Discord among the Brethren

[Alive]

6 minutes ago, Hopefully said:

No I do not occasionally debate words.   

I am here because I agree with the OP. Are you here to agree as well ? 

No--I am here to discuss and to post as I believe I should. I am here because God wants me here.

:-)

[Hopefully]

2 minutes ago, Alive said:

No--I am here to discuss and to post as I believe I should. I am here because God wants me here.

 

My purpose on this thread is to edify and agree. That’s why I posted that verse for the OP to continue telling these truths. 
 

I tried a similar post and it was closed to further replies so I’m glad someone else brought it up. 
 

 

[Mama Etna]

6 hours ago, Josheb said:

How do you discriminate between those sewing discord and those speaking truth, or what they believe is truth? How do you measure the point at which two disagreeing posters should agree to disagree versus the point at which bickering and divisiveness occurs. 

To what degree do you believe keeping the posts about the posts and not the posters would alleviate most discord?

For me that is fairly easy.  Those that just want to sew discord make personal attacks on the forum member - assassinating their character.  Those that want to make healthy debate attack the concept. 

[Alive]

6 minutes ago, Mama Etna said:

For me that is fairly easy.  Those that just want to sew discord make personal attacks on the forum member - assassinating their character.  Those that want to make healthy debate attack the concept. 

If I may…the phrase “just want to” as it is applied to a member, is making a judgement that more often than not is a mistake and often contrary to Christs teaching.

it sets a tone that is discordant and contrary to what seems the thrust of your post.

[Your closest friendnt]

On 11/6/2021 at 10:27 PM, Mama Etna said:

And no I am not talking about the chat server. Churches and even internet forums have individuals that are confrontational. There are individuals that enjoy being combative, calling others names, and in general being nasty. The Bible doesn't have much nice to say about this kind of behavior. This is what the bible says about this kind of conduct.  The bible associates discordant conduct with other bad fruits.

9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;

11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.--Titus 3:9 - 3:11

On a personal level, I tend to disassociate myself from people that bicker and pick fights. I will not add such a one to my circle of friends. There is a scriptural precedent for this.

24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:

25 Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul. -- Proverbs 22:24 - 22:25

It has been my observation that individuals that engage in pugilistic dialog also tend to be unorthodox.  It is not always the case, but I find it to be frequent.  Scripture bears this out. The sewing of discord is listed among the things God hates.

16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. --Proverbs 6:16 - 6:19

It is better, I believe to agree to disagree on matters that are of no importance when it comes to one's relationship with God.  Bickering and divisiveness is part of the human condition and we need to put it under the Blood of Christ.  One way to combat this tendency to put God first and put others before self.

We need post just like that, without definitions of the key words and without real examples that can show how the definitions are derived from real everyday examples. 

It is a good post and it is about something relevant but is touching upon matters but not finishing them, but rather abaddon them to venture on something else, leaving it to the readers to reflect upon, in where a guidance was needed for a discipline thinking.

This is a positive constructive comment and is not discouraging anyone to post or telling anyone how to post, and hope is not taken that way , but I am not attempting to tell anyone how to see these comments. 

There is a lot to ponder about after reading the post, there is something in this post that someone cannot find on some other post, there is scripture reference and the reader is treated with the context of the posted scriptures, and also is posted the context of the surmounting scriptures. 

An example is the passage in proverbs about the seven things the Lord hates.

The author lists seven things to be avoided from those who seek the Lord and for self reflection and for self judgment or for judging others, or to be judged by others. 

The author wrote those things at some time and before when he found out about some other things the Lord hates from personal experience with the Lord.

But the author did not go back to ament his statement and include the things the Lord hated about him and so much that He wanted to destroy him.

That would have been a solid guidance to others not only no to do what he did and that too, but also for those who knew the wrong he was doing but they did not say anything to cation him and to be the ones to tell him that the Lord hates the things he has done and continues to do. They did not even take the opportunity to bring the matter to the King when the King was asking for help when he wrote about the things the Lord hates the most. Certainly they knew what the King was doing it and knew it was wrong because they did not follow him to do the same things he was doing. 

Edited November 10, 2021 by Your closest friendnt

[Mama Etna]

13 hours ago, Josheb said:

Isn't that sort of an obvious standard? A "no-brainer"? 

 

You have agreed with both of my replies to this op, but in all likelihood there are some who read my posts as willful discord. I wouldn't be surprised if one or two have already reported one of those posts even though there's not a single unkind word directed at anyone in either post. Happens every day. I wrote a pair of ops on this very same topic HERE and HERE. Neither you nor I are the only ones to have broached this matter. Personal attacks and assassinating character are clear violations of the tou and the best response is definitely 1) reporting the post and 2) walking away. But what about the more subtle forms of discord-sowing? 

Discord doesn't just happen in cyberspace it has existed since Adam and Eve sinned in the garden.  It is part and parcel to the fallen state.  I believe all have been guilty of it at some point in their lives.  I used to be one of those the swam upstream and disrupted the classroom.

To answer your question I am going to use the example of the couple that used the stay with my husband and I - instigating.    Instigating is to incite someone - especially into doing something wrong.  This couple were artists at that.  She would get my son loud noisy toys that would upset the neighbors.  I remember the loud toy firetruck.   She would sneak him excessive candy so he was up until 1 am.    

[Mama Etna]

I will qualify what I am saying in this thread by stating that many don't intend to sew strife.  Strife can be a result of loss of focus.  I have a family member that has this issue.  He is so narrowly focused on a thing that really is not important in the eternal scheme of things that he comes across as abrasive in his dealings with others.