Dear Matt Walsh: Don’t Be Such a Toxic Jerk

Dear Matt Walsh,

I have seen posts from themattwalshblog.com shared by some friends on Facebook. These people are strong valued, conservative Christians who love to read and share thoughts that are in line with their own values. I have read many of the posts myself, and you seem to be a very thoughtful person with some genuinely helpful and intelligent things to say. So here’s the deal:

Your blog is toxic.

You claim to stand for Christian values, but instead I see the promotion of hatred and antagonism toward anyone who doesn’t agree with you.

You have accused those who suffer from porn addiction of adultery and supporting the creation of child pornography, which will only serve to further shame and alienate the men and women who suffer from this very real struggle.

You talk down to feminists and homosexuals as though you are better than them. You have made it clear that you are ignorant of the very real struggles that both groups face on a daily basis.

You appear to have no genuine interest in engaging with or understanding anyone who disagrees with your opinion. I think the thing that is the most upsetting is that people actually agree with what you have to say.

I am here to tell you that you can stand for your values without being a self-righteous, sarcastic, judgemental bigot.

Here’s the deal: you’re giving loving, accepting, open-minded Christians a bad name. Stop using good Christian values as an excuse to beat others down. Use them to build people up. You can do it with love, acceptance, understanding, and humor.

No really, Matt Walsh, you don’t have to be a jerk all the time. You don’t have to be a bully. Inflammatory language may get you more traffic to your site, but in the end you are just providing a negative influence on those who read your blog.

You can be nice. You can be open-minded. You can seek to understand others before passing judgement. All of that starts with making a conscious effort to treat everyone with respect.

Some of my closest friends are atheists, Christians, feminists, intellectuals, homosexuals, heterosexuals, Mormons, and more. I have found that in every circumstance, learning to listen to someone is the first step toward understanding them. You don’t have to agree with someone to love them, but you can’t run your mouth and insult them either.

So it all comes back to the golden rule. Just be nice. Seriously, the world would be a better place if you did. I can’t stand your sarcastic vitriol any longer.

3 thoughts on “Dear Matt Walsh: Don’t Be Such a Toxic Jerk

  1. Joel-Kayleigh Wolsey Reply

    Thank you for writing this Zac. I feel the same way when I read Matt Walsh’s posts. I am frustrated that many of my friends and acquaintances are persuaded by Matt’s opinions and blatant bigotry when, as you are saying, we should simply be actively trying to be tolerant, genuine, and nice to each other.

    As an ex-mormon atheist, I feel that I lose some credibility in the eyes of many of my friends and even family who simply don’t understand that it’s possible to be a truly good person without sharing the same beliefs that they do. You are helping to show people that Matt Walsh is wrong from everyone’s standpoint, including that of LDS members.

    In the last few years, I’ve learned two very important lessons:
    1. The importance of unconditional acceptance and true empathy towards everyone, regardless of background, belief, sexual orientation, etc. MANY people preach this and actually believe that they practice it, when in reality they are judgemental and feel superior to those who don’t share their ideals. The fact that a person may feel that they’re right is not a good reason to deride others. True empathy requires an honest and continual effort to understand the struggles that people go through.
    2. To keep a truly open mind and have the courage to admit when you have been wrong… even if it means rejecting beliefs that you’ve held for a long time.

    Thank you once again for writing this Zac. We all need to be proactive in speaking out against bullies like Matt Walsh.

  2. Michael Standage Reply

    I think Matt Walsh should grow his beard out, then he could at least look like Jesus.

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