I have just left a nonbeliever forum.

[Billiards Ball]

On 2/3/2021 at 1:17 PM, JohnD said:

in the world not of the world

 

That's hardly an answer without a dash of specificity added. How about "witness to everyone, like on a forum you're a member of"?

[Starise]

I still frequent several "religiously neutral forums" . In my example there were some other things at play and I just felt in my spirit it wasn't going anywhere. This was after at least two years of active participation.

I believe we can be witnesses on some of these sites. I have never tried to force what I believe on anyone, yet they mostly knew what I believed.

A few times in the past I have quit forums because of the lack of willingness to even reason another way of thinking or accept it. At least agree to disagree instead of the hate and name calling. I once had a more keen interest in UFOs and went to a podcast based website that dealt with UFOs paranormal all of that stuff ( which comes mostly from the same sources BTW) 99.9 percent of everyone there was atheist or into the occult. To even entertain the idea that demons are involved brought more name calling that I have ever had. I was labeled an idiot ludite...and a few other names I probably shouldn't repeat. I tried to bring forth ideas from Christian perspective. You see the Bible to them is a bunch of fables and anyone who would even think about believing it isn't well studied or is a few fries short of a happy meal. This comes from all of their athesist indoctrination. It really is a religion whose primary purpose is to be against Christianity or God. This was truly pearls before swine so I haven't been back there in a long time. I could feel the hate and darkness there.

Another site I visit pretty regularly is a music tech site that deals mostly with a certain DAW. They have a forum there that's mostly technical but there's a coffee house sort of thing too. It's a peanut gallery. Great guys but most are not Christian. Because of the TOS they can't get too carried away. Thank God for TOS rules or there's no telling what they would be posting. A few there often push the limits and sometimes get temporarily banned. Since we have something in common I don't feel as much stress there. Older guys who still know what respect is.

I think you just have to weigh the situation. If you feel nothing is being accomplished and can't enjoy the forum for what it is, might be time to just move on.

[Guest clancy]

I find it very difficult, when they start to mock God, they can mock me as much as they like, but when it’s God, it really upsets my spirit, I think it’s the devil, through them, he knows what upsets me, he loves to see me reacting and getting upset, so have decided to walk away, I also have great peace, since I stopped posting on there,last Sunday.

Also some deliberately saying Jebus instead of Jesus.grr....what some call God is quite disturbing.

Edited February 5, 2021 by clancy

[Starise]

1 minute ago, clancy said:

I find it very difficult, when they start to mock God, they can mock me as much as they like, but when it’s God, it really upsets my spirit, I think it’s the devil, through them, he knows what upsets me, he loves to see me reacting and getting upset, so have decided to walk away, I also have great peace, since I stopped posting on there,last Sunday.

It affects us all a little differently. For me I was gunning my car and snapping at my wife. I apologized and told her I was sorry, then realized it was seething underneath. Coming out in various ways.

You won't reason with a fool. With some people I find it's an energy sapping bottomless hole. I have since become more aware of their tactics. Paint the other side an idiot and dress them down. Bombard you with too much material to cover it all.Change subjects and confuse the real issue. No trick is under them. Nothing you give them will ever be credible.

I remember going at it with a guy who thought all giants were photoshopped online and that anyone who believed they existed was mentally challenged. The easiest out for them ( those who reject God) is to shoot or discredit the message and the messenger, at least in their messed up mind. 

You never know because they surely won't admit it, but I KNOW I caused him to think about it more. Might have planted a seed. For people unwilling to consider anything else, whose hearts are closed off to God, pending a miracle they won't ever change.

[Guest clancy]

5 minutes ago, Starise said:

It affects us all a little differently. For me I was gunning my car and snapping at my wife. I apologized and told her I was sorry, then realized it was seething underneath. Coming out in various ways.

You won't reason with a fool. With some people I find it's an energy sapping bottomless hole. I have since become more aware of their tactics. Paint the other side an idiot and dress them down. Bombard you with too much material to cover it all.Change subjects and confuse the real issue. No trick is under them. Nothing you give them will ever be credible.

I remember going at it with a guy who thought all giants were photoshopped online and that anyone who believed they existed was mentally challenged. The easiest out for them ( those who reject God) is to shoot or discredit the message and the messenger, at least in their messed up mind. 

You never know because they surely won't admit it, but I KNOW I caused him to think about it more. Might have planted a seed. For people unwilling to consider anything else, whose hearts are closed off to God, pending a miracle they won't ever change.

I’m praying for them,Bro.....

[Uber Genius]

Congrats!

Waste of time. There are plenty of people in your sphere of influence that are in need of hearing the truth and welcome honest discussions about Christian Worldview.

Non-believer sites are not those places. They are filled with intellectual fakers, who repeat fallacious arguments they learned from there favorite atheist. Unfortunately (for them and you) they are not very bright. They repeat debunked arguments endlessly. I used to get atheists claiming to have advanced college degrees claiming that modus ponens was a circular argument! Initially I laughed thinking they were kidding, later I discovered they were the most ignorant individuals with whom I have ever conversed. 

When people scream and throw tantrums instead of engaging in discussion we call them children (atheists and college leftists seem to default to those methods). 

I left because I didn't signup to be a babysitter. 

Lot's of places where one can meet adults whom are interested in real conversations.

[Unit 11]

I had the same sort of experience, years ago. And another time I was on a forum where a new believer came on and tried to single-handedly convert everyone, attempting to lead them in the sinner's prayer via the forum. Naturally everyone attacked him in a shark feeding frenzy. He was hurt, as his next post showed. 

Nowadays I understand that "show, don't tell" is a very wise saying. I'd like to share a quote from a friend of mine:

Avoid "preaching" or ramming your values down other people's throats. You don't even need to tell anyone what your values are. Instead, use them as beacons for your own guidance. Your consistency and sincerity will shine through in everything you do.

 

[Riverwalker]

On 2/3/2021 at 8:45 AM, clancy said:

I believe it was the right thing to do, took me a long time to leave.

it just didn’t feel right anymore, they are so much in the world,..I’m not supposed to yolk myself to non believers am I?

i did evangelise a lot on that site, but the hatred became too strong....I felt they wanted me burnt at the stake!!.

Its very hard to reach people who knew you "before" Even the people who knew Jesus as a carpenters son, had trouble accepting Him as the Messiah.  There are other workers to tend that field, I believe you moving on is the best for you, and possibly them

 

[Guest clancy]

17 hours ago, Unit 11 said:

I had the same sort of experience, years ago. And another time I was on a forum where a new believer came on and tried to single-handedly convert everyone, attempting to lead them in the sinner's prayer via the forum. Naturally everyone attacked him in a shark feeding frenzy. He was hurt, as his next post showed. 

Nowadays I understand that "show, don't tell" is a very wise saying. I'd like to share a quote from a friend of mine:

Avoid "preaching" or ramming your values down other people's throats. You don't even need to tell anyone what your values are. Instead, use them as beacons for your own guidance. Your consistency and sincerity will shine through in everything you do.

 

I agree, but it’s ok for non- believers to ram it down your throat, about non belief. 

 

[Unit 11]

16 hours ago, clancy said:

I agree, but it’s ok for non- believers to ram it down your throat, about non belief. 

Well, that's the thing--in my whole life, no one's ever tried to "convert" me to atheism. On the other hand, during my pre-conversion years, Christians accosted me on the street, in a bowling alley, in a record store. On moment I was looking at vinyl LP's, the next some bearded smiling guy was chattering nonstop in my face. "I've seen you around so many times that I have to say something to you." I was petrified--who is this guy? Then he tried to get me to convert on the spot, right there, right then. It was a big turnoff. 

In the bowling alley, the man was such a pest that I went so far as to fake a conversion, repeating after him the sinner's prayer though I didn't mean a word of it, just to get him to go away and leave me in peace. I feel a bit sore now, remembering that. I wish I'd had the backbone to tell those pests to buzz off and mind their own business.

Then I joined the Navy and met a chaplain who never heard of pressuring, arm-twisting or shoving anything down anyone's throat. He didn't approach evangelism like a salesman needing to meet his quota. I could ask him questions, and he answered them and let me go away and think about the answers. It led up to my converting, this time for real. 

So, happy ending. And a good thing. Because I can tell you right now that if the only Christians I'd known were the aggressive, pressuring kind, I'd be a lost nonbeliever to this day.