Thanks for the memories, but it's time for Christians to unite not fight

self | 3/2/2015 | two134711

[two134711]

Thank you Free Republic for allowing me to post and vent on this site for over ten years. I am a young, married conservative woman who is trying to raise her daughter to be a fine, upstanding lady, an educated woman and a worthy wife to a decent man. Despite the stupidity of my generation (I am on the cusp of GenX and GenY) there is hope. Many young people are more prolife than ever. And at last, many others are beginning to open their eyes to the lies of socialism.

However recent events on this site like witnessing the discord between fellow believers of Christ and how the Religious moderators have given carte blanche to those who wish to spread hate is not something I want to be part of.

I received this message from the Religion Moderator regarding Key words received 03/02/2015 8:45:19 PM PST

“DO NOT use keywords to snipe at other posters or beliefs. RM”

I certainly did not post key words that sniped at anyone; they were terms such as "enough already,” “Christianity,” “unity” and "peace." Now, yes, the comments I made were invectives thrown at posters. I don't deny that; but they deserved every word directed at them and more. Outside of Caucus threads the religious forum is based on sniping at posters and insulting other's beliefs. Mostly it’s a few alleged “Evangelicals” damning those Papists, pedophiles, pagans, cracker-eaters, cannibals and Mary-worshipping heretics to Hell if they don't convert to the Western Branch of American Reform Presbylutheranism or the Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879. Then a very small contingent of Catholics tries to fight back.

These are the kind of comments are allowed on the religious forums without any moderation.

"I believe that Catholicism has caused more people to go to hell then [sic] Islam."
84 posted on 2/23/2015, 2:36:42 PM by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus)

AND

**Have you accepted the Catholic Church** "I have accepted Jesus. Not some abomination created by man."
98 posted on 2/23/2015, 2:46:17 PM by Gamecock (Joel Osteen is a minister of the Gospel like Captain Crunch is a Naval line officer.)

I have no skin in this game other than to realize that Christians (and Jews) are not each other’s enemies. There is a much more diabolical force in this world that should be fought. Anti-theists, Islamists, secular amoralists, etc., they're nothing. But, hey, keep going after Catholics and Mormons because they're the ones ruining the world today!

I said those words because it was the truth, (a truth that many others see but do not mention; they merely avoid the conflicts). If the anti-Catholic delusional bigots have a problem with the truth, then a pox on their houses.

I have posted on and off this site for over ten years. Every time I come back here I think to myself, “Wow, FR is one of the only sites telling it like it is when it comes to politics!” But then the OCD religious posters take control over and over again. It’s not just the religious forums, but they’re the worst. In the past the moderation was far more even-handed. Now it’s out of control. Please use more judiciousness in moderating them in the future.

You are losing members left and right and your fundraisers take months to complete. I am aware that the owner of this site, Mr. Robinson, is a Catholic, and I’m sure it breaks his heart to see such infighting amongst fellow Christians. I hope his health betters and that he can continue to fight the goof fight.

Nevertheless, FR's days as a premium conservative site are over. There a quite a few decent folks around here like Mrs. Don-0, xzins, Morgana, miss marmelstein, wardaddy, that fellow named something like yefrugeturbrumuy, and lots of others. There are many good folks with diverse opinions and no malice in their hearts.

But some others seem possessed by other-world forces. Mostly they're old people scared of death, wanting to make sure they get in with God before the end, desperate to hold on to every penny they've ever come across, willing to kvetch about the future and frequently mentioning how glad they'll be when they're dead and won't have to deal with this world, while their children and grandchildren will. Or worse, they actively wish for the world to end today or soon. Sorry, I'm young enough to have a smidgen of hope despite the moral disaster this world is in.

The Apple squabbles, the griping about TV and art, heck even the "my candidate is better than your candidate" bloodletting is nothing compared to the nutters that run rampant on the religion forum.

So Religious moderator, if you thought my key words were examples of “sniping,” then I suppose this post was outright bashing. Every time I come to this site I get angry. Anger opens up the heart to dark forces; it’s best not to be part of that.

Got to go. May peace come to this once wonderful site and make it a place of harmony for future posters.

[goodwithagun]

The statement by CB for which you are defending. You wrote that the original poster was expressing an opinion.

[goodwithagun]

See your post #266

[MamaB]

Before my first checkup, I was terrified. She had already explained the procedure. Then, her assistant put drops in my eye to deaden it and then wet a q-tip with the same solution and stuck that in my eye. He kept asking if I could feel anything and I kep saying yes, so he would add more. I sure did not want to feel a thing. I am odd that way. I hate having anything done to my eyes anyway. It really was not that bad, though. Thanks. You made me lol.

[CynicalBear]

>>What is unsettling is your post about Islam and Catholicism.<<

Contrary to scripture is contrary to scripture I don't care what "religion" moniker they do it under.

[wmfights]

A man who lies to himself is often the first to take offense. It sometimes feels very good to take offense, doesn't it? And surely he knows that no one has offended him, and that he himself has invented the offense and told lies just for the beauty of it, that he has exaggerated for the sake of effect, that he has picked on a word and made a mountain out of a pea- he knows all of that, and still he is the first to take offense, he likes feeling offended, it gives him great pleasure, and thus he reaches the point of real hostility... -- Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

Perfect quote!

Kudos!

[Alex Murphy]

My grandpa used to say, “What Sam says about Harry says more about Sam than Harry.” This is the attitude I’ve taken with the anti-Catholic bigotry.

Is that what Sam calls it? The irony would be laughable if it weren't so palpable.

[Resettozero]

See your post #266

Your hazy reply led me to post #266 which was made by another poster, not me. What gives?

[Resettozero]

The statement by CB for which you are defending. You wrote that the original poster was expressing an opinion.

Please learn to answer FReepers questions in a manner that is understandable to that FReeper. Thanks for that.

(I have no idea what belief you meant that you say I share with Obama because you haven't yet given a straight answer.)

And...you directed me to stop. Stop doing what?

[Cicero]

Well, I have never made it a point to criticize Protestants, and have never posted an anti-Protestant thread, as I recall (I’ve been around here since these used to be called the Whitewater pages, so I can’t be absolutely sure about anything).

Catholics in the forum do not make it their business to attack Protestants. But there is a small group of Protestants who have virtually no other interest than to post threads viciously and falsely attacking the Catholic Church. Then the Catholics naturally respond to such attacks.

Why? What is the point? I have serious doubts about the real Christianity of anyone who spends so much time attacking the Catholic Church, as though their own beliefs can carry no weight unless the Catholic Church is declared to be false. You believe in Christ? So do we. And, incidentally, we also believe in the Father and the Holy Spirit, so it’s not ONLY Jesus.

I was born and bred an Episcopalian, and converted while in college. There are many problems currently in the Episcopal Church, but they cause me sadness, not gratification. I got a great deal from that Church before I converted, and wish them well, as I wish my Evangelical friends well. The fewer problems in ANY Christian church, the better. If they cannot be Catholic, at least they and their churches can be as Christian as possible. Living in accordance with the Ten Commandments, Faith, Hope, and Charity, and so on.

Catholics do not believe that only Catholics can be saved. Grace is channeled through the Church by God’s will, but can be extended beyond it to anyone God chooses. Virtuous pagans have long been thought capable of heaven, and virtuous Christians, doing the best they can by their various lights.

[goodwithagun]

You muddled the back and forth when you went to bat for somebody else. You wrote he has the right to his opinion. I wrote my opinion of his opinion. Then I suggested that you stop digging. Not my problem that you can’t keep up with yourself.

[goodwithagun]

Also, I’m not sure what your thanking me for. Whatever. Get help.

[Lonely Bull]

I’m concerned about the apparently recent turn away from accepting that not all FReepers EVER have agreed with each other on politics and/or religion and this sort of conversation has ALWAYS taken place on FR. There’s nothing new under the sun.

Since I haven't looked at the Religion Forum much until relatively recently, I wonder if there isn't a bit of increasingly public fatigue behind any recent change.

And since your post mentioned politics, your post reminded me of a recent observation of mine, which I share simply to point out a contrast on this site and provide a little perspective about politics and religion as discussion topics.

As everyone following this thread probably knows by now, the Religion Forum allows debate and even what is called "antagonism."

There is not a comparable "Politics Forum" here in which conservatives and "liberals" (I will not happily concede this term to them) debate and even antagonize one another. Look at http://freerepublic.com/home.htm: "We're here to discuss and advance our conservative causes in a more or less liberal-free environment. We're not here to debate liberals."

If there were a parallel Politics Forum (or if all the existing forums were open to Liberal Debate), then the Religion Forum would probably be outshadowed in notoriety. (In other words, I do not mourn the lack of "progressives" on this forum, and probably neither do the moderators.)

Now, none of what I say here is intended to excuse any excesses on the Religion Forum--it's simply a little perspective that matters of faith aren't the only thing that leads to roiling discussion.

(No, I am not suggesting at all that "logical consistency" dictates either starting a political-debate forum or ending a religious-debate forum. I can see a number of reasons that a site that discourages Debating Liberals in its forums still has a forum that allows discussions of contrasting religious beliefs.)

[Resettozero]

I was born and bred an Episcopalian,...

High Episcopalian? Just curious. It's a personal matter; no need to answer.

[Cicero]

No, we just wouldn’t have two or three threads every day posted by a small group of angry Protestants maligning the Catholic Church.

Catholics ANSWER to those threads, to a reasonable degree. But there is NOT a similar small group of Catholics who do nothing but attack Protestant Churches every day, like these folks do to them.

If you look at it fairly, it is VERY one sided. One side attacks, the other side defends. And what is the point of all these attacks? What does it contribute to the real purpose of Free Republic, about which Protestants and Catholics should be able to agree and work together?

[Resettozero]

Then I suggested that you stop digging. Not my problem that you can’t keep up with yourself.

Until this response, you never answered my question of "Stop what?". It was not presented as a suggestion but as a directive to me.

Okay, stop digging what?

[Alex Murphy]

Catholics in the forum do not make it their business to attack Protestants.

Been in the forum recently? What about reading what the OP of this thread did?

"...yes, the comments I made were invectives thrown at posters. I don't deny that; but they deserved every word directed at them and more."

[Resettozero]

What does it contribute to the real purpose of Free Republic, about which Protestants and Catholics should be able to agree and work together?

Ordinarily, these discussions are quarantined on the Religion Forum. This thread went astray because someone was making an opus, I think.

[Cicero]

Well, I attended St. James the Less Church in Scarsdale as a boy. I guess you could say it was Broad Church. Then I went to an Episcopal Prep School, and that was High Church. And while at Harvard I went what they called Mass at the Cowley Fathers’ Church in Cambridge, which was very High Church.

An amusing story: The Cowley Fathers genuflected to the Host on the altar, but when the Episcopal Bishop came over from Boston for his annual visit or inspection, they removed the Host from the altar for that day, because the Bishop didn’t believe in genuflecting, and they didn’t want to get into an argument with him.

[goodwithagun]

You’ve never heard that phrase issued to somebody that has dug themselves into a hole? You’re trying to gloss over the original comment about Islam and Catholicism with the lame excuse of opinion. It doesn’t work. FReepers have seen the poster for what he really is, and now they’ve seen you for what you are because you’re defending him.

I don’t argue with crazy people, and in my OPINION you are crazy. I’ll no longer converse with you. Peace.

[Resettozero]

Since I haven't looked at the Religion Forum much until relatively recently, I wonder if there isn't a bit of increasingly public fatigue behind any recent change.

Probably, by some FReepers. Some posters have made it clear they are unhappier lately with the Religion Forum because, primarily, they cannot defend their positions utilizing just accepted Scripture...the Holy Bible.