Neutrality Is A Myth

My husband listens to Jarrin Jackson on YouTube, and the other day I overheard this statement: 

"Neutrality is a myth....." 

It stopped me dead in my tracks. What a dynamic and profound statement spoken in truth. 

This saying has been playing over and over in my head since then and has been a main subject of my hubby and my conversations.

Let me say it again...

"Neutrality is a myth."

You see, when some of my siblings and mom was fighting over my dads care and who dad chose to be his Medical POA, there were a few siblings who would say that they were 'neutral' ...that they were not picking a side, which ultimately made matters worse, because they would not stand up for what was right or truth. 

"There is no such thing as neutral. There is no position, no placeholder, that doesn't carry with it some subjectivity based on our experiences in the world."

My hubby and I have always believed that life is black and white. There is always two sides and even if you say you aren't choosing a side, you still ultimately pick a side by your words, or actions, or lack of....

“What hurts the victim most is not the cruelty of the oppressor, but the silence of the bystander.” ― Elie Wiesel

"Its been said that neutral men are the devils allies, and that the hottest place in hell are reserved for those who remain or claim to be neutral in times of moral conflict."

Here's the thing... if you are a professing Christian.... there is absolutely no way you can be neutral in any aspect of life. 

The explanation is simple:

Matthew 12:30 KJV:

Jesus said “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." 

Matthew 12:30 NLT:

"Anyone who isn't with me opposes me, and anyone who isn't working with me is actually working against me."

Jesus draws a line in the sand. Whoever is not with Him in the work He is doing is, by definition, against Him. Whoever does not help Him in His mission to gather the lost into His kingdom is guilty of scattering them.

To be neutral is to be against the work of God. Nobody can remain neutral on the issue of Jesus. He demands full acceptance and participation in His mission from those who are with Him. 

Anyone who does not join Him is on the other side, no matter how much he or she may wish not to have an opinion (John 3:36). You can read it all explained here.

If you love God, and have a relationship with him, you will chose to side with truth, and whats right, not just on biblical matters, but in all areas of your life. If, not, you cannot claim to be a Christian. 

So what exactly does it mean to be neutral? 

- Neutrality is the tendency not to side in a conflict (physical or ideological), which may not suggest neutral parties do not have a side or are not a side themselves. Neutrality implies tolerance regardless of how disagreeable, deplorable, or unusual a perspective might be.

There is no such thing as being neutral. “It’s a code word for existing in the system. It has nothing to do with anything, but agreeing to what is, and always will be — that’s what neutrality is. Neutrality is just following the crowd”. 

We must pick sides, and when we pick a side we must be able to defend our reasoning for choosing that side. 

Claiming yourself as neutral is choosing the side of the dominant. “… neutrality is the best way for one to hide his or her choice… if you are not interested in proclaiming your choices, then you say that you are neutral.” 

If someone is choosing to be neutral or claiming to be neutral in hopes of keeping a relationship with both the dominant and submissive then they are hoping for the impossible. You cannot play both teams. Pick one and fight for it to win.

There is no way to remain neutral, and to believe that we can be neutral is where the danger lies.

“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” 

― Martin Luther King, Jr.

Most people never think being neutral is a bad thing, because they think that to be neutral appears as not harming one side or the other, but the truth is this: You can never truly remain neutral.

For example, when a car is in neutral it is either not moving or it is going whichever way gravity decides to pull it. Or, if two different people were pushing it, one from the front and one from the back, it would go in the direction that the strongest person was pushing. If we are like cars in neutral then we are going with the flow of society. To be neutral is to be the true danger to society. 

“Neutrality is at times a graver sin than belligerence.” ― Louis D. Brandeis

Not being neutral can seem scary, for sure. But it’s much less so, when you frame it in the positive. Chosing a side, taking a stand,, speaking up for kindness, for what is good and right -for truth, is empowering. 

 Life is black-and-white, there is good and evil, right and wrong, and heaven and hell - there is no in-between. So pick a side, stand up for what you believe in, and fight for it. Don't hide behind a fake facade of neutrality.

So, I say yet again....

Neutrality is a Myth.