posted on Jan, 10 2014 @ 11:04 PM
I really don't know how many more or less authentic, intrinsic Christians there are on ATS. In terms of active posters of such ilk, my impression is
only a half dozen or so.
I haven't counted . . . but my rough impression is that in an average week, there are 3-5 or so brazenly baiting hostile to Christians/Christianity
threads posted.
The dog-piling of "the hostiles" on such threads can be . . . incredible.
I don't know that there's a solution that is fitting or comfortable for Believers.
However, I'm . . . encased . . . more or less . . . within my own perspective. Perhaps the other intrinsic Christians hereon would have a creative
solution that would be mutually supportive for Believers as well as responsible in redemptive, productive ways to ATS and the average reader as a
whole.
I've thought of simply boycotting the obviously baiting threads. And often, I do.
Yet, some baiting titles and OP's are soooooooooooo outrageously off the wall while seemingly plausible to those not well-studied on the topics, that
they almost require some sort of counter-point in behalf of our values.
Certainly, my impression is, that the bulk of us intrinsic Christians experience those on the other side rarely to never being the least bit even open
to, much less congruently responsive to . . . high quality proof of our perspectives and convictions. The best historical, logical, critical analysis
etc. types of posts from our perspective are met with more or less the same derision as absurd irrational statements are.
It clearly does not matter what we post on such threads. The responses are virtually always going to be more or less equally derisive, dismissive,
caustic, insulting, trashy, ignorant, ill-informed, damned-if-we-do/damned-if-we-don't; moving goal posts; constantly raised bar; angry; etc
REGARDLESS of what we say in response. Big thrill!
Yes, I know . . . these are the END TIMES and this is but one of thousands of data points affirming that . . . and I know . . . it will get worse long
before it gets better.
So I guess my musings are . . .
1. What's our best stance . . . not necessarily rigidly . . . but as a rule of thumb? . . . a guideline?
2. How to hold forth redemptively on what's worth speaking up about in such threads?
3. What kind of criteria can we use in a rule-of-thumb way to help us discern WHAT IS worth speaking up about and what isn't?
4. There's a lot of noise--usually from those who have absolutely no accurate clue about what an authentic Christian REALLY IS and REALLY IS ALL
ABOUT--castigating us for not always being 100% warm and fuzzy sweetness and light in the face of their constant stabs to the heart and genitals of
our perspectives, priorities and values. What is our fitting stance being SALT AND LIGHT . . . hearable, loving, kind, generous, forgiving etc. . . .
and WHEN and HOW is it fitting to speak as Christ did to the Pharisees?
5. What place does satire and satirical humor have in such threads, contexts? My experience is that the other side can be ruthless in their use of
satire etc. and yet they will scream bloody murder about the least bit of satire against their hostile perspectives. Do we just ignore that or
what?
6. The double standards applied to us on such threads can be outrageously absurd. Yet if we say much about that, we are again castigated for a list of
absurd reasons in a variety of ways. Do we ignore that? How else might we deal with it?
7. Some new authentic believers seem to have joined ATS recently. How can we as a group of Believers support one another besides in prayer and
encouragements on the threads and in U2U's?
8. Are there any other points or questions suitable for this thread related to the above?
9. I realize I'm opening us up to more machine gunning and dog-piling against us on this thread. However, I don't know a better way for us to
discuss such issues with a maximum amount of participation of those of us of similar perspective. We have to do it openly, imho, to avoid risking
leaving anyone out unnecessarily.
10. We COULD just ignore the detractors, naysayers, hostiles that undoubtedly will dogpile us on this thread. LOL.
Blessings,