Here’s a rant for your morning joe.

I try to remain tolerant of divergent opinions. And while I am far from blameless on many issues, I’ve learned a bit over the last 54 years (heck, I’ve learned a lot over the last ten). Still, there are some inalienable truths for everyone:

1. We are entitled to believe what we want to believe — about people, rules, government, politics, fashion, food, religion, entertainment,  literature, philosophy, medicine, and whether or not the Browns will ever see a Super Bowl other than on TV.
2. When we believe in a thing passionately, it’s hard — actually, well nigh impossible in many cases — to sway us from our conviction about it.
3. It is relatively safe to say that, where politics are concerned, no minds are changed.

And yet, the social media battles wear on. Yes, I’m talking Twitter and Facebook. Facebook: a place I frequent to see photos of my friends, “talk” to them via posting and message, and basically catch up on what everyone’s up to, and enter into an engaging discussion or two. You know; the no stress type of stuff. And then…

Send in the clowns.

Never in my life have I ever seen such vile, vicious, personal attacks on an elected official — by CHRISTIANS, who by any other measure are kind and gentle people. But bring up the government shutdown or the Democratic Party, and some of them turn into ugly, unforgiving, relentlessly cruel trolls, looking for the next internet drainage to post as truth (“Obama refuses to close his favorite golf course! Pass it on! Make it viral!”) How do I know this? Because I saw it, just this morning — not only on Facebook, but on several news sites.

Now Guns ‘n God folks: before you go gettin’ yer dander up, I’m mad at President Obama, too. I’m disappointed that he crawled away from the Common Core debacle. I’m angry that he hasn’t seriously addressed the student loan crisis. I hate the ongoing wars, and what they have cost our government and our families in lives and livelihoods. And there are other things I’m not happy about, but this, as you know, is not a place to discuss political issues. I’m not on about that; rather, I’m on about mean people, who, on one side of their Facebook wall, quote endless bible verses and share memes about faith and preach the gospel of Christ and peace and love and kindness, and minutes later, spew poison about how Obama the Muslim should be assassinated, and wouldn’t that just do us all a favor, or how maybe a cruise missile should be aimed at the White House.

I’m not saying that Christians can’t get frustrated and mad, or can’t choose to dislike someone. I consider myself a person of Christian faith, and I’m mad as a wet hen right about now. I’m mad at Governor Kasich; he needs to leave office in a big fat hurry, before his policies destroy what little is left of neighborhood schools in Ohio. But some of the rhetoric I read about him — people lobbing horrible, personal insults at him and wishing him bodily harm — makes me cringe. Not when faithless people do it, mind; rather, when self-professed followers of Christ do it. I mean, go ahead. Be as nasty and profligate as you like to another child of God. But don’t stand in church on Sunday with your hands raised and your head back, singing “Open the eyes of my hearrrrrt” and expect me to think of you as anything but a contemptible hypocrite.

There. That’s said. Now…what’s for breakfast?

Caveat: I love reading comments! But be advised that any policy-oriented rants will be deleted. No one wants to read yet another partisan diatribe about how the Republicans are ruining Ohio, or how the Democrats have mortgaged the nation. This is not the place where anyone gets on their high horse. ‘Cep me, of course.