Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 6:1). I wanted to start with this scripture, and it will make sense as we go on.
We hear a lot about "virtue signaling" these days. What is it exactly? How is virtue signaling similar to compassion? How is it different? Is it right or wrong? What are some ways we virtue signal?
The Oxford Languages online dictionary defines virtue signaling as, the action or practice of publicly expressing opinions or sentiments intended to demonstrate one's good character or the moral correctness of one's position on a particular issue. In other words, it is demonstrating your own goodness in a way that others can see. Sometimes, it is done in such a way where others are not allowed to disagree with you without looking like the bad guy.
Virtue signaling can look like compassion. A view is stated, and it makes the one expressing it appear to be good, kind and caring about others. Maybe they really are. A small example I see every day is that the deodorant I use contains the statement on the back: vegan and cruelty free. The makers of this deodorant want me to know they didn't harm animals. By saying this, there is an implication that companies that do utilize animal products are cruel, while they themselves are not. This appears that my deodorant company is compassionate toward animals, and maybe they really are. Maybe a love for animals is at the heart of what they are doing, but in stating it as such, they are subtly putting others down. And here is a question. They might be cruelty free toward animals, but are they really cruelty free in every area of their lives? Are the employees of this company treating each other with respect? I don't know them at all, so I can't say, but I find that when people have to virtue signal like that, there is some hypocrisy somewhere. A truly compassionate person (as they purport themselves to be) is compassionate across the board, not just toward their target group (in this case, animals). By the way, I love this deodorant for what it does and how it works, but I didn't buy it because of this claim.
A while ago, bumper stickers were very popular. I haven't seen them as much (at least not in as much excess) in recent years, but I remember a time when most cars I saw out on the road had bumper stickers. These stickers could tell other drivers where this person stood. They could share something about their religion, the political candidate they espoused, or where they stood on a given issue. Some of these stickers could also fit the definition of virtue signaling, even bumper stickers I agreed with. How many people are going to change their views just because they saw your bumper sticker, stating a belief that opposed theirs? I once saw a bumper sticker that said: Catholic, the original Christian. As a Protestant (more specifically, a Baptist), I sort of saw this as the person trying to say that they were a better Christian than non-Catholics. I didn't really care much, or let it get to me, but that was virtue signaling. It was saying, "I'm better than you, because I'm original." There are a lot of ways to examine that statement (and there was a reason for the Reformation), which I won't go into right now. But seeing this bumpers sticker didn't make me say, "Wow, I want to be original too. I'd better convert to Catholicism!" If this Catholic driver really wanted to convince Protestants of the truth of his statement, he should engage people in conversation about why he believes as he does. A virtue-signaling bumper sticker won't do it. And the same is true of all little virtue-signaling barbs. A bumper sticker that says "Pro-life" isn't going to make a pro-choice advocate say, "Oh my goodness! I need to change right now!" And yes, I am Pro-life. We need to have a realistic view of how our statements will affect others (usually, they won't affect anyone at all. They will only tell people where we stand).
My historically-minded husband reminded me of many past examples of possible virtue signaling. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, building a bomb shelter in your backyard was the thing to do. You did this because you saw the Soviets as an imminent threat, and believed they were going to bomb the US out of Cuba. You loved and wanted to protect your family. It is not too difficult to imagine people who did this as judging those who didn't build bomb shelters, and saying things like, "I built a bomb shelter because I love my family," thus implying those who did not build them didn't love their families. This is one of many examples where fear, patriotism, or concern with world events led people to these actions, and then led to an inflated sense of virtue over their decisions.
A more current example of virtue signaling dressed up as compassion is someone posting a Facebook meme that says something like: I got my Covid Vaccine because I value human lives, or this meme's cousin, I don't wear a mask for me, I wear it for you. By using this example, I am neither encouraging nor discouraging the vaccine. That isn't the point. Let's look at that, and at other, similar statements. The implication here is that the person sharing this statement believes that the vaccine (and/or masks) saves lives. If someone truly believes that, then it sounds like, by getting the vaccine (or wearing the mask), he or she has acted in integrity within his or her own conviction, which is the right thing. But he or she should have stopped there, rather than advertising it and drawing attention of how good and supposedly loving they are. According to the verse we started with, Matthew 6:1, these memes are completely against Jesus' teaching. Okay, so the person did what he or she believed was right in getting vaccinated (or building a bomb shelter, or being part of the "original church," or being vegan and cruelty free), but if that is a righteous deed, it should not be advertised publicly. If it is, all rewards from the Lord are lost. The attention they get on Facebook (or from others in person) is all the reward they will receive (Matthew 6:2, They have received their reward in full.).
There is another, deeper problem with this kind of public advertising about getting vaccines, wearing masks, or anything related to current events. There are good people who disagree with each other about these things. For that reason, sharing how virtuous you are by doing these things goes beyond just saying something good you did (which is already wrong to do, per Matthew 6:1). This is starting a conflict with other good people who might not agree with the conclusions you have drawn. To say I built my family a bomb shelter because I love them, or I got my vaccine because I value human lives is to imply that those who disagree don't love their families or value human lives. That's painting other people in an unrealistic and very bad light. A truly balanced and mature person realizes there are beautiful, smart, and virtuous people who disagree with them. If someone didn't believe the Soviets were about to launch the missiles on the US out of Cuba, their lack of building a bomb shelter had nothing to do with not loving their families. They simply didn't see it as an imminent threat--and history has proven them correct. By the same token, if someone doesn't believe the vaccine saves lives, then by not getting it, they do not see themselves as a threat to human life, nor do they see getting it as particularly loving. They have an entirely different view than the person who got the vaccine to save lives. Both people are doing what they see as right, and for the best of themselves and others. That being the case, it isn't fair to paint others as not caring about human lives, or to imply you are more virtuous, or value life more, just because your belief propelled you in a different direction. That is so narrow-minded. Even if you believe the other person is wrong, don't get into questioning the integrity behind their choice.
As I said about the vegan and cruelty free virtue signaling on my deodorant, when people make these statements, are they actually being hypocritical? If someone gets a vaccine to save lives, that's great, but are they driving safely on the road to save lives as well? Many more people die from car accidents than Covid. If we really care about lives, we will be careful in all areas, not just the current hot topic area. We need to examine our own hearts on this, and make sure our motive is what we claim to be. If our goal is to preserve lives, we need to be doing that in every way possible, not just the controversial one. This also means watching what we say, because the tongue has power of life and death... (Proverbs 18:21). You can wreck someone's life by what you say. If you get a vaccine, but are mean to others, you have accomplished nothing!
Returning for a moment to the idea of those with other viewpoints still having integrity, the Bible even testifies to the fact that someone can do the wrong thing, but do it with a clear conscience. Genesis 20 tells about how King Abimelek took Abraham's wife Sarah for himself, believing she was available. Abraham had lied to him, saying Sarah was his sister. When the Lord revealed to Abimelek that Sarah was Abraham's wife, Abimelek said, I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands. (Genesis 20:5). God replied in the next verse, Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience... The Bible doesn't paint Abimelek in a bad light. It paints him as a man of integrity who made an innocent error, based on false information he was given. God didn't allow Abimelek to touch Sarah, and He directed him to give Sarah back to her husband. God directs those who truly want to hear from Him. We need to recognize that there are people of integrity, being directed by God, who may not feel led the way we, ourselves are. If we truly believe someone is wrong, then making simplified statement about the issue, or painting yourself as more virtuous, is not going to change the other person. Take time to understand them, then share why you believe and act as you do. One-on-one conversations are a lot more effective than prideful statements.
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