When Should We Abandon Our Friends?

The lovely and talented Mrs Wright holds forth on a difficult topic:

http://www.ljagilamplighter.com/2015/04/15/superversive-blog-when-should-we-abandon-our-friends/

This subject has been quite topical recently. I thought a longer treatment than fit in a Facebook comments box was due.

Imagine that you had a friend. He was clever and funny, loyal, brave and generous. He had done some wonderful things for your family.

BUT he posted some very odious ideas online.

Let’s say he was, oh, a racist.

Maybe he hates Blacks. Maybe he’s anti-semite. Maybe he is racist against whites.

Point is: it’s ugly.

Now, there are worse things than racism in the grand scheme of things: supporting fathers honor killing their own daughters or those folks in England who wanted to make it legal for parents to kill their babies.

Those are worse.

But racism is pretty bad.

It is judging someone based on the assumption that they were made in some other image and likeness than the Almighty, the One Altogether Lovely.

So, there you are. You have this friend. You have good reason to like and be loyal to this person, but what he prints online is totally odious. Under ordinary circumstances, you would remain friends with him.

But the Internets gone wild and people you like and respect are calling for his head.

What do you do?

She goes on to contemplate the pros and cons of cutting him loose or facing the fire. Worth a read.