Should nonbelievers hide on Christian boards?

[calladus]

Okay, in another thread I basically went thru a bit of paranoia about having a fake personality on the Rapture Ready forum, and got some help from Martin in getting that straightened out. (Thanks again!)

What I want to know is should we just assume that we should hide our Internet persona on RR? (Or on any other board for that matter?) I mean really, wouldn't it be better to try being yourself FIRST? The worst they can do is just toss you off the board. It's not like they can burn you at the stake for being a heritic. (Well, at least that's frowned on in most countries in today's society.)

And I'm not talking about giving out your real name and home address (a little anonymity on the 'net is a GOOD thing!) But we all have primary persona that gain a reputation on the 'net.

Am I just being too naive (again)? I LIKE most people, and tend to think good of them. Are the mods on RR so bad that they ban people on their first post?

If you ARE banned on your first post, I would expect that you would sneak back in under a sock puppet and keep your posts 'innocent' enough to stay under their radar. I'm wondering if staying 'innocent' wouldn't be the thing to do from the get go? You can still talk sense and ask difficult questions, but maybe you can practice some of old Ben Franklin's style?

Sorry for the ramble people - I'm not sure I understand exactly what I'm trying to parse out here myself - but it feels odd to me to pretend that I'm someone that I'm not. I'm just wondering if anyone else feels the same about it?

And who knows - maybe I'll get booted on my first post from RR, and I'll have to make another sock puppet.

 

[c4ts]

I must use stealth so I can infiltrate enemy HQ and deploy the Socratic torpedo.

 

[calladus]

Hmm, The obvious follow up question is, "Should non-believers even be on boards like RR anyway?"

In my personal opinion, the answer would be, "YES!" My two reasons would be:

That non-believers and lovers of science and truth are always trying to get people to think for themselves - and in so doing we talk to people with this kind of clouded thinking. I'm grateful for those few who helped me in my own deconversion! I mean 'Witnessing' doesn't have to mean 'Jesus' does it? Can't it mean 'reason' also? We get 'Witnessed' to from believers, (on this board even!) why can't we talk reason to them?

Second, I've seen multiple cases on believers forums, (and on RR especially!) Where troubled people with severe medical, emotional, or financial difficulty are being brushed off by true believers with non-helpful answers. You're depressed? Pray. You're sick? Pray!! Where are the REAL answers? The REAL advice from people who have been there and overcome using aid from the real world? I think we can offer that.

So in a nutshell (hm, possibly a bad choice of words there - ah well) I DO believe that non-believers should be on believer's forums.

Comments? C'mon people tear it up now!

 

[calladus]

I must use stealth so I can infiltrate enemy HQ and deploy the Socratic torpedo.

Dang! You're good! And Fast! You snuck in before I could post my follow up!

 

[c4ts]

It's not like the people at RR are going to change or anything, but if I could convince just one person that the Rapture was a bunch of prophetic nonsense, if I could just show them the truth of the matter, I would be so frikkin' happy. The liberation of others is something worth living for. But I'm such an idealist anyway. The scary part is that the believers probably feel the same way toward us.

Of course I think RR could use a few skeptics. And I think JREF could use a few believers who don't also happen to be stupid trolls for a change.

 

[Garrette]

I don't know RR specifically, but my answer to the generalized question is that we should not be on any private board when our purpose is counter to the rules of that board. One arguable exception is if the board is doing something demonstrably illegal or harmful to those outside its membership.

If I understand (and recall corecctly) the RR rules that have been posted here, they make it clear that the board is for believers and not for argumentation.

Going to that board simply to argue when they have made it clear it is not welcome is trolling, uncivil, and not defensible when banning occurs.

 

[El Greco]

What's more important in this case is not the degree of their faith, but the degree of their open-mindedness. And when they say "leave us alone", it's obvious they don't have much of it. So, yu will be waisting your time; and theirs too.

But in the same sense, you can find in this very forum people who have become pseudo-skeptics in the same way others become believers: without really thinking much of it. Perhaps they were just raised to be atheists or simply mistrustful. IMO, there are many cases of mild woo-wooism around here (eg chauvinists, hooligans etc).

 

[UnrepentantSinner]

I would not join any board that would not allow UnrepentantSinner as a login.

Mainly because I'm too lazy to remember another login/password.

 

[Nyarlathotep]

I wouldn't hide but some explanation of my position is required. If it is a Christian board and their rules state in some manner that they don't want nonbelievers their, I wouldn't try to join in the first place. I may think the rule is stupid, but their board=their rules. Further, If they are that closed to hearing dissent, I would be wasting my time going there anyway.

If no such rule existed, and I felt like joining, I wouldn't hide. If I can be myelf, it's all to the good. If they ban me on some pretense, well, at least I may have demonstrated their hypocrisy. In neither case is their any reason to hide who I am.

 

[TheERK]

Of course I think RR could use a few skeptics. And I think JREF could use a few believers who don't also happen to be stupid trolls for a change.

Hopefully this doesn't imply that I am a stupid troll.

Wait, when you say 'believer', you're talking about Jareth, the goblin king, right? I believe he is real, and David Bowie is his prophet.

But seriously, I have a somewhat mystical philosophy, yet I can't stand the horrible arguments and attitudes of certain other idealists/mystics here.

 

[DarkPrimus]

Of course non-believers should be allowed on Christian message boards.

If Christians don't want them on there, then they obviously aren't strong enough in their faith to be able to handle heretics and their Satanic ramblings.

As for whether or not you should hide your true beliefs... why? So you can a sudden overnight conversion? What's the point?

 

[LFTKBS]

And I think JREF could use a few believers who don't also happen to be stupid trolls for a change.

Yes. We also need more married bachelors and square circles.

 

[DarkPrimus]

The only christains I know who aren't idiots are the ones who don't go around debating the feasibility of their religion.

 

[RebeccaBradley]

I don't think we should hide exactly, but there's nothing to stop us participating if we behave ourselves. Their rules make that clear:

"Subdermal Irritants: This is a private, moderated, Christian message board. We welcome people of all faiths to post here, but there always seem to be those select few who join solely for the purpose of mocking the faith of the members of the board or otherwise stirring up trouble for the sake of stirring up trouble. If this describes your motivation for joining, save both yourself and us the time and trouble and go elsewhere. We will not tolerate the mocking of our board, our members, our faith, and most importantly, our Lord."

So, by their rules, we're welcome to participate if we exercise the kind of courtesy and respect we should be exercising anyway. Which doesn't mean we can't ask interesting questions...just means we should ask nicely.

That said, I'm still not able to post to RR. Sixteen days and counting since I registered. But I"m having a fine time lurking.

Anyway, they should be delighted to have us heathens there, since it gives them a great chance to witness to us....

 

[calladus]

I don't think we should hide exactly, but there's nothing to stop us participating if we behave ourselves. Their rules make that clear:

"Subdermal Irritants: This is a private, moderated, Christian message board. We welcome people of all faiths to post here, but there always seem to be those select few who join solely for the purpose of mocking the faith of the members of the board or otherwise stirring up trouble for the sake of stirring up trouble. If this describes your motivation for joining, save both yourself and us the time and trouble and go elsewhere. We will not tolerate the mocking of our board, our members, our faith, and most importantly, our Lord."

So, by their rules, we're welcome to participate if we exercise the kind of courtesy and respect we should be exercising anyway. Which doesn't mean we can't ask interesting questions...just means we should ask nicely.

That said, I'm still not able to post to RR. Sixteen days and counting since I registered. But I"m having a fine time lurking.

Anyway, they should be delighted to have us heathens there, since it gives them a great chance to witness to us....

This is how I feel about it, and why I changed my pseudonym on RR back to Calladus.

I know it appeals to a non-believer's sense of mischief to appear as a believer, quote the bible, and then suddenly mime a crisis of faith with a subsequent deconversion. These people have already seen this. They know how to react to it.

In fact I believe they may over-react when one of thier own is in crisis. Instead of encouraging their wounded brother or sister back into the fold, they go after him or her like sharks attacking a bleeding shark. (Much as Ruby has seen.)

I believe that non-believers can be better than that - that we can be kind and compassionate to a person suffering a crisis of faith when they don't even get compassion from their own.