Kim323
Paranormal Maven
After the bruising battle on the Jesus thread, I really would like to ask the administrators if there are any rules as to posting. I went back through the whole thread, trying to see where it went wrong so it got so vile. It may sound self-serving, but I see it starting out as fact based, but when two particular members began to be challenged with opposing facts, the posts began by them to be more personal against Christians, and just plain personal. I reread everything, I saw my own rising frustration, I made accusations of not discussing fairly, of not giving equal time by reading and responding or even acknowledging my own suggestions, I tried and tried to stick to the subject of the thread. I don't claim perfection. But I just think some things went beyond the pale when a particular group began to be attacked on a very personal and vile basis, because arguing the facts became frustrating as these two posters were challenged. I found the attacks to be more and more personal against Christians and me as a Christian. I saw that I had apart from the beginning just mentioning that I was Christian, I had not approached the subject from that perspective, and kept repeating that I was trying to argue facts. Here are some things I just consider beyond the line, in no special order of chronology or significance, just off the top of my head and in rereading and getting some quotes. Now, to me, the key thing is NOT that these things were said to come from the Bible. The clear intent was to make these practices modern and apply to the Christians who are YOUR OWN relatives, friends, colleagues, fellow posters, the man and woman next door or up the street, the people sitting in a congregation, and on and on and on. These things were said to hurt, to demean and ridicule, and to ignore that no one disputes that the Bible has some unsavory elements, that it was written by men, that anyone reading a history of the huge thing that is the Christian church over many, many centuries would deny that the church, and the churches, have perpetuated horrors. It can also be said that history shows that the Christian church(es) has been torn apart, examined internally and externally, and has changed, and is still growing. I say this as someone who has truly studied, researched, and taught these things over many decades. Having said this, these things were said to malign personally, to fold up in one cloth, your neighbors, your relatives, as I said above. Christians are
1. misogynous and cruel to women
2. racists
3. they currently burn and beat
4. stupid and gullible
5. part of a mob
6. conned
7. white folks
8. indoctrinators of children
9. damaging to children who attend church
10. suffering from a disease of superstition
11. bigots and spreaders of bigotry
12. sexist
13. child abusers and killers
14. murderers
15. I could go on and on. These things are directly stated as applying to modern Christians, me, you, your neighbors, etc.
Quotes:
1. "people like Kim, part of a howling mob that put people like me to death"
2. "oh, we can say it was the "church" but its power came from the individual, people like Kim"
3. this member's view of himself: "to speak up on behalf of all those who were executed by this cult for seeing the truth and saying they did"
4. this member is "the doctor administering the cure, it feels good"
5. "people like Kim leering at me as I burned"
6. "I remember the burning times. I don't forgive and forget."
7. Concerning Lot in the Bible, but clearly meant for me, your neighbors, in modern times, right next door: "As a home brewer I can atest (sic) to the old adage too drunk to FFF fornicate......." and on and on, and then, "Try running that one up the flagpole of the local magistrate 'Yes your honour, I did get both my daughters pregnant, but....'"
I could go on and on. No group deserves this. It was not to point out acknowledged crimes in the Bible, it was to attack a group currently existing. Again, I got personal myself as it pertained to criticizing these things above, for getting off the topic, for not addressing the points I made, but I never got this personal. I chided, I made fun of, I got frustrated, I pointed out this and that, but I never got vile. I just wonder if there are any rules at all. Kim
1. misogynous and cruel to women
2. racists
3. they currently burn and beat
4. stupid and gullible
5. part of a mob
6. conned
7. white folks
8. indoctrinators of children
9. damaging to children who attend church
10. suffering from a disease of superstition
11. bigots and spreaders of bigotry
12. sexist
13. child abusers and killers
14. murderers
15. I could go on and on. These things are directly stated as applying to modern Christians, me, you, your neighbors, etc.
Quotes:
1. "people like Kim, part of a howling mob that put people like me to death"
2. "oh, we can say it was the "church" but its power came from the individual, people like Kim"
3. this member's view of himself: "to speak up on behalf of all those who were executed by this cult for seeing the truth and saying they did"
4. this member is "the doctor administering the cure, it feels good"
5. "people like Kim leering at me as I burned"
6. "I remember the burning times. I don't forgive and forget."
7. Concerning Lot in the Bible, but clearly meant for me, your neighbors, in modern times, right next door: "As a home brewer I can atest (sic) to the old adage too drunk to FFF fornicate......." and on and on, and then, "Try running that one up the flagpole of the local magistrate 'Yes your honour, I did get both my daughters pregnant, but....'"
I could go on and on. No group deserves this. It was not to point out acknowledged crimes in the Bible, it was to attack a group currently existing. Again, I got personal myself as it pertained to criticizing these things above, for getting off the topic, for not addressing the points I made, but I never got this personal. I chided, I made fun of, I got frustrated, I pointed out this and that, but I never got vile. I just wonder if there are any rules at all. Kim