As I understand where you are coming from, you have to remember this is not your church. We may have a job to do as Christians to set good examples, but we will always fall short AND it isnt' our job to cast the first stone at people. Would you like people here to point their fingers back at you at the things you might do that aren't very Christ-like? As much as things can be offensive to non-Christians, things like that can be just as offensive to believers as well. We are bent so much on setting good exmaples to non-believers, but we often forget that we also need to be tolerent of our fellow believers as well. I will always have my old nature no matter how hard I try, and TBH it would be quite irritating if someone pointed their finger at me or "challenged" me (a way to sugar coat it, IMO) every time I screwed up. If we are going to cast stones I think we need to save them for when they are really needed....not when someone types "OMG" or vents about something that they are struggling with. I think it's over-reacting to it quite a bit, IMHO.
Take heart. I didn't personally interpret your post as anything other than an encouraging challenge to fellow Christians to try to choose their words and attitudes carefully when posting. As a Christian, I believe I am Christ's ambassador; I am His reflection in what I say, how I say it, and where I say it. Am I perfect? No. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't strive each day to be someone my Lord can be proud of. Having said this, again, you must remember this is a secular board. I frequent a Christian homeschooling board, and the atmosphere is a bit different---- not saying better or worse, just different. Perhaps having a balance of a Christian board and this secular board might prove to be a comfort to you. And hugs to you for trying to make your point. I know it can be frustrating at times to communicate on a message board where facial expressions and tone aren't part of the equation.
OMG usually means "Oh my God" on boards, and the other individual who commented on the BFH already responded that they'd looked it up and found many meanings, most of which weren't very nice. As to the cussing, there was a thread not too long ago that referred to someone as a "punk *ss" and a "sh*t". The words weren't filtered out at all. So, yes, there's cussing on the board, and it doesn't get filtered. I just personally quit reading that thread as I didn't care for the tone or the language. I figured it's not my board, so I just do my own filtering.
Point taken. I guess there are generational things to consider also. When I grew up, all "this sucks" meant was that whatever you were refering to was bad. Thanks for pointing it out though, and I will try to remove the term from my vocab. I think with the acronyms, there is tons of room for interpretation. I would normally assume the best, but given the tone of some of the posts I found the acronyms in...well, lets just say I didn't assume the best. I think the post my Lori stating possible matches for acronyms is a good example. I guess, too, for me on personal level, I love change. Change is a good friend. I am a sculptor. I have a critic in whom I put a lot of trust. She is knowledgable and kind. When I sculpt something, I send her pics, and I change whatever she tells me too, regardless of the difficulty. The result is a piece that has been made better by a differant, and more seasoned, perspective. I think I have stated several times that I am not judging anyone. The Bible does say that you will know them (Christians) by their fruit. I don't think it's bad to warn people that they are showing bad fruit, just as you did for me. I was allowing emotions to crowd my judgment, and you pointed it out. I had not seen it before, but now I do and can change. I do appreciate you pointing out my mistake, honestly, thanks. Cheers, Trish
But that would be where assuming would come into play, and we all know what happens when people assume. Nobody should assume things and if someone does assume, then it's not the posters fault it is the readers issue and they can deal with it without pointing fingers and blame. Nobody should have to "take any word out of their vocabulary", because there are always going to be things people will not like. Everyone will always be offended by something so pretty soon we will all have to remain mute. :roll: If you dont like something, ignore it and move on. Period. By the way, a$$ is in the Bible. Some people are not offended by it one bit, including many Christians that I know of. So, if someone said "punk butt" why would that be any different? It wouldn't, IMO. Of course, not everyone will agree with me, but for crying out loud people...TOLERENCE!:love: Mole hills are not meant to be made into mountains! I say that with love.
I understand what you're saying about knowing Christians by their fruit. My fruit, at times, isn't always that appealing...I'll admit it! Sometimes I think that instead of plucking those half-rotten apples off of me, God lets them stay there so I don't get too sure of myself! :lol: He is the Master Gardener, though, and very skilled at sending storms to knock the decaying fruit off when it's time. I want to say this as gently as I can, because honestly, I don't want to offend anyone. But I think that before we start talking about drawing lines and the quality of each others' spiritual fruit, there has to be relationship there. If you are a virtual stranger to me and start telling me what I need to change about myself, my human nature is to reject it immediately, because you don't know me. However, if we've built a relationship with each other and God leads you to do a little pruning on His behalf, then I am a little more inclined to accept it. Know what I mean? My pastor said something recently that really stuck with me. He talked about how Jesus hung out with prostitutes, tax collectors, the dregs of society. Which is something that nearly all Christians know. But he went on to say that wouldn't have happened if these people hadn't enjoyed being with Him. My pastor's challenge to us was to ask ourselves, "Do non-Christians enjoy being with you? Do they look forward to having you around?" I understand that there are entire denominations and movements built around the tenet of separating ourselves from the world. But is that what Jesus really did? He never compromised His integrity, but he related to people in ways they understood, and was fun and non-judgmental enough that sinners sought Him out. Can the same be said of us? When the relationships were built, then He was able to share the greater truth of Who He was, and they were able to hear it. It just doesn't work so good the other way around.
I once used a term to describe the look of a provocatively dressed lady in our church, and some people here freaked. When the swear words mentioned above appeared, no one said anything. I sometimes think it all depends on who's doing the speaking.:wink: Me? I say live and let live. If this ever became a Christian only board I probably wouldn't come here that often, because no one can measure up to anyone else's satisfaction. When I see someone let something slip, I feel like at least I'm not alone in messing up once in awhile.
Tolerance means putting up with something you don't like or agree with. It doesn't mean I have to like it or sanction it or respect it. I don't expect someone who is a non-Christian to like what I believe, sanction it, or respect it. I don't expect all Christians to like what I believe, sanction it, or respect it. I allow them the room to say, "I disagree and think you're wrong." THAT'S tolerance. It seems others could be big enough to allow me the room to say the same and it still be tolerance. And, out of curiosity, why does tolerance seem only to apply if someone says a word? Why can't it apply if someone such as myself says, "I don't like that word"? I never said they couldn't say it; I made it clear that I just quit reading it. But I don't see why it's not tolerable for me to say "I don't like it." Also, I DO assume things. It keeps me alive. If I see a fire burning, I assume it's hot. I don't generally stick my hand in it just to make sure - I assume based on my general knowledge. Also, I don't step in front of cars that are moving; I assume they may not stop. And if they don't stop, I'll get quite squished. Could I be wrong? Might the fire not really be all that hot? Might the car actually stop on time and I NOT be squished? Yes. But, I err on the side of caution and ASSUME based on what I've seen/experienced before. OMG generally means "Oh my God" in board lingo. Just like LOL generally means "Laugh out loud." I assume that's true because it's generally been true before. Will I always be right in my assumptions? No. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to go right on making them. I imagine that I'm going to assume that my food will be hot later when I've cooked it; that's why I'll blow on it before I even take a bite. And as to the examples I provided of cussing, they were just that --- examples of cussing. A poster had said she hadn't seen any cussing on the boards and thought they'd be filtered; I simply provided evidence that there was and it hadn't been. And, for the record, I wouldn't have been OK with calling anyone any rude name--- curse words or not. I honestly don't plan on arguing about this further because, frankly, the issues weren't mine to begin with. I accept that this is a secular board and am prepared to find ideas and language that is in line with that fact. If you want the last word, you can feel free to have it.
"If this ever became a Christian only board I probably wouldn't come here that often, because no one can measure up to anyone else's satisfaction. When I see someone let something slip, I feel like at least I'm not alone in messing up once in awhile." I agree. Athough I am a Christian and in a really bad place with my faith as of late. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will make me run as far, and as fast, from a place as a group of holier than thou types who run around judging people and telling you how your not as good as they are for whatever reason they think up today. I cant stand to be around something like that and would run for the hills at the first sight of it happening here. Wanna talk about what runs people in droves away from the Church and faith... Stuff like that does for me, I wont be around something like that for long. I am glad this place dont appear to be like that as far as I can tell. So far it seems like a nice place, I hope it stays that way.
I agree with you Cari. Totally. I should have kept my trap shut, since I am new here. I am sorry about that. I am having a bit of a hard time right now, learning how to embrace this new sensitivity and where is the balance between my control and God's. And yet in writing that, I also feel I don't want to control it all. I want to be a shell, filled with the spirit of God. I want to be like Jesus, who said that He only does and says the things the Father does and says. Jesus himself was angry at times, and I guess I was too. I didn't mean any disrespect to anyone. I have also dear friends from all walks of life. I don't love them less because they don't believe the same as I. Cheers, Trish
Standing cheering! You are sooo well spoken! I am going to try to think on this for a while. you rock!
Oh My Stars, I am gone for awhile and this happens, man oh man. First we are not here to judge anyone. He is up above and we need to leave it to him. We are here, to give each other support, weather its for happy times, sad times, or whatever. We are not here to judge how one writes something. I love this board and have made some wonderful friends, lovely, sweet friends and sometimes they might write something I don't like but man we are human and we all are learning. We all have our opinons and thats the joy of living in American we have freedom of Speech. Have I told you ladies you are sweet, and I love you all.
I just wanted to say that this thread is very long and I think it was the intention of th origional poster to cause a stir, I mean don't you usually post in the topic of the forum (HOMESCHOOL) before you start attacking its members. Please let this one lie as is if you feel the same as I do. Thanks
I didn't take the OP as a personal attack but I'm all for letting the thread discussion go....at this point we've probably all said our opinions loud and clear. Thanks ABall for the suggestion.
When I first read the first post on this thread, there were no responses. At the time I had things I could have written but felt that this was a thread that could become volatile and thought to myself "I doubt anyone will touch this" and came back a few hours later to find 5 pages!! LOL! To be honest with anyone on here, if you don't feel comfortable, then maybe this is not the right place for you. Personally, I've had numerous occasions where I don't know what I would have done without the support from these ladies I get here. One thing that I've always loved is the fact that there is a large group of Christian women on here BUT I never feel bombarded with personal opinions on religion. I'm not saying that discussions haven't been had and I do love reading them but I never feel like someone is pressuring me to be what I'm not. Thanks to all my friends on here and as Jen likes to put it "YOU ROCK!"!!!
I wasn't arguing, and I don't know why you would think people were arguing with you. My post wasn't rude in the least, so I don't know why you have to come off so snide. The last comment was pretty uncalled for. Not to mention, IMO, that your examples were comparing apples to oranges.
