News-Record.com

The following id a Counterpoint

By Susie Barnes

Francie Portnoy was inspired to write "How can Christians be so mean-spirited" (Counterpoint, Dec. 22) after reading a Leonard Pitts column. I'm rarely inspired by Pitts. He'll use anything to bolster his opinion of what is right and wrong with the world, rarely looking beyond his favorite stereotypes. The N&R editorial staff publishes his column probably because it's easier to run it than to ferret out other more worthy material.

The N&R wasn't just lazy when it picked Portnoy's Counterpoint, it was asleep at the switch. Her article was one-dimensional, and she lumped all Christians together under a single umbrella. Since the label "Christian" describes millions of people all over this planet, her generalization is patently untrue and should've been rejected by the N&R as a waste of ink.
Portnoy wants us to believe that this enormous group of people are all prune-faced, judgmental people. A vast percentage of Christians strive to emulate Christ as well as demonstrate his love for others and aren't as judgmental as she thinks we are.

That acquaintance of hers isn't mean-spirited because she's a Christian. She's mean-spirited because she's a butt-head. Butt-heads come in all different stripes, ethnicities, religions, genders and sexual orientations. People who hurt others do so because they don't care about anyone else's feelings. They just want to prove how smart, clever, right or righteous they are. That's what her acquaintance was doing, being a butt-head.

You know what to do when confronted by butt-heads? Ignore them. The more attention these people attract, the stronger they get and the worse you feel. Don't talk to this woman, don't open her e-mails, don't return her calls.

Maybe the next time the N&R gets a letter like Portnoy's, it will consider whether it will add to the free exchange of ideas that typifies a good opinion page. I would also hope that Portnoy opens her eyes and sees how many Christians there are who stretch themselves toward the kindness end of the spectrum. They outnumber the butt-heads tremendously.

The writer lives in Greensboro.