I'm interested in truth & what it means for individuals & humanity. This re-vamped blog is dedicated to truth and honest questions about faith in Jesus Christ. It is an effort to engage in authentic dialogue among Christians, Atheists and all points in between. Posts that do not honor legitimate discussion may be removed at my discretion. That doesn't mean that you can't disagree, but it DOES mean that you can't be a jerk. Welcome to the discussion.
2Timothy 2:23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
I recently participated in a frustrating Amazon.com blog. There were a few people who actually wanted to have an intelligent discussion, but they were soon drowned out by ignorant detractors who preferred to make it a contest to see who could come up with the wittiest insult. Everyone with a brain got frustrated and left the discussion. When people resort to insults and taking what they "think" is the intellectual high-ground instead of having an intelligent, respectful conversation with a person who sees things a little bit differently than they do, their ignorance and their true (petty) nature show. So if you are here to be rude; say goodbye. We all have a LOT to learn, so willful ignorance and categorically rejecting challenging evidence are inexcusable for true students. I wish I could say that Christians do not fall victim to this tendency, but oftentimes we do. In fact, it has been my experience that Christians can usually come up with more caustic insults and quick condemnations than their atheist counterparts. My brothers and sisters, this should not be! When Jesus says to "love your enemy" I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that witty insults and snappy put-downs are not what he had in mind either. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in "The Cost of Discipleship" says that, "The only way to overcome evil is to let it run itself into a standstill because it does not find the resistance it is looking for. Resistance merely creates further evil and adds fuel to the flames. But when evil meets no opposition and encounters no obstacle but only patient endurance, its sting is drawn, and at last it meets an opponent which is more than its match." Nowhere is this more applicable than in a dissenting discussion where one side has decided to sling mud (usually because they are incapable of better tactics). I know that when we are insulted we feel justified in firing back. It is almost impossible to resist it in fact, but resist we must.
Please keep in mind that comments which do not honor the spirit of legitimate dialogue may be removed at any time and without notification. You are free to disagree passionately, but not inappropriately. -CL
2Timothy 2:23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
ReplyDeleteI recently participated in a frustrating Amazon.com blog. There were a few people who actually wanted to have an intelligent discussion, but they were soon drowned out by ignorant detractors who preferred to make it a contest to see who could come up with the wittiest insult. Everyone with a brain got frustrated and left the discussion.
ReplyDeleteWhen people resort to insults and taking what they "think" is the intellectual high-ground instead of having an intelligent, respectful conversation with a person who sees things a little bit differently than they do, their ignorance and their true (petty) nature show. So if you are here to be rude; say goodbye.
We all have a LOT to learn, so willful ignorance and categorically rejecting challenging evidence are inexcusable for true students.
I wish I could say that Christians do not fall victim to this tendency, but oftentimes we do. In fact, it has been my experience that Christians can usually come up with more caustic insults and quick condemnations than their atheist counterparts. My brothers and sisters, this should not be!
When Jesus says to "love your enemy" I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that witty insults and snappy put-downs are not what he had in mind either. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in "The Cost of Discipleship" says that, "The only way to overcome evil is to let it run itself into a standstill because it does not find the resistance it is looking for. Resistance merely creates further evil and adds fuel to the flames. But when evil meets no opposition and encounters no obstacle but only patient endurance, its sting is drawn, and at last it meets an opponent which is more than its match." Nowhere is this more applicable than in a dissenting discussion where one side has decided to sling mud (usually because they are incapable of better tactics).
I know that when we are insulted we feel justified in firing back. It is almost impossible to resist it in fact, but resist we must.