How about differentiating on troll/not-troll?
It is as if there's a prize if someone gets to claim "troll" first.
Meanwhile there is a young woman on this forum who apparently had quite a few people PMing her to give her the wonderful news that she is a troll, when, in reality? Probably not.
There was another guy in exhausting pain because of all the pain his son is in. He was furious at God. He got the "you're a troll" so fast, now he is furious at God and Christians. Peachy keen. The only differences between he and I one year ago were -- my husband, not my son. And, people knew me before my meltdown so gave me comfort. (Well, most did.)
There are two guys who stayed on here after being hounded for a good two weeks with the "you're a troll" game. You know what they really are? Neuro-atypical. The only reason they survived the hazing.
I can think of quite a few people who came and left after the trouncing. I remember them because they weren't trolls. They had serious mental illnesses. (Usually schzioaffective disorders, but I think one might have been on the downside of bipolar. Never had enough time to find out.) Still don't know how to deal with people like that, but I'm sure trouncing them with "TROLL" doesn't work, and certainly isn't what we're supposed to be doing as believers.
And then there really are trolls. They come in a few varieties too. The standard issue:
-- "I can prove to you that God isn't real."
-- "I am the prophet of God/Jesus himself."
-- "How far can I yank your chain?"
-- "How many posts of pure nonsense can I create before anyone calls me on it."
The first one bores me, because it's usually the same ole same ole with no ears to hear. BUT, what if we formed groups ourselves? I've got no more heart to listen to that garbage; however, if no one had that heart, my husband wouldn't be a believer today. He met a woman who knew her Bible inside out and backwards. Before her, he ran into marginal christians or babes, and he could slice and dice their beliefs to shreds. I see lots of people trying to prove God with that kind, but frankly, most of them can be sliced-and-diced. Can we, as a group, (compared to make this a thing the mods have to deal with), function in such a way that only those with the hearts to deal with those trolls, and the Bible background to kill the delusions being posed respond? And then the rest of us PM the newbies or babes to let them know that they should back away while the Evangelists/Apologists take center field for that battle? Or maybe create a warning/informational post saved, so any one of us can post as needed?
IDK. I do get there are trolls. I just don't think the default should be "assume troll until otherwise notified." And, I don't think once it's established that the person really is a troll, it's time to report. Sometimes it's past time to report, but most of the reporting we do is to sustain our comfort levels, and they're merely bogarting our buzz.
I still remember Willie made friends with a troll right before the guy was banned from previous infractions. That's one guy who might have stuck around and become real. (One guy. Came more than once, but later visits, a few of us caught on he was okay despite his antics.)
WWJD?
