These Boards Pretty Much Disgust Me!

It is our duty as Christians to rebuke our elected servants when they stray. Scripture tells us that we are to be obedient to our rulers, and in America, the Constitution rules.

 

There are abuses of course in these fora. There are all kinds of folks here.

There can also be an "irom sharpeneth iron" aspect to places like this. Although my posting has fallen dramatically in the last year or so, I still find this a place where I am challanged to think through issues and see opposing viewpoints, even if they are masked in sometimes ungodly bevaviour. I am certain you are correct, not everyone who posts here is a Christian, then again I doubt there are very many gatherings of any size where everyone present is truly a Christian.

I certainly hope the webmaster does not follow your advice. Many people benefit from this board.

If I found a place disgusting, as I have some discussion boards, I simply don't go there. Why would I visit a place that disgusts me? Why would I expect them to close their boards because I don't like them?

The last I knew there was nothing in any of the web browsers that defaulted people to the Baptist Board.

 

You really have to don't read posts if you find them disgusting or repulsive for your taste after the first paragraph or so, if you do, you will be "down", Blackhawk.

However, there are other forums you can probably find more to your liking, in this Board.

Or, you can draw up your sleeves, and get in the fray, so to speak, and behave like a gentleman, when other's don't (which I cannot say of myself, since my head gets the better of my heart most of the time, or is it the other way around).

Galatian:

Can you point us to the Scriptures that say we are to rebuke our elected servants when they go astray ?

I see we are to rebuke fellow believers, but not elected political servants.
The Bible even tells us "rebuke not an elder......"

 

I'm sorry that you feel this way, Blackhawk, but I agree with you.
There is another board that I like to go to called the Fighting Fundamentalist Forum (here's the link: http://fundamentalforums.com/
There aren't a lot of categories, but there is much less bickering from what I've seen so far.

 

Blackhawk, in so many ways I agree with your assessment, but also agree with C4K for the response.

As with your post, most answers offer information we did not have before. That exchange helps me. If not for reading your post, I would not have found Clean1's alternate site.

There are a few posters who will consistently pick a single sentence out of a long post to use as their standard whipping boy to support a sinful action. I believe this more of a "button" to invoke anger -- and that which angers us controls us.

I do spend much less time here than I have in the past since I determined this is not a good place to do witnessing. But it does offer opportunities to learn how to deal with the recalcitrant. I hope I see you here again in the future. Thanks!

 

Blackhawkk, there is the old saying that to keep your friends, avoid the topics of religion and politics. Your hurt feelings are an example of why that saying came about.

Just a few short comments and suggestions:

1. There are fora here for debate. That means that people will have opinions that differ, and differ from yours. That is how it works.

2. Our political leaders are not our bosses. They work for us. They are our employees. Therefore, we have a right, and a duty, to express our feelings about how they do their job.

3. The use of scare quotes around the word "Christian" show you are judging others' salvation. That in itself, seems rather unChristian to me.

4. The Communists liked to shut down dissenting speech. It has been shown that people thrive when the marketplace of ideas is open to all. Free speech is a great thing. If you don't like a particular poster, put them on ignore. If you don't like a fora, don't visit it. If you don't like the BB, don't visit. No one forces you to do so. Just because you don't like it, others enjoy it and are edified by the discussions. We grow when our ideas are challenged. To me, there are no sacred cows...any idea worth keeping must be able to withstand a challenge.

May God's blessings be upon you and your family, regardless if you stay or decide to move on.

 

I've only visited that site a few times, and didn't join, but I would have to disagree with your assessment.

It's unmoderated, as best as I can tell, and there's much more ad hominem attacks, character assassinations, and the like there. Looks more like the "wild west" to me. I'm sure there's fine folks there, but there are more ninnies to weed through IMO.

Your mileage may vary. Void where prohibited.

 

Ummm...let's see. How does that go?

Oh yeah.

Something like "Judge not..."

 

Be thankful that you have the opportunity to have your faith challenged and to present your point of view as well. You have the opportunity to correct peole and be corrected. If you did not have the opportunity to correct and be corrected by people just imagine what their theology would be like and what yours would be like. I would like to think after reading the BB and posting on it I have changed for the better in how I respond and treat people.

Realize that each person is at a different maturity level in their walk with God. So each will will not post at the same level of knowledge and experience.

When I get anrgy I try to remember what George Mueller believed. Anger is a sign that I must be self controlled and be careful how I approach things. I cannot control what someone else does or says. All I can do is to present my point of view and what I believe scripture teaches. There are only a few things I will die for and those are not just preferences but convictions.

George Mueller's Secret:

"There was a day when I died:

• Died to George Mueller: to his tastes, his opinions, his
preferences and his will.

• Died to the world—its approval or censure.

• Died to the approval or blame of even my brethren and friends.

Since then I have studied only to show myself approved unto God."

 

Blackhawkk,

One more thought...

I see from your profile you manage a Barnes & Noble Bookstore. Seems an odd occupation for one who is against views that are at odds with your own. What do you do when a customer is buying a book on Buddhism, Atheism, Hinduism, Free Masonry, or whatever? What about books and magazines that are pro-choice? B&N sells magazines targeted to gays. Is it hypocritical of you to sell them to customers, following the requirements of your job; rather than following the requirements of your faith? Are you not helping to promote views counter to yours? Your employer requires you to not discriminate in the books you sell, yet you obviously have problems with discussing things that are counter to deeply-held beliefs you hold.

I am not attacking you...just curious. How can you effectively hold a job promoting things you believe are un-Christian?
MP

 

Is your name pot or kettle?

 

Perhaps you just supported his point. As a manager of a secular book store, I'm sure he often feels the need to fellowship with other christians. Then he comes here, only to find we are not all that different from his customers.

 

Christians are not all of his particular belief.

And my question still stands...is he not part of the problem if he is a distributor of anti-Christian reading material.

 

1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

By this verse I do not wish to prove that BlackHawkk is right about everything. What I am hoping to show by this verse is that Blackhawkk is right about all of us being all over the place in what we believe. The problem, IMHO, is in our looking everywhere but in the Bible for things to support our opinions. I am as guilty as anybody, but, I am working on changing this about myself.

It would be boring if we were all identical in speech and character, but, there are certainly some important issues that we should all agree on. (The ones that are clearly put forth in scripture)

 

I looked at your back posts, but you're really not better than most of us. I haven't seen much love or charity towards others, especially those you disagree with.

 

From Blackhawkk's opening post:"I'm not Baptist. But where are the Godly rebukes? And when a brother does not accept the rebuke we do still debate with him? The Bible says to put him out and let God deal with him.

When there are those who profess to being a Christian yet spout evil all this foolish arguing is unGodly. The unrepentant Christian is to be rebuke by 2 or 3 brothers and if he doesn't accept that, put him out (ignore him), and seriously pray for him."

The scriptures alluded to are about Church discipline, aren't they? Just because some is wrong or just disagreeing with you put them out?

This is a place for discussion.

 

CSL!
And since that reply is too short to post...

DOUBLE CSL!

 

I suppose Paul should never have gone to Mars Hill to discuss with the philosophers because there would be debate.

The Baptist Board is something like a Christian sponsored Mars Hill. Not everyone here is going to be saved. Christians are going to vary in their maturity. Some will act with maturity and propiety. Some will be immature, rude, and belligerant. This is not a local church - it has no authority in spiritual matters. It is merely a discussion board owned and moderated by believers.

In your last post Blackhawk you were guilty of all that disgusts you about this place with your comments about PastorSBC. In your OP you put quotation marks around "Christian," implying that there is a question about their salvation. This kind of action directly contravenes a verse you used - "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1.

You say, "All I ask that you seek the Bible for truth ..." Yet in your OP you went much farther in imlporing the owner of this board to close it. Which do you ask of the BB, to heed your request, or for it to be closed?

You have unjustly judged the members of this board. If you had simple advised members here to be more godly in their discussions and asked them to apply Bible principles to their posting I would agree that your advice was needed. You have gone much further than that in asking for its closure.

I still am having a hard time understanding why a person would continue to visit a place which they find disgusting. I am offended by what takes place here at times, we all are. I have also been challenged, had my interest piqued, and even greatly edified. People here have encouraged me during some of the darkest days of our ministry. They are people here who pray for our ministry every day as a result of conversations here. We have received care packages from friends in the states we have met here. As a direct result of this board's existence there is a meeting taking place in Co Sligo, Ireland today between a Baptist pastor and a man who is seeking to know more about Christ. His interest was piqued by a member of the Baptist Board and her faithful dealing with him for seven years. The connection was made through a thread on this board.

Should everyone apply Bible principles to their posts here? Of course.

Close the Baptist Board? I think not.