John 13:35 NASB
"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
John 17:20-21 NASB
20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;
21 that they may all be one;even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
I have been thinking a lot lately about my spirit and how I talk to people online. Lately, I've been posting most of my opinion and ideas via blogs and statuses, instead of getting involved in conversations.
I do remember making a big thing about apologizing on here, not long before stopped posting. But when I think about some of the arguments I made in the more controversial threads, back in 2014-2015, I realize in some cases I set up strawmen, and made arguments which were unfair and irrelevant.
You can have the best of intentions, when interacting online. But that's not enough! You have to honestly listen to others, and honestly care about how you speak. At times, I think I've done that here. At times, I have not.
I have been keeping my opinions of late to myself, on my blog, and sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy with as much as I have to write, just one thought after another gushing out of me.
I love writing! That's not the issue. I'm constantly concerned about upsetting someone, yet I won't lie about what I believe. I know someone will appreciate what I write. I am a liberal Christian, that values the Bible as a source of spiritual and practical truth, and I go to church and bible study.
But also as an emotional human being, sometimes past experiences with ultra-conservative believers, and remembering I was once very very conservative myself, overwhelms me and I have a lot to say about it.
I've been watch Dr. Ehrman debate conservatives, and I literally got a headache listening to one of them. It brought back a lot of pain and anger, and then I think: "Do I do that, only from a liberal standpoint?" And yes, I've been guilty of the same tactics.
And I'd like to apologize to anyone who may remember those things. I remember those who said they do listen, and think I have valuable insight, thank you again. I write and write and write, and my posts were usually very long each... because I like to highlight my thoughts with examples and illustrations. But sometimes, the post is long because of emotion investment, as well.
I apologize, again and I hope I can re-enter this community with far more humility, and honest, open ears. I hope people can do the same with what I have to say. I hope we can all respect one another's varying beliefs and bond on our commonalities.
God bless you all!
"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
John 17:20-21 NASB
20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;
21 that they may all be one;even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
I have been thinking a lot lately about my spirit and how I talk to people online. Lately, I've been posting most of my opinion and ideas via blogs and statuses, instead of getting involved in conversations.
I do remember making a big thing about apologizing on here, not long before stopped posting. But when I think about some of the arguments I made in the more controversial threads, back in 2014-2015, I realize in some cases I set up strawmen, and made arguments which were unfair and irrelevant.
You can have the best of intentions, when interacting online. But that's not enough! You have to honestly listen to others, and honestly care about how you speak. At times, I think I've done that here. At times, I have not.
I have been keeping my opinions of late to myself, on my blog, and sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy with as much as I have to write, just one thought after another gushing out of me.
I love writing! That's not the issue. I'm constantly concerned about upsetting someone, yet I won't lie about what I believe. I know someone will appreciate what I write. I am a liberal Christian, that values the Bible as a source of spiritual and practical truth, and I go to church and bible study.
But also as an emotional human being, sometimes past experiences with ultra-conservative believers, and remembering I was once very very conservative myself, overwhelms me and I have a lot to say about it.
I've been watch Dr. Ehrman debate conservatives, and I literally got a headache listening to one of them. It brought back a lot of pain and anger, and then I think: "Do I do that, only from a liberal standpoint?" And yes, I've been guilty of the same tactics.
And I'd like to apologize to anyone who may remember those things. I remember those who said they do listen, and think I have valuable insight, thank you again. I write and write and write, and my posts were usually very long each... because I like to highlight my thoughts with examples and illustrations. But sometimes, the post is long because of emotion investment, as well.
I apologize, again and I hope I can re-enter this community with far more humility, and honest, open ears. I hope people can do the same with what I have to say. I hope we can all respect one another's varying beliefs and bond on our commonalities.
God bless you all!
