When You Begin With A Presumption of Guilt…
…it’s so much easier to pretend you’re suffering from holy indignation.
I remember when I was a kid and my mom found out that I had misbehaved on the school bus (I put some sticky candy in another kid’s hair), and she asked me about it. Rather than fess up, I told a lie. When she confronted the lie with contradictory evidence, rather than fess up, I dug the hole a little bit deeper. And then deeper. And deeper. Until it was a complete mess, and I was then struggling just to divert attention away from my sin.
It seems that some folks just never grow out of such behavior.
Last night, I posted this article on the shootings in Arvada, Colorado, the providence that God provided in preventing the tragedy from being much bigger, and the typical watchdoggie response of gut-punching someone when they’re down (because it’s easier to do it then, you know). Ending the article, I suggested that rabid watchdoggies out to be “put down”, which any sane reader, even a non-Christian one, would understand as being in line with our contention that if CR?N, SoL, AM, and the like were all shut down (not just because of a computer glitch, from which they would arise like putrid zombies from Day of the Dead), Christianity would be blessed for their non-existence.
As I talked with Tim before our podcast last night about this article, I made a prediction (and it wasn’t that hard of one to make, so I will not credit it to spiritual foreknowledge) that 1) We’d pretty much get no apology from CR?N or their pups; and 2) rather than address the sad situation at hand, they would try to divert attention from their gross, callous sin and hypocrisy by taking the last line of my article and try to claim I was threatening them.
It only took 12 hours for this prediction to come true. To make this even sadder/funnier, I posted a clarification in the comments section when the “Pastor/Teacher” with more titles than parishoners questioned the intent of the final phrase in the aricle, and this clarification was posted right along with the accusation that it proved false.
So, just to be clear for any future reference, the only extermination involved in “putting down” a watchdoggie occurs when a bunch of one’s and zero’s all become just plain ol’ zero’s…
And Ken (and Ingrid), if you were TRULY concerned that I was threatening you, I apologize. If, however, you were just looking to “score points” in the same fashion as your modus operandi, then I would say it a million times more without apology. Only you know which is the case…
December 13th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Ken needs to REPENT of his lies. I feel badly for him. He’s well intentioned but he’s being dishonest over simple things like studying under Walter Martin and the like. If he would just repent he might find what he’s looking for in the first place.
December 13th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Chris,
Disregard my comment in the scoring points post then. This article says exactly what needed to be said.
December 13th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Waaaaaaaaah! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!
Everyone is soooooooooooooo mean to me.
Especially when they don’t lay down and bow to MY tantrums!!!
It’s just soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard!!!!
I can pray for God’s judgment…disrespect people who are suffering.
But if anybody thinks I’M wrong…then I’m persecuted.
i’m soooooooooooooo important.
The world would be lost without me and my second-rate radio show.
It’s just soooooooooooooooooo haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
December 13th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
We must be careful about using words that could be misconstrued as something unintended. I thought Chris’ wording was within the dog ambiance and not in any way suggesting violence.
Much of the “battle” language that the ODMs use could be misconstrued along the same lines although an honest reading would never understand it that way. It is dispicable that Ingrid receives threats of any kind, it is cowardly and unchristian and those who do it should be apprehended.
December 13th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
How many times has Ken posted something that was threatening to other people because they shouldn’t question a pastor/teacher whatever he is?
December 13th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
Thanks for the clarification, Chris. Hopefully they’ll know what you mean.
December 13th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
Typically, though, Ken’s threats are to their eternal life, not their physical one, and the courts don’t much care about those kinds of threats…
December 13th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Rick,
“We must be careful about using words that could be misconstrued as something unintended.”
When you were still a contributor, did you say I was welcome to comment here?
December 13th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Right, but they are almost always written so that you could “miss” interpret them as physical threats. This whole dance borders no ubsurd.
December 13th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
I saw that Ken has *updated* his post. I was hoping for an apology … silly me.
December 13th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
Ken,
what does it matter if Rick stated you are welcome… or if I have also… you are going against YOUR OWN WORDS and not letting you yes be yes and no be no… if you acknowledge that you changed your OWN MIND that is fine and enough… but don’t go to us to justify your OWN ACTIONS AND DISREGARDING OF YOUR OWN WORDS…
iggy
large letters are for emphasis and not becuase i am angry… or but I am shouting! = )
December 13th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Didn’t you say you were not going to comment here again? Multiple times?
December 13th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
I am in the hospital again so I have tests and things so forgive my tardy reply. I have always welcomed Ken back or anyone, people get angry and say things they later regret and I am willing to make allowances.
I myself said I was leaving once but I came back so I cannot hold others to a higher standard. The comment section here has been above reproach in its inclusiveness, and until there is a “if you say you won’t comment again you willbe blocked” there is grace for that.
December 13th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
One difference between you and the good pastor Rick; you apologized. You said you were sorry. That matters; sooner or later people who claim to be wise enough to run a discernment ministry need to own up to their words. Unless of course those words are just their opinion and not really stated as fact. You did it once, Ken has done it at least 5 times by my count
December 13th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
I read Slice and CRN- yes they can be “in your face” bold and I dont always agree 100% with everything I read on one website. I read around and I dont just take one blogs word for as absolute truth. Quite frankly the comments here about the other blog sites and bloggers are borderline childish. I came upon this site by accident and am shocked that Christians are engaging in “na na na na boo boo” type behavior. I am glad Slice doesnt have comments and that the articles are not bogged down by needless name calling, pointing of fingers and just plain nastiness. We are called to be discerning and thank God we have the freedom to create websites/blogs to express our freedoms - but if the comments do nothing more than ridicule, mock, express nastiness and become a tit for tat- what has that accomplished?
If this sort of dialogue was going on face to face between two of my friends I would either tell them to stop and separate, because nothing is being accomplished, its actually embarrassing- and if they insisted on continuing I would walk away and say a prayer for them.
I will say a pray for this site
December 13th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
How great Mary.
Slice is soooooooooo superior. They don’t get bogged down in the comments with nastiness and pointing fingers.
They’re streamlined.
They just limit it to their posts.
You got us there.
how many times on this site do I have to say…
WHAT HAPPENS HERE IS NOT THE SAME THING!!!
No matter how much ingrid shrieks it out, or Ken whines about it or any of their defenders come here and say the same thing does noT MAKE IT SO.
December 13th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Hi Mary (nice name!)
You said:
“I am glad Slice doesnt have comments and that the articles are not bogged down by needless name calling, pointing of fingers and just plain nastiness.”
I used to be a regular Slice commenter back when commenting was still an option. Even though the comments were moderated, things could still get pretty argumentative at times and not entirely glorifying to the Lord. There were, at times, needless finger pointing and nastiness. All Christian blogs at times are like this. Sad, but it shows that people need to think and pray before they comment. The internet doesn’t seem to bring out the best in people.
The fact that this site hardly ever moderates may bring out the nastiness a bit more, but I’m sure Ingrid can tell you some of the comments she’s recieved on Slice in the past were just as bad.
December 13th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Given the context of the original post (a tragic shooting and deaths) and given the connotations of the term “put down”, given that “put down” was linked to “rabid dogs”, and given the tone of the conversation here to begin with…
How could it possibly be interpreted any other way? Your final statement was inappropriate at best. Frankly, it was out of line and, given your school bus story, I suspect you know it.
A real apology is in order.
December 13th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
Funny. Read Ingrid’s article. But I seem to remember when End of the Spear came out, and when SI, SOL, et al were all over the blogosphere deriding the producers of the movie–there was a comment from Al Mohler about firebombing their houses. NEVER was there a call (from them) for Al to recant–only missives about how that wasn’t ‘really’ what he meant, that he wasn’t literally suggesting people firebomb houses, etc. Of course, his site was taken down right after that…maybe more concerned heads prevailed?
But, who really cares what you say…oh yeah…the people who live in a town where there has been a Church (well, a synogogue) firebombed…
still waiting for the apology from the ODMs on that one… crickets…
December 14th, 2007 at 5:09 am
Merry-
thank you for your comment- I understand and also agree. People will behave like sinners in a fallen world-and we all could use more prayer.
NC-I get it, this website isnt designed to be like SOL, and CRN- I didnt say it should be-just noticed some nasty comments and was surprised.
thanks for allowing me to comment- God bless
December 14th, 2007 at 7:45 am
Mary,
You are free to comment here whenever you want. I agree that things get contentious at times, and that it is important that we operate in love… a very difficult thing, sometimes.