A simple observation upon my return

It is likely that I will get flamed for this post but so be it.

In 2006 when I found this forum I was pastoring a very small church in the middle of nowhere and found the forum a way to have fellowship with like minded Baptists whom I could ask questions and answered questions without being attacked for my views or my questions. Unfortunately I was somewhat shocked in that after a few weeks I found my entire belief system under attack by those whom I felt were somewhat self righteous. So in my responses I began to react the way I felt I was being responded to which in turn drew the ire of the moderators and I received warnings to stop my attacks. In my mind I was the one being attacked for simply asking questions or making statements, none the less I tried to abide by the moderators rulings and learn.

So I had to learn to rephrase my statements in such a way as to not antagonize those reading my posts and they, I found began to respond to me differently with the exception of a two or three. I enjoyed my time on the forum but noticed after some time that one element of Christendom began to be more prevalent in espousing their belief system and tended to gang up on any member who did not agree with them. For a period of time I contended with this group and tried to deflect their aggressiveness with simple questions concerning their doctrine and found that as long as I was willing to listen they were willing to be nice but as soon as I challenged any part of their belief system I was immediately censured by simple intellectual bullying.

After absorbing this for a time I simply left the forums because instead of being encouraged and stimulated on my visits I was going away angry and filled with emotion that it would take hours for me to get right with the Lord. I have been away except for a question now and again for many years and recently on my return I notice there are almost no IFB men and women on this forum and though I do not know this for a fact I believe it to be in part because the comradery that was once found here is gone. As I read in one post a few days (I cannot remember which one) the paraphrase of one poster to another went something like this, this is a place where we can fellowship and we don't care if you leave, I know that is not a quote but at the time I read it i thought that was as cold and hateful as one might imagine.

When in defense of your own system of belief you intellectually bully all others those whom you bully will find some other playground to play on. In the posts I have read since my return I found the way we treat brothers and sisters in Christ with our words and attitudes should cause all of us to be ashamed.

I want to stay on this board and enjoy fellowship with out being attacked for my beliefs and I will not attack anyone on the forum. But if you have not noticed this forum is dying and people who used to speak freely now lurk in shadows of the forum or have left altogether and when they left they took with them the joy of being of discussing differences of opinion with out being bullies and allowing iron to sharpen iron. Each of us need to keep this this thought in mind. Proverbs 18:19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.

thjplgvp

Edited for clearer understanding