Don't laugh when you read the title, because this story was just that, a Twitter War. I had always heard of celebrities become a part of a Twitter rant and such, but I have never saw or became a part of it. But this was very much a battle to the unresolved end between myself and one other.
What started it all was a quote that I found in my church bulliten and since it was a symbol of Presidents weekend, I found it appropriate to post it. It reads, "It is impossible to rightly govern without God and the Bible" -George Washington. Not that bad right? Apparently I wasn't the only person trying to honor that day because there were multiple posts with that quote.
But there are always some that try to discredit things that are said. Whether it is a religious leader or a political leader or scientist. Last night the person stirring it up on Twitter was @GoodReasonNews. I'm not sure of his religion. I'm thinking atheist or some other anti-God religion. Not that I have anything wrong with that, it is just that people that bash other ideologies is what causes religious conflicts. And his comment was, "Your Washington quote is a hoax, he never said that." And then he provided a link. You can read the full conversation here.
But some other things he said were, "Why don't you try to find where and when he said it? You won't find it, because he never said it...Try doing a search for that phrase, yr results will be A) Right-Wing/Bible sites' unsubstantiated claims B) Evidence it's false...Finally, if u knew anything about Wikipedia, you'd know it A) is as reliable as an encyclopedia B) Provides sources, unlike you....The burden of proof always falls squarely on the shoulders of those making the claim. The onus isn't on me. Prove he said it...How irresponsible. Prove to me that Washington didn't say "I love buttsex with farm animals." Prove he didn't! Just as silly!"
I could understand that the quote could be a hoax, but he would only provide information that didn't mention it or a site like Wikipedia which will not prove anything solid in society. And the whole time he was trying to prove to me that it didn't exist, while I was trying to get him to bring some solid evidence to the table.
Interesting huh? Here is what I replied with,"Your report and claim cannot be relied on. Come on, ANYONE can edit Wikipedia. I'll consider it when you get a Historian...He may not have said it, but you have yet to show me substantial proof that he didn't say it...Your resources so far are Wikipedia, Wordpress, links to Amazon, and even sources that are no longer on the web... No respected college accepts Wikipedia as a source. If you took that to a professor they would throw it back in your face... I'm not a historian, so I couldn't quote to you everything he said concerning religion. But you don't seem to either."
If you read the full conversation exactly as it happened, you will be able to see the heat that was produced during the whole thing. He also did this to several other people, and they have given the same response. Some have thanked me for the things I have said that night.
I finally had to walk away from the situation. But only after I told him that I would blog about the event and get the American public to hear about the claims that he was making. Listen, maybe the quote was made up. But the problem is that he made it more than just about the quote. It was a personal attack towards religious groups that respect the quote.
And not only does that attack the religious groups. It attacks the patriotism of not only the nation, but the President that led us to the freedom that so many died for. That is the purpose of Presidents day, and it is people like you, @GoodReasonNews, that divides this great nation in so many ways.
So I have a challenge for you. There are so many directions of research to go in to find the truth about this quote. I challenge you to find a reliable source that talks about this quote and when Washington said it. If you find anything, place it in here and I'll talk about it in future posts.
All in all, even if the quote isn't real, so what? Just because it may not be real doesn't mean it does not have real truth behind it. And despite all of the religious differences, people need to respect the beliefs of others even if they see differently.
-Tyler
Glad you posted this, Tyler. It shows you're thinking. One objection: if the quote isn't real, the 'so what?' is that that's what our entire conversation was about. I respect people, but I don't respect beliefs particularly when those beliefs are founded on lies. If your belief is that The Bible is historical, I have a problem with that belief, but not with the person.
ReplyDeleteHowever, that's not the belief being discussed here. The belief we're debating is whether or not George Washington said this 'impossible to govern' quote. That's pretty easily solved. If he said it, there would be a record of it. Letters in his own writing, speech transcripts, some source for this quote. I only know Lincoln said 'four score and seven years ago,' because it was written in the Gettysburg Address. It's verified history.
This Washington quote is not verified history, it's David Bartonesque made-up history invented out of wholecloth for the political purpose of reframing the founders of this country as devout Christians when, much of the time, that's not the case.
Trying to disprove a quote is like trying to disprove a god's existence. Proving a negative is logically impossible. The person making the claim (either "God exists" or "George Washington said this") is responsible for providing evidence to support their claim.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, I want you to disprove this claim: Fairies come into my apartment at night and make a big mess.
Also, point of interest, atheism is not a religion (including not being protected under federal non-discrimination laws.)
I'll be really succinct: I don't need some Bot Tweep to lecture to me. @GoodReasonNews is annoying and thus blocked. LOL
ReplyDeleteYou were much more eloquent than I.
If you post something, even in a relaxed social media environment like Twitter, and attribute that to a historical figure, Or, at least, someone you personally respect, shouldn't you be responsible for making sure that information is true?
ReplyDeleteIf George Washington was alive and considered your statement to be both false and harmful to his reputation, you could be sued for libelous statements. You should be more responsible with your communications on the internet since they can have real life legal consequences.
Besides that, assuming someone's religious beliefs or putting words in someone's mouth is pretty rude and inconsiderate.
I think @GoodReasonNews was just trying to keep you accountable for things that you say on the Internet. It's a great lesson to learn.