So this post is going to take a step away from the norm and instead of dealing with Lalaith and Threnody's posts, deal with some of the other responses they've received to their blog. This may turn into something of a rant. . . 'cause it ticks me off and with good reason.
You know that saying, "If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all?" There should be another one that says, "If you can't say something SMART don't say anything at all." Not, if you can't say something that you think makes you LOOK smart - something that is actually smart. So if you don't know the difference, Shut up. When in doubt, don't say it.
Don't respond to their blog acting high and mighty. Don't respond to ANYONE that way. Just because they left and you didn't doesn't make you better. You're NOT better. I'm not better. So get off your high horse and realize that without God's grace that would be all of us and none of us would care. You can't treat people like they're idiots and expect them to listen to you. It doesn't work. All you do is make things worse. Again, SHUT UP.
Stop acting like, because they left, they're suddenly dummies who don't understand anything. They didn't lose intelligence in the transaction. They don't need you to talk down to them like they're little kids. So many things I've seen posted that make no kind of sense and just make Christians all look ridiculous. When you say something stupid and attach Christianity to it, understand that you are making CHRIST look stupid. Please think about that for a good long time.
Also, take stock of WHY you're posting and make sure it's for good reasons. Don't dare to do it for yourself. Don't do it to "spread the story." Do it because you think it's right; do it because you want to be helpful; do it because you care about them or other people; do it because you want God to be magnified. Do NOT ever post anything for you. You will be the opposite of helpful EVERY time.
You know what it does to their thought process when you say really stupid things and act like those things are somehow spiritual? It just gives them confirmation that not being a Christian is the exact way to go. Please, PLEASE, be careful what you say. Please THINK before you open your mouth (or release your fingers onto the keyboard). Some of us are praying for them; some of us are their friends; some of us want so badly to see God save them; and to put it bluntly, you are pushing them the opposite way. You aren't just "playing Devil's advocate" - you're BEING the Devil's advocate. So please, PLEASE - shut up.
Around 15 of my readers have emailed me personally in reference to your words today. Many of them are questioning your position exactly on whether or not Christ really is God.
ReplyDeleteSome questions I have for you are:
1) Do you believe God is truth or fiction?
2) If you believe in God then why are you writing against other Christians?
3)Why do you support writing that is clearly disposed to leading people away from truth?
Please-- this post of yours requires urgent attention. You are openly attacking the Gospel, and making a lot of people feel like Christianity is a lie.
We are looking for answers.
In this post, you also wrote that my blog, Seriosome.wordpress.com, is "BEING the Devil's advocate." You also told us to shut up. It is interesting that our blog is very openly standing in and for the Light.
There comes a day when all of us must pick a side of the fence to play on. If you choose to remain on top of the fence looking down, you very well might fall over to the other side. Please respond so that the increasing amount of readers can tell whether you are a Christian, or not. The suspense is killing us. Literally.
http://www.seriosome.wordpress.com
I appreciate this post. While I know that not all Christians are like the ones you reference, they do seem to be the vocal minority.
ReplyDeleteClayton: Yes, Christ is and always has been God. God is true. If Christians are in the wrong, I'm going to write against what they said - it's not against them personally. I write against what's wrong. I'm not supporting writing that is disposed to lead people away from truth. If you actually read my posts, I very obviously make arguments against that part.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't do is engage in name-calling and mud-flinging against the writers themselves.
I am not attacking the Gospel at all (PLEASE, show me where I attack the gospel), and if people think that anything I said goes against Christianity, either they are greatly misunderstanding me or they don't know understand what Christianity is.
Lastly, I never said that you or anyone else specifically was being the Devil's advocate. I never named anyone or any blogs. I never said that the people who have done what I was posting against ARE the Devil's advocate - I said they are BEING it. It's the difference between when someone, like me, is habitually clumsy, and someone else does something clumsy.
If someone IS the Devil's advocate, that is what they are. I am clumsy. If someone is just right now BEING the Devil's advocate, that doesn't mean that's what characterizes their life. It means they made a mistake.
Hope this helped clear some things up for you and your readers.
PS - As for your comments about the grand popularity of your blog, that proves absolutely nothing. Evolution is also terribly popular. Not proven. And, like I've stated before, posts that advertise your blog is will not be allowed (which is why everyone else is confused at this part). That's not what this is for.
Also, to all of Clayton's readers who have apparently taken an interest in this blog, Hi. :) By all means, please feel free to contact me directly if you have questions. Things get lost in translation very easily and I wouldn't want to add to any confusion by inadvertently making you go through a middle man. You can email me from my profile page.
ReplyDeleteMatthew 18:15-19. Nuff said.
ReplyDeleteMatthew 18 is talking about church discipline. This requires two things: 1) two Christians who know each other and 2) that they both belong to the same local church.
ReplyDeleteI am not in the same church with anyone that I'm talking about. Therefore, that doesn't apply. That's also talking about someone wronging me - not someone saying something false. In addition, some of my post was the direct result of someone who posted anonymously. I'd love to know how I'm supposed to contact them in private.
No, public error merits public correction. I refer you to Galatians 2:11-21. When Peter made a public error, Paul "withstood him to the face" and in verse 14 it was "before them all." No, not all errors require taking it into private. In fact, the more public and more erroneous, the more likely that it NEEDS a public correction.