ZAP! POW! ZOWIE! KABOOM!

The Cowardly Crusaders of Cyberspace strike again in their never-ending struggle for half-truth (or untruth), social injustice, and not-so-American-do-as-I-say-but-not-as-I-do way. You know their modus operandi—they use malicious gossip, half-truths, and outright lies in their self-righteous attacks—whatever it takes to win—whatever it takes to make themselves feel self-righteous. Sometimes they use their real names while hiding behind the semi-anonymity of their keyboards and say horrible, unverified, and unjustifiable things that they wouldn’t have the courage (or the gall) to say to their targets in person. Sometimes they hide behind fake profiles and email addresses, often with obscene names they would be ashamed to own, thinking their anonymity protects.

And they think themselves brave.

They demand for violence and hatred against others while pretending they are the arbiters of peace and love. They incite to riot, but hang back, not endangering themselves. The ends always justify the means to these cowards. They strive to take down the enemy by any means necessary—as long as they themselves, hiding behind their keyboards and their fake names, are safe.

And they think themselves heroes.

They pronounce condemnation without facts to back up those accusations. They don’t even go to the trouble to find out if there ARE any facts to back up those condemnations. The truth doesn’t matter as long as the lie, half-truth, or gossip supports their self-righteous cause. And any lives they destroy along the way, any innocents that are slandered, injured? Well, those victims are justified collateral damage in their unholy war. Because, as they will tell you (but never to your face), no one is innocent who doesn’t conform to their twisted misperception of reality.

And they consider themselves righteous.

They think they are invulnerable behind their masks, because they assume no one will see what they do in the dark. They act as if their writing style (or lack thereof) or their IP addresses don’t give them away.

It’s not that hard to figure out.

Someday, we will all have to stand before our Maker and give an accounting of our actions and our words (spoken in person or from the cyber shadows). Do we think the Savior will say, “So, you gossiped, so you lied, so you bore false witness against your neighbor, no big deal. So, you practiced hatred, but you hated all the right people. So, you ignored the commandment, ‘Ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.’ (D&C 64:9-10, emphasis added) You had a good excuse, right? They were in the wrong, so you are in the right. Right?”

I don’t think so. The Lord has said the very opposite. But, hey, maybe I’m just one of the people who deserves the hatred, the lies, and the cowardly attacks.

Some people get behind their keyboards, thinking they are the virtuous Dr. Jekyll, then they simply let their inner Mr. Hyde out. Well, for those who haven’t read Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic work, Hyde only wins because Jekyll is weak and cowardly and secretly revels in the anonymity of Hyde, indulging all his basest instincts. Hyde IS Jekyll and Jekyll IS Hyde.

SPOILER ALERT: Jekyll is not the victim, he is the villain.

Once we cross that line, once we let Hyde out, we are not brave, we are not righteous, we are not the hero. We are no longer the victim. We have become the villain.

Just like the Cowardly Crusaders of Cyberspace.