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Posted
Hey Kitty!

I think of the expression "Different strokes for different folks."

Sure to some it is a waste of time. For example, when I talk to my dad about some of the debates, often he'll say, "Just ignore them," or advise to give a flip-off answer. Of course, I know that doing either would defeat the purpose of the Message Board.

Of course, my dad is not a very interactive person. However, I am the intellectual type and get stimulated by theological discussions, talking about the news, and other whatnots we get into on the Board (despite the times it gets frustrating).

The Board does take up a lot of my time, but I would not consider it wasted time at all. I have made friends on the Board, a handful of whom I have actually met. I have learned from the discussions. I have grown as I have learned to interact, debate, deal with frustrations, look through the Scriptures to answer questions, and everything else.

But message boarding isn't for everyone - social people need face-to-face contact, and that is fine.

But someone like me doesn't have a whole lot of face-to-face people to interact with. I especially don't have anyone to get into deep discussions with about anything. I'd probably go intellectual stir-crazy without the discussions here.

Should the message board "replace" church? No, if you have a good church that you are attending. But can additional interaction do any harm? I don't think so; I would argue that it does the opposite.

Consider, have you been blessed by your time here? Have you learned? Have you been encouraged?

I know you have a trust of your leaders and what they say. But remember, they are human, too, with their own biases. Message boards probably are a waste to them. But they probably enjoy several different activities than you do as well. I think window shopping with no intention of buying anything is a waste of time! But I know several people (i.e. my mother) who have fun window shopping. I think Monday Night Football is a waste of time, too. (Want to see what will happen if I post that in the sports forum? :whistling: )

Yes, be cautious (that's why I don't post my real name for all to see). But please don't run away from us, OK? :laugh: We like having you here! :rolleyes:

:glare: Aw, thanks neb :)

You know I have a high respect for the leaders at my church, but I also have a high respect for the many things that go on here at worthy.. I can't help but say it, nearly five years???? :o These boards and the chat have been SUCH a blessing to me and I KNOW they have been a blessing to others. It's what has me split and has for a while... often, I just push the topic to the side and go tot he next one, and every so often, post about it and consider the possibilities, if that makes any sense.

I LOVE the theological discussions, and it has taught me about a lot of things taht I didnt' know about, which I researched, asked my pastor about, etc, and has had me ready for A LOT of things I would'nt have been ready for otherwise. These boards have taught me the important of showing love and also about praying and being close to God.. I've learned the importance of true Christian friendships and that tehre can be a world (spiritual world honestly) that is different from the rest of the world.. where people gather and they are not all fakes and not all like the world. I am so thankful that the admins here are so strict and so strongin the area of the convictions and standards,and hold the boards to such.

There are times I've gotten frustrated because of some of the things that have gone on, but it's been SUCH a blessing here. It nearly boggles my mind when someone says, "It's a waste of time" though I have wasted a good portion of time on here just looking through becuase of boredom :rolleyes: On the other hand, it obvious IS dangerous... but I've seen the blessings of it...

I love it here and really do not want to leave... but neb, I think you hit the nail on the head with the part of being stuck in the middle of two opinions...

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Posted (edited)

As long as you take precautions, I don't think it would be "dangerous".

But I do think using forums or chatrooms to promote the gospel may be a poor use of your time. I've been on various boards for about two or three years now. Since the very beginning, I have taken the time with non-Christians to explore the nature of God and the Bible. Do you know how many people on those boards have turned to Christ in those two or three years? Not a single one. The vast majority of them are more interested in arguing than ever actually listening.

The best that could be said is that it may have planted the seed for someone else to water.

By contrast, I know of at least two people who were Christians, who as a direct result from arguing on the boards, were deceived and actively turned away from Christ (one still believes in the Old Testament, and became a Jew. The other still believes in a creator, but does not define said creator, ie Deism). From what I could see, both were swayed because they did not have a proper grasp of contextual understandings. They were misled by people who quoted passage after passage of seeming contradictions. They were both young (15-16 years old), and even though some teenagers are mature enough to understand critical analysis, many are not - they didn't really have the understanding yet to progress from milk to solid food.

I think there are a lot of dangers in letting teenagers onto sites to specifically argue with non-Christians. There is a lot of misinformation out there. And it is very easy to get misled - far easier to be led away from God than it is the other way around.

Just my $0.02 worth.

~ ParanoidAndroid

Edited by ParanoidAndroid

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Posted
As long as you take precautions, I don't think it would be "dangerous".

But I do think using forums or chatrooms to promote the gospel may be a poor use of your time. I've been on various boards for about two or three years now. Since the very beginning, I have taken the time with non-Christians to explore the nature of God and the Bible. Do you know how many people on those boards have turned to Christ in those two or three years? Not a single one. The vast majority of them are more interested in arguing than ever actually listening.

The best that could be said is that it may have planted the seed for someone else to water.

By contrast, I know of at least two people who were Christians, who as a direct result from arguing on the boards, were deceived and actively turned away from Christ (one still believes in the Old Testament, and became a Jew. The other still believes in a creator, but does not define said creator, ie Deism). From what I could see, both were swayed because they did not have a proper grasp of contextual understandings. They were misled by people who quoted passage after passage of seeming contradictions. They were both young (15-16 years old), and even though some teenagers are mature enough to understand critical analysis, many are not - they didn't really have the understanding yet to progress from milk to solid food.

I think there are a lot of dangers in letting teenagers onto sites to specifically argue with non-Christians. There is a lot of misinformation out there. And it is very easy to get misled - far easier to be led away from God than it is the other way around.

Just my $0.02 worth.

~ ParanoidAndroid

Dare I possibly play devil's advocate on here??

There have been a few here who have been saved, or at least claim to be saved, based on hearing the gospel...

There is a song that says "If just one mroe soul were to walk down the aisle, it'd be worth every struggle, it's be worth every mile. A lifetime of labour is still worth it all if we rescued just one more soul".

Another is a favorite chorus of mine called "The Value of One":

"Go sound the horn, striek up the choir,

A sinner is saved, saved from the fire

No more in darkness, He's recieved my son

All of heaven's rejoicing, that's the value of one"

Isn't it worth it if just one person get saved???

There are many who are turned away and they were basically fed to a pack of wolves, kind of like going to a public school in a sense... It can be hurtful and helpful depending where one stands in Christ.

That's actually been part of my argument, it's "planting the seed". How many peolpe can we reachin chat rooms and boards taht we can't reach otherwise? EVEN IF the dont listen or dont' care, they can't say that they have never heard the gospel!

The Bible says that we are to plant the seed, and GOD will give the increase... His Word "never returns back void".

Then again, definitly not a good comparison but a comparison none the less if going on boards is wrong, it woudl be wrong to go to a bar and sit there the entire time to witness to folks.. we shoudln't go to bars, etc...

It is never right to do wrong to have an opportunity to do right.

Any thoughts?


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Posted
:taped: Aw, thanks neb :emot-hug:

You're welcome! :D

There are times I've gotten frustrated because of some of the things that have gone on, but it's been SUCH a blessing here.

That's actually a common sentiment. I've had to withdraw for a time because of "stuff", but then I keep coming back because the joys outweigh the pains (hmmmm....like many other things in life?).

On the other hand, it obvious IS dangerous... but I've seen the blessings of it...

Well, I can't vouch for other message boards, but I know the mods here do all they can to keep the place safe. If trouble is suspected, they deal with it. I've seen this time and again. I hope that helps alleviate those fears.

Blessings!


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Posted
Dare I possibly play devil's advocate on here??

There have been a few here who have been saved, or at least claim to be saved, based on hearing the gospel...

There is a song that says "If just one mroe soul were to walk down the aisle, it'd be worth every struggle, it's be worth every mile. A lifetime of labour is still worth it all if we rescued just one more soul".

Another is a favorite chorus of mine called "The Value of One":

"Go sound the horn, striek up the choir,

A sinner is saved, saved from the fire

No more in darkness, He's recieved my son

All of heaven's rejoicing, that's the value of one"

Isn't it worth it if just one person get saved???

There are many who are turned away and they were basically fed to a pack of wolves, kind of like going to a public school in a sense... It can be hurtful and helpful depending where one stands in Christ.

That's actually been part of my argument, it's "planting the seed". How many peolpe can we reachin chat rooms and boards taht we can't reach otherwise? EVEN IF the dont listen or dont' care, they can't say that they have never heard the gospel!

The Bible says that we are to plant the seed, and GOD will give the increase... His Word "never returns back void".

Then again, definitly not a good comparison but a comparison none the less if going on boards is wrong, it woudl be wrong to go to a bar and sit there the entire time to witness to folks.. we shoudln't go to bars, etc...

It is never right to do wrong to have an opportunity to do right.

Any thoughts?

Hi Kittylover,

By all means, feel free to put up opposing arguments. I agree with most of what you said. Just to clarify a little, I did not say that witnessing in chatrooms or forums was wrong. I said it (and I quote myself, with permission) - "may be a poor use of your time". I think that discussing in real life provides more fruitful responses than a message forum. What I have experienced in forums is that everyone who posts their opinion has a need to be "right". even when they are found to be wrong, very few will admit it, because 9 times out of 10 the response will be "I was right and you were wrong - I win!".

I remember one time when I used an analogy to explain a point a person and they pulled me up on the analogy. It was the common "Blondin the Tight-rope walker" analogy that is used to describe the difference between actions and words (I'm sure many of you have heard the analogy before). One person asked me whether there was proof that this event actually happened. After searching, I found that there was evidence of him tight-rope walking with a wheelbarrow full of bricks but there were many and varied (sometimes conflicting) stories about whether he actually asked someone singing his praises to get in the wheelbarrow with him. I couldn't find a factual basis for that section.l

I explained my findings to this person and said that I was sorry for stating this event as a fact, but the story still illustrates the point and I asked him to consider the story then as a fictitious analogy. His response was along the lines of "So you admit you were wrong. You admit you didn't do your research into the matter. You admit that I was right. I knew that all along". He didn't even address the analogy, just picked apart the rather meaningless point of whether it was a real event or not , while totally ignoring the meaning behind the analogy.

That is what message forums have a tendency to bring out, kittylover. However, in real life, discussion is a lot more personal. There isn't the posturing or "need to be right" mentality that plagues internet forums. While a person may not agree with you, they are far less likely to go ranting about being "right", even if/when you disagree with each other. With a less confrontational attitude and a more relaxed atmosphere, the chance to actually open a dialog and speak rationally about our creator can lead to much more fruitful discussions and open the door for the Lord to speak to their hearts - yes, even at a pub (as an aside, I have a friend who goes to a church with no centralised building. Instead, they meet up every two weeks at various pubs *with the landlord's permission, of course* and hold their services there - a wonderful idea, if you ask me).

All the best, kittylover - sorry about the long respnose :taped:


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Posted
I love it here and really do not want to leave... but neb, I think you hit the nail on the head with the part of being stuck in the middle of two opinions...

Kittylover, as long as you feel in your heart that WB is helping you to grow in your faith, and you know how to stay safe on the internet, then there is no problem! This board has been invaluable to me personally and, I'm sure, to many others. Everyone has to make his/her own decision about these things. Listen to others advice, consider it, but do what is right for you. :taped:


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Posted

my humble opinion only: forums can be dangerous if 1) they cause you to be double-minded or 2) you really do have a better use of the time spent on them.

to me worthy is of immense value because 1) i don't have a better use of the time spent here (it used to be tv time), 2) i get to help edify the body thru prayer and fellowship and 3) i'm not afraid of any of you :24: even if you came to my house !! :noidea:


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Posted
Why not talk to someone you can see face to face??

As I like to talk to people from other countries, I just can't hop a plane to İstanbul. :noidea:


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Posted
Some of those comments are exactly they same things my ex

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Posted

There have been instances that my time here could have been spent doing something more productive (housework) but most of the time that I spend here is beneficial in some way and hopefully not just to me. I haven't spent much time here recently though.

As far as it being dangerous here......I don't think I've ever felt as if I were in danger here. I'll have to admit that I don't always feel loved and accepted here but that's the case anywhere I go.

I don't deal very well with people face to face, especially in a "deep discussion". I'd much rather be able to walk away and think over and pray about a response than just have back and forth dialogue but that's just me.

As far as letting my children come here.....I just don't think they're mature enough. My son is 13 and my daughter is 9 and they have specific websites that they're allowed on and this isn't one of them yet. Someone said about parental controls, I have the same thing. I'm notified if my children even attempt to go to a site that I haven't already set for them. Not that I don't think it's safe here, but there are discussions that take place here that would only serve to confuse them and we all know where confusion comes from.

That being said Crystal, I don't want to see you go but I know that you must follow where God leads you. I know that I benefit from your friendship as I'm sure others do also. I just wonder how long you've felt this way and if this could possibly be the enemy trying to pull you away from something beneficial to you spiritually since he's losing battles in other areas of your life. Just a thought.

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