I post this in response to several folks who have asked where I have been.
Although I am a member of several forums, and blog frequently, my keyboard has been virtually inactive for the past month. I decided to bow out of the "Internet Battle for Hearts and Minds" last month.
After a month of lurking, I am sure I made the right decision.
You may not realize it, but these forums do not exist to foster a free exchange of ideas. They do not exist to build an online community that tolerates differing views. They do not exist to encourage friendships.
The truth is, forums exist to shape the minds and ideologies of those who frequent them. One needs only to view the admin and ownership roll of any forum to identify the ideological bent of the site. No matter what anyone says, that ideology will eventually rule over the site, and that is totally understandable. Owners and admin have every right to steer their web page in the direction they would like it to go. Lurkers and posters must decide if they want to remain a part of any site that pushes an agenda contrary to their belief system. Whether you realize it or not, you are being preached to. You will eventually conform (online) to the ideology of that site.
The ironic thing is, some who would never visit a church that was too liberal, or too legalistic, think nothing of visiting web pages, or watching media, that "preaches" a message contrary to their most basic belief system. Many posters would never dream of giving their ear to a trinitarian pastor's sermons, but they will readily visit and read the same pastor's words on a website. Many posters would never consider attending a legalistic church and listening to a "clothes-line" preacher lay down the law, but they will submit themselves to that sort of teaching on a forum - and actually apologize for disagreeing with the man.
I say that because, in the past month, I have observed posters (on several different forums) submit themselves to name-calling by admins and owners. I have seen posters called bitter, backslidden, reprobate and still keep posting. This floors me because those same posters would leave any church where a pastor used that sort of language toward them. They would never submit to a pastor who used that language, but will continue to submit to a person they have never met?
I have always been a huge proponent of the "submit or remove" approach to authority in my life, sometimes to my own detriment. I still think that is the right biblical approach to all authority issues. Continued disagreement with any authority is unhealthy and damaging to one's temperament. So in the interest of self, sometimes it's best to move on to a territory whose governor has an ideology that does not oppose your own.
I am in no way encouraging a close-minded approach to all things. My only concern is this: In the internet battle for hearts and minds - who wins? I think we know the answer. It's the folks who control the flow of conversation.
I don't know about you, but my life is too busy to continually rage against things that I have no ability to change. I've done that for a year now, and what has it accomplished? Absolutely nothing. All of my posting didn't make a bit of difference. lol
A while back God gave me real direction for my near future, and it doesn't include all of this drama.
I will continue to post on my blog every now and again, but I am enjoying sitting on the forum sideline watching everyone else duke it out! Hopefully this will make me a lot less bitter, and a whole lot better.
Shalom
PP
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