Why the war?


Recommended Posts

I don't know if this is just me, but it seems in nearly every thread(that is serious), there is some form of contention, argument, insults, attacks, thoughtlessness, rudeness, arrogance, ignorance, assumption, lack of understanding pertaining to circumstances, heated discussion or other negative position.

I think we should all take a moment and think about what we are about to write. "Is it going to be negative in any way?" If it is, then I would suggest not writing it. What's the point in writing it? It will either cause offense, or it will put people in an adversarial position, mounting for war.

We are not perfect and we may not realize what we are saying and how it makes others feel. But know this, at least for the members of the Church, you have entered into covenants with God that if broken and not renewed through repentance and the Sacrament, will stand as a testimony against you to your condemnation. Baptismal covenant. To stand as witnesses of God, at ALL times, and in ALL things, and in ALL places. To be a witness of God is to represent Him. Represent Him through conduct, appearance, demeanor, behavior and actions which are in line with His divine nature.

Which consist in small: faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.

We should try not to judge the heart or the intent of others. The Lord will judge them. He has appointed servants to do so, such as Bishops and Stake Presidents. Their judgments are only in terms of service. To help us see for ourselves our position that we could not otherwise see, because we are blinded by pride. Then he will judge us as pertaining to the Church. It is still the judgment of the Lord whether we are forgiven or not.

I should also note, that the only being authorized to judge for justification or condemnation is the Lord. And when any man, acting under his own discretion, judges others then he is assuming a position and mantle of authority higher than the Lord's. That man supposes, indirectly, that he is greater than God. What a gross display of pride and arrogance. And so strikingly similar to the devil, that motion is.

Again I say we are not perfect. But make an HONEST attempt to explore ALL the possible ramifications of your comments. Then you are a lot less likely to cause offense to others.

We may not all be Mormons here, but we are mostly Christian. We publish peace. We do the things that would please God. The following are the words of the Lord to the Nephites after His resurrection. I might add that they are among the first things He says to the people.

3 Nephi 11:24-30

24 And now behold, these are the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying:

25 Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

26 And then shall ye immerse them in the water, and come forth again out of the water.

27 And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name; for behold, verily I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one.

28 And according as I have commanded you thus shall ye baptize. And there shall be no disputations among you, as there have hitherto been; neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there have hitherto been.

29 For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.

30 Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.

I will say that some people will take offense to this. They will be the ones that will find fault with this post. But others will agree. My intent is not to call anyone out, or to offend, or to accuse.

My intent is to help us all realize the importance of watching our words. And to make this place a hospitable one to non-members. That it is not a battlefield, where we have to argue, and mingle it with an insult below the belt here and there. [Which might sadly cause one to apostatize and fall away(sinning by not forgiving)]

I would also like at this time to take the moment to apologize to those whom I have offended. I have meant well. I see and know certain things, that some do not know, and vice versa. I want to share with others the fruit of my studies, and want to learn from others. There are some things where my position is very firm and I will not relent and those are the times, I think, that I have caused offense. Again I am sorry, I just hope we all may watch our words and obey the words of the Savior.

Matthew 12:34-37

34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

THIRD, it has calmed down significantly since last week. The mods have spent a lot of time recently putting out fires because of this. A big thing we can all keep in mind is if people don't take issues personally, but discuss the issues for the sake of the issues themselves, they may realize that it's ok to have another point of view. Disagreements don't have to be about proving who is right or who is wrong, but to seek to understand the other side of the debate and validate it. If everyone could do this, we could get through a lot of unnecessary words and hard feelings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm of a different opinion on this. That is, I beleive that our current culture is undergirded by a philosophical belief that there is no absolute right or wrong, but rather that people simply need to find what works for them. Thus, we are trained to have no tolerance for liverly discussion, debate and disagreement. So, when such comes, we immediately decry the "spirit of contention, divisiveness, and argumentation."

IMHO, if I'm wrong, I hope you care enough to set me straight--even though I may argue with you, and not like you. Further, if I say something that you disagree with about something important, I hope you care enough to get frustrated, and perhaps even angry. "Be angry and sin not," the Bible says.

None of what I say is to justify trolling, or intentionally goading, etc. However, I sometimes believe we are far too sensitive and thin-skinned when it comes to people disagreeing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The point is not disagreeing.(as I see it) I don't mind disagreeing. It shows we have different opinions and beliefs. I feel that makes part of the unique individuals that we are. It is more the feeling of the discussion that I don't like. That is what I see as the spirit of contention.

I can disagree with you that I like rock music, and you like rap music. The point is even though we disagree. That doesn't mean I call you a self-centered jerk who is not interested in hearing my point of view.(I don't think that is the case BTW)

Everything was fine until I made an attack. We both had differing opinions, but when I took a step forward and said something very negative and personal. Then it naturally places you in a defensive position. Then you have the choice to ignore it or figure out why it was said, or to attack back. Its the attacks that make the negative feeling.(as I see it)

I do agree with both of you, PC and skal. However, I do not come to this forum, though, to read garbage, hence my post. I read that on other forums.(if I choose to go there)

Edited by THIRDpersonviewer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Xzain

I know what you mean- I think I have been a part of this, occasionally. It goes back to pride- one must assert one's superiority over another to acheive feelings of self worth; another cannot have opinions contrary to one's own without having said opinions be of an inferior quality.

That said, I believe it is sometimes necessary to cause some contention to end a malaise of it that spans over multiple threads- akin to taking medication to relieve a cold sore. The dull pain is brought into sharp contrast for a moment, then removed altogether. This is God's way of calling His wayward children to repentance.

That being said, I fully realize no one has the God-given authority to call another to repentance on this board.

That being said, I want to thank you for this insightful post.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some part of it, maybe a small part of it, is that the written word is so hard to express feelings. A smile goes a long way and takes so many words to convey.

The bottom line is if someone says something that seems demeaning we need to ask before we get offended.

We can learn a lesson from the NFL (National Football League).

They have a policy, if not a rule, that their officials do not flag the first person to start any extracirricular activities (hitting someone from the opposite team after the whistle). They always flag the retaliation. They realize that the game gets heated and tempers might flare, but if someone pushes you, they are just venting.

It's kind of a "turn the other cheek" rule, and I like it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3rd person, the example you provide of hostile post-responses would indeed indicate that the respondant is rude and ignorant. Probably more common examples here would be, "How can you call yourself a Christian/believer etc. and believe that???" Or, "Your advice, your sources, your perspective is foolish, and your writing is bad too." When I encounter such a 'tude I sometimes try to find what is driving it, but often simply disengage. No sense casting my pearls before swine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have noticed that the spirit of contention is what makes for interesting message boards. Who wants to fall asleep in the middle of reading a post?

Regardless of any contention, I think what is truly important is to be polite and respectful while you are stating your opinions or feelings - whether pro or con.

Would anyone care for a Jell-O square? :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share