OK, look at the logo above. Now read a quote from the sermon that Pope Francis delivered on the Feast of Epiphany:
I would like to tell all those who feel far from God and the church — and I say this respectfully to those who are afraid or indifferent: The Lord loves you and wants you to be part of his people and does so with great respect and love!
Now, which of the two approaches is most likely to get a lapsed Christian to consider returning to the Church?
Didn’t Saint Nicholas go about slapping heretics?
According to the legend, the council fathers stripped Nicholas of his clerical garments and his Bible—symbols of his status as a bishop—and threw him into jail for his brutish behavior.
As the legend continues, St. Nicholas was visited by Jesus and the Virgin Mary, who loosened his bonds and returned his belongings.
The next day, St. Nicholas was discovered in the prison cell with his vestments and his Bible in hand. Constantine took the miracle as a confirmation of the Holy Trinity and released St. Nicholas immediately.
To sum up, St. Nicholas’s story is not a model for how regular internet-using dorks like us are to proceed when faced with speech and behavior of co-religionists with whom we disagree. 🙂