Trayvon Martin... are we honoring Christ in how we respond?

I’m not even going to try and wade into the legal mumbo jumbo of the recently decided Trayvon Martin case.  Better, and in some cases, lesser minds than mine, have already said probably too much regarding this tragic situation. No matter which way the jury decided, a significant part of our country was going to be upset.  Sadly, it is where we are as a country that when there is a significant case that revolves, even tangentially around race, we will not agree. But it is not that disagreement that has me wishing there was another way. It is how we have decided to disagree. I have seen good friends call each other idiots, fools, racists, stupid and ignorant.  And this is just what I can print.  If you look across the blogosphere, from both liberals and conservatives, you will see an amount of vitriol that surpasses anything in recent memory. Not only does there not seem to be a way to disagree agreeably, there is a surprising lack of interest in either side to consider the point of view of the other. This would not be so unnerving to me were it not for the fact that a great majority of the people of whom I am speaking claim to either love God, follow in the steps of Jesus, or be Christians. If you know me, you know I’ve always struggled to connect the teachings of Jesus and Paul to where we live our daily lives.  Some days are better than others for me in this regard.  Like many, I too often lose my temper, especially when driving and will let lose with an indignant dry of “Throckmorton” or worse when someone cuts me off or is not driving as I think he or she should. It’s a bad habit and I know it, but I try to keep my indignation confined to my car and my unlucky companions at that moment. However with the Martin case, people have decided to publicly let loose with all sorts of venom.  Facebook, twitter and any other social sites are full of contempt for anyone who dares to have a different outlook on this case.  It seems as if both sides have dug in, decided the other is wrong, and have thrown caution to wind, confident in the strength of their position. This is no holds barred trench warfare and let the loudest voice win, regardless of the impact on friendships, or how it makes the family of God look.  Leonard Sweet once asked the question “Would we rather be right, or in relationship?”  Clearly it seems many have chosen to be right. Is it any wonder people look at Christians and ask why anyone would want to be part of such a loving bunch. I doubt the angels are rejoicing today in heaven at how we are conducting ourselves.