I have spent the last several days thinking about this very thing. And I am going to be brutally honest, while trying to keep my comments worthy of my striving to walk Christ-like. I am fully aware that my comments here may cause some to no longer want to consider me their "CC friend," and that's ok. The way I see it, those who are my friends will remain my friends, and those who decide to not be my friend any longer, were not really my friend to begin with.
I struggle with this as well, and am not perfect. I had what I thought was a very good CC friend here, and for years we had a good relationship. However, several months ago (due to worldly circumstances which we disagreed on) that friendship started to be strained to say the least. As time progressed, it became clear to me that I could not continue to be engaged in the friendship, and a little while ago I ended that friendship.
It was one of the hardest things I have done here on CC, but I could not justify to myself continuing in a "believed friendship" that had become anything but. So, I suppose, I may not have been their friend all along, even though I strove to be. That's on me, because it was my choice to end the relationship. I did so with a broken heart, and still regret how things played out, and regret that I failed to be more Christ-like, or was not able to accept the new status of our friendship. But, I simply could not. My bad on that one.
I strive to extend the hand of Christian fellowship to any and all here, and, for the most part, I believe I have. However, when my offer is not just rejected but thrown back in my face.......well, sometimes I simply put the person on Ignore.
And other times, I allow the Old Soldier in me to win out, and I knuckle up and prepare to go head to head with my antagonist. No, it is not the Christian thing to do. I am not perfect in my struggle to walk Christ-like, for it is a daily battle for me. Some things, some comments, simply strike the wrong nerve with me, and I have no problem calling a person out who is the one causing this reaction in me.
There are a few things that will bring out the Old Soldier in me. One is people who profess to be Christian, and come here to CC and act like anything but! There are numerous examples of this all over the various Forum Pages, and not just on the BDF.
Another is hypocrisy. When I see someone post a comment expressing a certain thought/belief and someone else posts an objection to that belief, then a third person attacks the second person by saying that the first person has every right to post their thoughts/beliefs without having to be criticized or attacked for doing so. I'm thinking, well.....does the second person also not have that right?
When someone defends a person for doing something, then attacks another person for doing the exact same thing, in my opinion, that is pure hypocrisy, and I simply will not let such actions pass without comment. No, it is not how I should react........I am fully aware of my shortcomings in my struggle to walk Christ-like. As I said, it is a daily battle, and sometimes, a Thread by Thread battle here on CC.
Another thing that will get the Old Soldier in me to rise up is when one of my friends here is attacked without cause. I do not mean someone who simply disagrees with them, I mean when they are attacked without cause, and with unChristian language......belittling comments, insulting statements, and the such. I will not hesitate to jump in and take the attacker to task. I would rather they turn their attention and attacks towards me than continue to attack my friend. I have no problem with this, because I have no problem taking on such a person.
This has happened several times in the years I have been here. I do not have a specific example to point to, nor would I, because it would bring back the memory of the incident to the friend who was involved. If anyone has a problem with that, then they will just have to deal with it. Makes no difference to me.
Another is Trolls. Sometimes I will just laugh at them, post a funny comment towards them/identifying them for what they are, and move on. However, if they come here using insulting, degrading language towards God, Jesus Christ, and Christians in general, I will not hesitate to go after them with everything I have. No, I do not believe this is wrong, for I believe we are called to defend the Faith, and to reubke such as these.
Another are people (who may not be Trolls, but members in general) that post insulting, degrading, belittling comments directed at Christian Chat itself, the Owners, Admins, Moderators, and Members of Christian Chat. This happens far more often than it should in my opinion. I will not hesitate to take such as these to task for their remarks. The way I see it is, if they believe such as they post, then they should simply "log out" and not come here to Christian Chat. If they are so displeased with Christian Chat, then why are they here? In my opinion, they are here to cause dissention, disruption and create an unChristian atmosphere here. And I will not sit by quietly and allow such as these to do this. No, I do not believe this is wrong either. For the same reasons stated above.
I have been in far too many "set to's" simply because someone disagreed with what I believe about Scripture. However, I do not start these "set to's," but sometimes I will get dragged into a disputation with people such as these even though I know I should just put them on Ignore and move on. I believe that everyone here has a right to believe of Scripture, or worldly events, as they feel led to believe, and I will not attack someone for simply stating their beliefs. I have friends here who do not believe exactly as I do, but we disagree respectfully.
The ones I have a hard time tolerating are the ones who can not disagree respectfully, but must resort to name calling, condemning, and labeling people with what they believe to be are derogatory labels. There are times I will go after such as these, and it is never a pleasant thing, but I get caught up in it, and that is my bad. Again, I am not perfect in my struggle to walk Christ-like.
Am I being hypocritical for doing this? I do not believe so, for the prime example is even it is one of my friends who does such, I will call them to task for doing so, and this is born out by the real evidence of my having lost a good friend here on CC.
I will love with all of my heart, and I will extend the hand of Christian fellowship to all blood washed believers, and treat them with the respect and Christian love they deserve to be treated with. I believe I have posted as many Spiritually Edifying Posts as the average member here, and possibly more than the average member here. I strive to post such Threads/Comments/Blogs, and enjoy the Christian fellowship they inspire.
I will also fight with all of my heart. Therein lies my "thorn in the flesh." The Old Soldier in my that I struggle with daily. If anyone here actually knew me in the real world, years ago before I gave my life to Christ, they would attest that I was not a nice person, and a person one did not want to anger. I had a bad reputation, and it was well deserved. I carried a giant size can of Alabama Kick Butt on my shoulder, and it was always about half open and leaking. No, I am not proud of this, I am being brutally honest.
When I gave my life to Christ, the first change in me was the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit gave me the strength to overcome my anger issues. My short fuse if you will. And the change has (for the most part) been remarkable, and people who knew me then and know me now can attest to that. However, sometimes the Old Soldier wins out in a moment of spiritual weakness, and I have to pray and repent to God for my allowing him to rear his ugly head. What people here do not know, nor will ever understand is that when they read my comments from one of these "set to's" and believe me to be acting mean, or some such, they have no idea how toned down my comments are from what they would have been before I gave my life to Christ.
Even when the Old Soldier wins out, I still maintain a far lower level of carnal wrath than what I would have some years ago. Trust me on this, people here have never seen what the person I once was was capable of. And I thank God every day for that.
Now, I will state that I have not "changed." Nor am I saying the comment I quoted by "jennymae" was referring to me. I am simply saying that her comment touched a nerve in me, and that I have been giving serious thought to all of this for several days now. But, let it be known, and my true friends here will attest, that I have not changed. Everything I described above has been true from the day I joined CC until this morning.
Anyone here who feels they should put me on their Ignore List so that they are not offended by any comment I might make, please do so. I have found that this is the best way to avoid confrontations. At one time, I had three pages of names on my Ignore List, but in a moment of whatever, I decided to wipe it clean and start over. I now regret that decision, and am again recreating that list. I have no problem with someone placing me on their Ignore List, it matters not to me one whit.
Anyway.......rambling (whatever one wishes to describe this as) is over. Brutal honesty can be hurtful, and it can also be helpful......just depends I suppose.
