We have all seen the devastation that is literally destroying a nation overseas. It’s plastered over all forms of media: from pop-culture entertainers using their celebrity status to raise support, to social media such as hashtags for Japan, and of course continual coverage on the news.

In recent memory of natural disasters –– Haiti, New Orleans –– we have seen the international community rise up to pay homage and aid the people in need. This situation in Japan had been no different –– until a young woman, among many others, mind you, decided to take advantage of the crisis through social media.

YouTube user posts controversial video

Under the fake name of Pamela Foreman, YouTube user “Tamtampamela,” a self-described Internet troll, recently posted a video online claiming God answered her prayers and that the atheistic nation of Japan received a just treatment for their beliefs.

To make matters even worse, she describes herself as a Christ follower and happens to be a former Biola student. She is also an active contributor in the online forums of the fictional, Landover Baptist Church, who makes it their life goal to satirize evangelicals, appearing as believers. The founder, Chris Harper, was also a student at a Christian university at one point.

Foreman claimed that after one day of prayer and fasting, God answered by “shaking the country of Japan.”

Really? Exploiting a natural disaster to get a couple (er … nearly a million) hits on your YouTube account? I sit wondering what a person has to go through to lose all sense of social accountability and reason.

Whatever Foreman went through, a few things become evidently clear.

Trolling shows stupidity

The first is that Internet trolling — a term used by the blogosphere to define those who deliberately pick fights or start ruckus via Internet discussion boards and videos — is ridiculously stupid, but it occurs every day. Don’t be that guy or gal sitting behind a screen with some screen name façade as you post your opinions on sports, religion, politics, fashion, whatever. Who really appreciates those people? No one.

You don’t want to finish reading an inspirational column on a young woman who is blind but does some heroic feat like taking care of animals, and then see someone comment with a wisecrack Helen Keller joke. It’s just stupid.

Biolans are not perfected

The second is we need to realize Biola doesn’t perfect people, and we shouldn’t rely on it to cleanse us of our needs. Biola is a great place, but far too often we view it as an end-all, save-all, problem-solving faith fixer. We need to realize that people can leave Biola heretics, atheists, God-haters and agnostics.

Both faculty and students need to work hard to harvest a community that encourages one another so perhaps we can prevent this sort of thing in the future.

Accountability is key

Thirdly, we –– although very indirectly –– need to hold some sort of accountability upon ourselves and accept some of the blame of these events. This isn’t the only story of a Biola alum or former employee losing touch with Biola’s vision. Whenever someone with seemingly major psychotic needs does something drastic –– from school shootings to Internet trolling –– the people around them have to take part of the responsibility. No, we didn’t film her doing this, but somewhere in her life I’d be willing to bet and assume that Christians really hurt her.

Perhaps she felt outcasted by those around her, fueling her need for attention. We’re all part of the body of Christ. We still need to love on people. We all have our quirks anyhow. So, invite the hermit who lives next to you out to lunch sometime. Go out of your way to be uncomfortable so maybe they will feel comfortable.

Solutions start inside the church

Perhaps if we try to improve the conditions of the church on the inside, the people on the outside will stop thinking we are idiotic fools running our mouths off.

Foreman eventually posted another video explaining that it was a joke, but did not really apologize. Her reason for putting up the second video was because she was “tired of eating pizza” out of fear of leaving the house.

Keep people’s needs in mind

One final note: don’t be ignorant to the needs of people like Foreman. They exist and they’re right here among us. We are all fallen and have significant issues in our lives. Just because someone may be so different that it makes you uncomfortable, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t reach out your hands to them.

It starts with following Christ’s command not to judge others. Let’s listen and stop all together. Enough with the Torrey jokes, pointing at students who ride scooters, and staring at those who decide to dress differently.

Finally, it’s especially time for all of us to stop judging the depth of others’ faiths. We all need a lot more Jesus anyway.