After reading some comments following an online news story I had read, I realized how suprised ( should know better by now) I was how quickly it turns into a hateful back and forth that turns into personal attacks against people that rarely even make sense.
Its reminiscent of the daycare play circles of my younger days.
So.... my point. I, like an idiot, tried to interject my own insight on the news article and was quickly the center of attack. Which doesn't bother me, but the hate we distribute does. So on a lighter note I have a proposal......
I believe you should be required to obtain a Carry Permit, showing you understand what it is, how to properly use it, and when, before you go out in public and attack someone with a Bible.
The reason for this is basic safety. The worst thing that can happen if untrained is that your rhetoric may be taken away from you in the struggle and used against you, causing you painful lasting embarassment.
I have read the Bible several times and I always appreciate the words that lead to deeper thinking as my perspectives change.
But I would never try to go out and beat someone to death with it verbally. I am suprised how radical some of these individuals are, like the ones you see on the news. One major difference of course. The ones on TV don't have computers, hi def TVs or electricity in some cases, so they take to the streets to vent. Where as here people park themselves in front of big screen TVs with tablets on their lap, sitting in chairs they are quickly growing to fit, believing that a trip to the local box store constitutes exercise.
So in short, debate is fun. Not hateful, we exchange views and opinions about the issues. Not each other. When I am attacked I sometimes type out a personal quip, read it, delete the personal part and send. I win with the facts. It is tough to resist, but it starts with you.
I know that I have been guilty in the past of "attacking" others with a 10 pound Bible and for that I am truly sorry and I do not condone that activity. I do not believe in either doing the attacking or being on the receiving end. While the Bible is an excellent resource for living your life in my estimation, I am not an expert in all that it says. I do know that it says above all else we are to love one another - not always easy, but it is the greatest commandment. We are also admonished to judge not lest we be judged in the same measure. If I attack someone with the Bible's Word as I understand it, I am taking the position of being willing to be judged. I don't want to be judged, so best to not do the attacking in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that a healthy debate is great brain food. In a good debate, quite often, we are shown another viewpoint which may or may not change our thinking. If nothing else, it means we are actually using our brain for more than staring at a box or other electronic devise and allowing it to feed our thought patterns.
Over all, I say, debate issues without attacking the character of the person who is opposing your viewpoint, feed your brain with those things that your opposition has seen, heard, read or researched that you have not had the good fortune to have attained on your own and never stop learning that there is more to the story than what you have experienced so far. (I am using a metaphorical you in my statement)