I think that there are a great number of folks on this board who intentionally or simply out of ignorance, use
bullying tactics to degrade, threaten, demean, embarrass, humiliate, insult, mock, attack, and disparage their brother's and sister's threads or comments. And what is worse:
they claim to be doing it in the name "debating!" Surely it is not debating. Rather it is breaking the rules of the board, as they resort to harassment, being rude, and provoking anger in order to fight.
Of course, the witness of this board in the world looking in on us is one of horrors. We have a very poor witness when we succumb to the anger laced vitriol laced comments being submitted (and I am no better than the worst of these) to others whom we may disagree with, often, bitterly.
The problem is, debates do not exist to rip apart opposing views and the holder of those views. In fact, debating is defined as: de·bate /dəˈbāt/
(noun) -
a formal discussion on a particular topic in a public meeting or legislative assembly, in which opposing arguments are put forward.
And what's even more disconcerning about attitudes on this board over the last year or more is that those who exist only to cause mental anquish to the holder of an opposing view is that their spirit and heart fail to meat scripture that exhorts how to treat one another.
Romans 2:1-29 (ESV) -
"Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed."
Romans 2:1 (ESV) -
"Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things."
Mark 12:31 (ESV) -
"The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (if this is how you love yourself, so be it, but you must have a poor selfesteem going on in that heart of hearts?)’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Isaiah 54:15-17 (ESV) -
"If anyone stirs up strife, it is not from me; whoever stirs up strife with you shall fall because of you. Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy; no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”
FINALLY: Let me close with a quote from Jean F Larroux. His words say an awful lot in a little space:
"If the biggest sinner you know isn't yourself,
then you don't know yourself very well."
