a different meaning where intent is automatically investigated and held as potential action rather than freedom of speech. And crossing that line is a wave rather than a solid line. Therefore we should also take from that and consider the implications, (just as we do with terrorism) for all hate speech. Thats all I am saying. The field has now changed. I go back and forth with this too you know, it is a very sticky issue. I am for freedom of speech but not hate speech (nor are you I know). I think certain matters cannot be held in simplicity of thought which is why I am grateful for your post and dialog. Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
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Thanks for the debate. You’ve given me something to chew on this weekend. Have a good one.
k
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Postscript added to post.
k
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Yup. I’ve struggled with the horns of that dilemma before in similar high profile situations. It’s resulted in frustrating conversations around the dinner table (with me often reciting the lines, “Yes, but…”). I agree with you, as much as I wish I didn’t.
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