Are you a troll? Do you like to argue?

[B-A-C]

Gal 5:19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
Gal 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
Gal 5:21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Gal 5:23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

The deeds of the flesh are evident. arguing, disagreements, outbursts of anger, disputing, dissention, taking sides.
"those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God".

I hate to see it, but I see too much of these here on TalkJesus. I see too little peace and kindness on here most of the time.

Indeed, it seems the sole purpose of some people is to scan the message boards here and pounce upon the first person who disagrees
with their ideologies. You rarely ( if ever ) see a peaceful, loving post from them about anything, ever.

They are too busy defending the faith, to show any love or patience, for anyone.

Rom 16:17; Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.

Jas 4:2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.

Tit 1:16; They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.

Mark 9:50; "Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

Eph 4:1; Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
Eph 4:2; with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,
Eph 4:3; being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Heb 12:14; Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.

I am not saying we have to agree with everything everyone says here. We can have differences, we can even debate.... peacefully, in love.

2Tim 2:24; The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,
2Tim 2:25; with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,

Matt 5:22; "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

I see a lot of people calling each other idiots, fools, and morons. Stupid and ignorant. I found no less than 30 instances of this in the last 45 days here
on TalkJesus. I thought about calling people out, copying and pasting some of these things here in this post, perhaps I still might. This verse has been quoted by others, who unfortunately seem to be the ones who do this most often. This isn't just one or two people, it seems at least five or six people have joined in the name calling.

Jesus said that in the last days...

Matt 24:12; "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold.
Matt 24:13; "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

We as Christians are supposed to be examples to the unsaved, but what message are we sending the unsaved?

John 13:35; "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

I am preaching to myself a little here also, I too am guilty, and I ask for your forgiveness if I have offended you.
But this really needs to stop, TalkJesus is no longer a place of love patience and encouragement. It's a place to argue and call each other names.

Rom 12:18; If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

 

[Christ4Ever]

Dear Brother, @B-A-C
I hope all is well with you and yours brother.
I do agree with you on this. A brother in Christ here, explained it rightly and I thought it would be appropriate to share it here. I won't say who it is since I received it by me via PM. Otherwise, he was right on in explaining "Trolling".

"Trolling is when someone posts or comments online to ‘bait’ people, which means deliberately provoking an argument or emotional reaction. In some cases, they say things they don’t even believe, just to cause drama. In other cases, they may not agree with the views of another person or group online, so they try to discredit, humiliate or punish them. This may include online hate – personal attacks that target someone because of their race, culture, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability. The troll may also encourage mob mentality, urging others to join in the attack so it becomes a pile on.

Trolls often post under a fake name or anonymously, so they can say things without being held responsible. This can make them feel more powerful and less cautious than they would be if they were talking to someone ‘IRL’ or in person. This makes it difficult to identify who actually left the post or comment.

Trolls also often try to downplay the impact of their behavior, claiming anyone who’s upset by their posts or comments is overreacting. They may say it was just a joke, or the person who they targeted needs to toughen up. This can make the person who was trolled feel even worse."

Sadly, what I've also come to realize is that some don't even believe they are doing this, or only see it as communicating truth/facts.

These are but a few verses that believers ought to look to.

with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, Ephesians 4:2 NKJV

"But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Luke 6:35 NKJV

The merciful man does good for his own soul, But [he who is] cruel troubles his own flesh. Proverbs 11:17 NKJV

Therefore, as [the] elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; Colossians 3:12 NKJV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Galatians 5:22 NKJV

Too often after all the points on a subject have been exhausted the individuals in a debate, then turn into combatants. Which is when the personal attacks begin, if they haven't already done so prior to this point.

I leave you with this brother and pray in the hope that we take it to heart and do what our Lord commanded us to do. Without renationalizing that one's attacks are only attempts to lovingly correct another.

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. John 13:34 NKJV

Thanks for the thread brother, and I will warn, how my last verse will get twisted to justify their words/actions.

With the Love of Christ Jesus.
YBIC
Nick
\o/
<><

 

[KingJ]

I see a lot of people calling each other idiots, fools, and morons. Stupid and ignorant. I found no less than 30 instances of this in the last 45 days here
on TalkJesus. I thought about calling people out, copying and pasting some of these things here in this post, perhaps I still might. This verse has been quoted by others, who unfortunately seem to be the ones who do this most often. This isn't just one or two people, it seems at least five or six people have joined in the name calling.

I am preaching to myself a little here also, I too am guilty, and I ask for your forgiveness if I have offended you.
But this really needs to stop, TalkJesus is no longer a place of love patience and encouragement. It's a place to argue and call each other names.

There is a catch 22 situation here that I have realized from many years on atheist forums.

Many times you have to 'fight' a bit. Be a bit aggressive and select words that will offend.

For example. David says in Psalm 14:1 ''a fool (aka an idiot) says in their hearts there is no God''.

Now on an atheist forum, I will explain why it is idiotic to not believe in God. You can imagine how that goes down.

----------------------------------------

Then when you find a real troll on a Christian forum. It is sadly very easy to get baited as your defenses are a bit down. Compared to an atheist forum Christian forums are like being in Heaven.

----------------------------------------

Trolling is a symptom of a mental illness like '' sadism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism''.

 

[backNforth]

Concerning trolls, beware, as half of the posts are from bots.

Also beware of the "non-bots" among us, who would bait us with de-bait, which is a sign of a reprobate mind:

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Romans chapter 1)

 

[GracefulJourney]

Gal 5:19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
Gal 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
Gal 5:21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Gal 5:23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

The deeds of the flesh are evident. arguing, disagreements, outbursts of anger, disputing, dissention, taking sides.
"those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God".

I hate to see it, but I see too much of these here on TalkJesus. I see too little peace and kindness on here most of the time.

Indeed, it seems the sole purpose of some people is to scan the message boards here and pounce upon the first person who disagrees
with their ideologies. You rarely ( if ever ) see a peaceful, loving post from them about anything, ever.

They are too busy defending the faith, to show any love or patience, for anyone.

Rom 16:17; Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.

Jas 4:2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.

Tit 1:16; They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.

Mark 9:50; "Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

Eph 4:1; Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
Eph 4:2; with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,
Eph 4:3; being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Heb 12:14; Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.

I am not saying we have to agree with everything everyone says here. We can have differences, we can even debate.... peacefully, in love.

2Tim 2:24; The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,
2Tim 2:25; with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,

Matt 5:22; "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

I see a lot of people calling each other idiots, fools, and morons. Stupid and ignorant. I found no less than 30 instances of this in the last 45 days here
on TalkJesus. I thought about calling people out, copying and pasting some of these things here in this post, perhaps I still might. This verse has been quoted by others, who unfortunately seem to be the ones who do this most often. This isn't just one or two people, it seems at least five or six people have joined in the name calling.

Jesus said that in the last days...

Matt 24:12; "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold.
Matt 24:13; "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

We as Christians are supposed to be examples to the unsaved, but what message are we sending the unsaved?

John 13:35; "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

I am preaching to myself a little here also, I too am guilty, and I ask for your forgiveness if I have offended you.
But this really needs to stop, TalkJesus is no longer a place of love patience and encouragement. It's a place to argue and call each other names.

Rom 12:18; If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

Interesting never saw a discussion about this is a Christ forum before.
What I notice especially on FB and Twit is the same attacks.

I shared this in another forum that I am testing out to see if I fit in.
My son is Autistic and the miracles that he speaks at times floors me.
We were talking about how certain atheist and religion, pick apart the Bible. by twisting Chapter,
and comparing them elsewhere by a whole other author.
And he said, that the Bible is not a book of quotes its a book of books. He said this a few months back.
And he and I talked about this much more and he was saying that by comparing
one book with another takes away with what the book was written for in the first place.
This is from my son who sees mostly only logic as a way to navigate our world.

I think I can defend my position fairly well. But his logic really helped me
look at the reality of arguing with a person who picks scripture apart.
Is like Cooking a Thanks Giving Turkey, and saying the directions are wrong, as they are not the same as how Ham is cooked.
( I am a person that describes allot in analogies in my pastoral past it is something that works for me hopefully they translate well)
But when I choose a debate, which is not often. I choose to do if I am called to do so.

To digress I try not to engage in the traps which, my background prepared me well for.
Having worked in a Drug and Alcohol facility as a supervisor, been homeless and then studied seminary and law.
This is not a boast just sharing some of whom I am, as I am new here.
I could probably do battle pretty well. But I prefer to bring a person to Christ, over beating them over the head
with why they are wrong. I was wrong once, ( )


I am a Christian, however I prefer Christ Follower, because I do not follow a religion I follow Christ.
Therefore one thing I seldom debate is a religion. But I will debate the literature the religion uses.

 

[GracefulJourney]

According to the group rules we should use scripture to respond to eliminate a personal view.
At least that is how I viewed it.
The Bible addresses self-righteousness in several places, emphasizing that it is an attitude that leads to pride, hypocrisy, and a false sense of moral superiority. God desires humility, a recognition of our need for His grace, and a heart that is reliant on His righteousness rather than our own. The Bible often contrasts self-righteousness with true righteousness, which comes from faith in God and His grace, rather than through human effort or works.

Here are some key biblical principles and verses related to self-righteousness:

1.​

Self-righteousness is an attitude of moral superiority where one believes they are better or more righteous than others based on their own actions, rather than relying on God's grace. Jesus strongly condemned self-righteousness, especially when it was displayed by the Pharisees, who were outwardly religious but inwardly corrupt.

Luke 18:9-14 (NIV) – The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector:“ To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
In this parable, the Pharisee’s self-righteousness blinds him to his own need for God's mercy, while the tax collector humbly acknowledges his sin and is justified by God. Jesus teaches that those who rely on their own righteousness and look down on others will be humbled, but those who humbly seek God's mercy will be exalted.

2.​

The Bible makes it clear that human righteousness, apart from God, is insufficient. True righteousness comes not from our own works but through faith in Christ. We are justified by God's grace, not by our attempts to be righteous in our own strength.

Isaiah 64:6 (NIV): “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”
This passage reminds us that our own righteous deeds, when done out of self-righteousness or without God's grace, are inadequate and tainted by sin. We cannot achieve true righteousness through our own efforts.

Philippians 3:9 (NIV): “...and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”
Paul, who once relied on his own righteousness as a Pharisee, came to understand that true righteousness is a gift from God, received through faith in Christ, not through obeying the law or boasting in one's own moral achievements.

3.​

The Bible teaches that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Those who are self-righteous are often proud, believing they are superior to others, but God values humility and those who recognize their need for His grace.

James 4:6 (NIV): “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
God does not look favorably on those who exalt themselves in self-righteousness. Instead, He gives grace to the humble, those who recognize that their righteousness comes from Him alone.

Proverbs 16:18 (NIV): “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Self-righteousness often stems from pride, and pride leads to downfall. In contrast, humility leads to favor with God.

4.​

Jesus repeatedly rebuked the religious leaders of His day for their self-righteousness, particularly the Pharisees. They were outwardly pious, but inwardly they were filled with pride and hypocrisy, seeking to display their righteousness before others rather than seeking God's approval.

Matthew 23:27-28 (NIV): “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
The Pharisees focused on external religious rituals, but their hearts were far from God. Jesus condemned their self-righteous behavior because it was based on outward appearance, not true inner transformation.

5.​

Self-righteousness often manifests in judgmental attitudes toward others. The Bible warns against this, as we are all sinners in need of God's grace.

Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV): “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
This passage highlights the hypocrisy of self-righteousness—focusing on the faults of others while ignoring one's own shortcomings. Jesus calls His followers to examine themselves humbly before judging others.

My Opinion:​

​

Hate the Sin, Not the Person​

The Bible calls us to hate sin but to love the sinner. Psalm 97:10 (NIV) says, “Let those who love the Lord hate evil.” This includes hating self-righteousness as a form of hypocrisy or pride. However, we must be careful to separate the sin from the person. We are called to love and restore people gently, even when they are trapped in sin.

Galatians 6:1 (NIV): “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”
The goal should not be simply to express disgust toward self-righteousness but to seek the restoration and correction of those caught in it, with humility and a heart for reconciliation.

However, The Bible consistently warns against the dangers of self-righteousness, which leads to pride, hypocrisy, and judgmental attitudes. True righteousness does not come from our own efforts but from faith in Jesus Christ and reliance on God's grace. The Lord calls believers to humility, recognizing their need for Him and extending grace and mercy to others, just as they have received it. Self-righteousness, by contrast, is rooted in pride and is something that God opposes.

In rejecting self-righteousness, we embrace the truth that we are all sinners saved by grace and called to live in humility, seeking God's righteousness, not our own. By directing the sin as the issue not the person we continue to walk with Christ.

 

[Br. Bear]

Greetings,

hate to see it, but I see too much of these here on TalkJesus. I see too little peace and kindness on here most of the time

a peaceful, loving post

love or patience

I am not saying we have to agree with everything everyone says here. We can have differences, we can even debate.... peacefully, in love.

Thank you Brother.

Love sounds like a good idea. I think someone mentioned that a couple of times over the years.

.......
I was pondering this the other day after the hurricane, searching the older posts, as in 15 to 20 years ago, looking for a member who might have been endangered or effected by the storm, and it really struck me how much 'love' was shared ... and as you have pointed out, how different it seems to be now. My mind and memory goes hither and thither remembering peaceful, God loving members who have come and gone.

In my thoughts, with God's comforts, a question arose....

could the solution here be, to be a doer and start reverting to that first love, which might encourage a few to do likewise?

I do confess that there are times I have considered banning several members simply because their attitude stinks (and some have been! )
We try to encourage kindness and reciprocity of God's love as shown in His Son and to exercise patience and longsuffering, knowing how we need our Father to do likewise to us.

Indeed, our Lord Jesus Christ is precious and His love beyond our full comprehension.

Reading to youngsters recently, this verse stood out:
That they without us should not be made perfect.
Hebrews 11:40

How much we need each other and our union with Christ. One can not attain to perfection on one's own. How bold to suggest that they, without us, (you, me and all faithful believers) would not be perfect, as if we were special in and of ourselves... but we know that we too can not be perfect without those who have gone before us.

Let God be praised in all we do, as examples of His love and forbearance towards us.

The question again:
could the solution here be, to be a doer and start reverting to that first love, which might encourage a few to do likewise?

Bless you and yours Brother ....><>