2015 Includes video https://www.christianpost.com/news/you-cannot-serve-both-god-and-internet-trolling-142972/
God bless and protect this forum. Amen.
God bless and protect this forum. Amen.
You Cannot Serve Both God and Internet Trolling (A Christian Post Article)
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I did post an informative and relevant article. 
And the charge of it being a troll article as you mean it, is both unfair to the truth of its content, as well as is an attempt to insult the ethicacy of a Christian on-line publication, Christian Post.
Click Bait is usually thought of as a bad thing, as you're hoping to impart so as to dissuade attention from the OP article. However, the truth of the matter is Click Bait in its proper non-troll context is a good thing. Because inviting Net browsing people to click on a link, in the case of my OP here was fully informative in the URL being public so as to give each reader a choice, brings attention to said article.
And the very real issue of internet Trolls and specifically those that target Christians and Christians in Community on-line.
And the charge of it being a troll article as you mean it, is both unfair to the truth of its content, as well as is an attempt to insult the ethicacy of a Christian on-line publication, Christian Post. Click Bait is usually thought of as a bad thing, as you're hoping to impart so as to dissuade attention from the OP article. However, the truth of the matter is Click Bait in its proper non-troll context is a good thing. Because inviting Net browsing people to click on a link, in the case of my OP here was fully informative in the URL being public so as to give each reader a choice, brings attention to said article.
And the very real issue of internet Trolls and specifically those that target Christians and Christians in Community on-line.
Christian Post (CP) Opinion
You Cannot Serve Both God and Internet Trolling
By Christopher Benek , CP Op-Ed Contributor | Aug 20, 2015
I would think most Christians are aware of on-line Christian reporting sites like Christian Post.
The following is the article posted in the OP link, in full. Under fair use rights for information purposes, as allowed by law. (all but the video that is at the link)
Have you ever been in an online community where you're trying to discuss information that you are deeply invested in and then someone, seemingly out of nowhere, begins to deliberately sow discord among the group?
The intentional introduction of inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic posts with the deliberate intent of disrupting regular on-topic group discussion — commonly known as Internet trolling — has become a favorite pastime of many Christians in the world today. Unfortunately, many folks haven't yet learned that one cannot serve both God and Internet trolling.
Ironically, the concept of the mythic troll, as developed in Scandinavian folklore, is one that understands such creatures as not being Christianized. Or, not to put too fine a point on it, they were beings that did not attempt to follow the ways of Christ. As such, one shouldn't be surprised at Internet trolls' general rejection of Christianity or their specific dismissal of Jesus' teaching to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
What is interesting about the mounting phenomenon of Internet trolling is that people generally seem to be growing more unaware that they are engaging in this behavior. Part of this developing disregard for others is arising from a lack of empathy that is being fueled by an even larger lack of technological accountability. And this lack of accountability is potentially where ideas surrounding Christian community, properly understood, have a larger role to play.
But what complicates the issue further are the ways that many self-proclaimed Christians seem to actively engage in this behavior also. You have probably experienced this in one form or another if you have spent any time reading comments on the Internet.
The person who assaults others with complex yet unexegeted Scripture verses, hurled into the digital crowd like a Molotov cocktail.
Or others who attach themselves to a given tribe of people with whom they don't actually want to identify with but whom they do want the personal privilege of constantly critiquing with their posts.
Or worse yet, the notorious social media blackmail for Jesus proponent that usually seeks to hold folks spiritually and technologically hostage. Those trolling posts often consist of some variation of "If you love Jesus like and share, if you love Satan keep scrolling. Remember: Jesus saw you reading this!"
Of course, all of these actions can and do take on more subtle forms as well.
But the commonality of these behaviors is that they share the initial guise of being representative of Christian conduct: a personal dedication to Scripture; a general sense that identifying and distancing oneself from sin is a good thing; or a stout allegiance to Jesus Christ. It is also of note that such trolling likewise tends to share a warped sense of American nationalism and entitlement that advocates that individuals should be able to say anything to anybody in any circumstance without regard for others' holistic health and well-being.
The problem with this is that employing such methods, either knowingly or otherwise, fundamentally disregards Christ's golden rule and greatest commandments because, and at a basic level, engaging in such behavior doesn't respect the people on the other end of digital correspondence. More disheartening yet is that the general public and vast majority of Christian communities are quickly losing their ability to identify these trolling activities for what they are.
As such, addressing these issues as we move forward into the technologically advancing future is going to have to become a priority of religious and social communities. While I am convinced that technological advancement has tremendous potential to aid in helping to bring about Christ's redemptive purposes in the world, ignoring its deficiencies, and how those problems arise as a result of who we are as persons, also has the potential of being vastly destructive for human communities. How we choose to respond moving forward will certainly shape our approaching technological futures.
The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek is the Associate Pastor of Family Ministries and Missions at First Presbyterian Church of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Learn more about him and subscribe to his blog at www.christopherbenek.com.
subscribe to his blog at www.christopherbenek.com.
You Cannot Serve Both God and Internet Trolling
By Christopher Benek , CP Op-Ed Contributor | Aug 20, 2015
I would think most Christians are aware of on-line Christian reporting sites like Christian Post.
The following is the article posted in the OP link, in full. Under fair use rights for information purposes, as allowed by law. (all but the video that is at the link)
Have you ever been in an online community where you're trying to discuss information that you are deeply invested in and then someone, seemingly out of nowhere, begins to deliberately sow discord among the group?
The intentional introduction of inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic posts with the deliberate intent of disrupting regular on-topic group discussion — commonly known as Internet trolling — has become a favorite pastime of many Christians in the world today. Unfortunately, many folks haven't yet learned that one cannot serve both God and Internet trolling.
Ironically, the concept of the mythic troll, as developed in Scandinavian folklore, is one that understands such creatures as not being Christianized. Or, not to put too fine a point on it, they were beings that did not attempt to follow the ways of Christ. As such, one shouldn't be surprised at Internet trolls' general rejection of Christianity or their specific dismissal of Jesus' teaching to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
What is interesting about the mounting phenomenon of Internet trolling is that people generally seem to be growing more unaware that they are engaging in this behavior. Part of this developing disregard for others is arising from a lack of empathy that is being fueled by an even larger lack of technological accountability. And this lack of accountability is potentially where ideas surrounding Christian community, properly understood, have a larger role to play.
But what complicates the issue further are the ways that many self-proclaimed Christians seem to actively engage in this behavior also. You have probably experienced this in one form or another if you have spent any time reading comments on the Internet.
The person who assaults others with complex yet unexegeted Scripture verses, hurled into the digital crowd like a Molotov cocktail.
Or others who attach themselves to a given tribe of people with whom they don't actually want to identify with but whom they do want the personal privilege of constantly critiquing with their posts.
Or worse yet, the notorious social media blackmail for Jesus proponent that usually seeks to hold folks spiritually and technologically hostage. Those trolling posts often consist of some variation of "If you love Jesus like and share, if you love Satan keep scrolling. Remember: Jesus saw you reading this!"
Of course, all of these actions can and do take on more subtle forms as well.
But the commonality of these behaviors is that they share the initial guise of being representative of Christian conduct: a personal dedication to Scripture; a general sense that identifying and distancing oneself from sin is a good thing; or a stout allegiance to Jesus Christ. It is also of note that such trolling likewise tends to share a warped sense of American nationalism and entitlement that advocates that individuals should be able to say anything to anybody in any circumstance without regard for others' holistic health and well-being.
The problem with this is that employing such methods, either knowingly or otherwise, fundamentally disregards Christ's golden rule and greatest commandments because, and at a basic level, engaging in such behavior doesn't respect the people on the other end of digital correspondence. More disheartening yet is that the general public and vast majority of Christian communities are quickly losing their ability to identify these trolling activities for what they are.
As such, addressing these issues as we move forward into the technologically advancing future is going to have to become a priority of religious and social communities. While I am convinced that technological advancement has tremendous potential to aid in helping to bring about Christ's redemptive purposes in the world, ignoring its deficiencies, and how those problems arise as a result of who we are as persons, also has the potential of being vastly destructive for human communities. How we choose to respond moving forward will certainly shape our approaching technological futures.
The Rev. Dr. Christopher Benek is the Associate Pastor of Family Ministries and Missions at First Presbyterian Church of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Learn more about him and subscribe to his blog at www.christopherbenek.com.
subscribe to his blog at www.christopherbenek.com.
Thank you for saying this. It is a shame the only time one person here speaks to me is to harass me. And now make false statements concerning the CP article link. There are no Gnostic Gospel links in that article.
My signature, the quote itself is linked to a PBS article that informs on the quote.
The quote is a synopsis, and this is my scriptural learning assessing this, as well as what the article prescribes, of Jesus' teachings as relates to. The kingdom of God is within. As related in many scriptures but also in Isaiah 65:1. I did not include that but shall consider editing, because I feared the charge of, "Jesus did not say that, Isaiah is old testament."
So it is the teaching synopsis of, the kingdom of God is within us. What we seek cannot be found outside ourselves, being we're made in the image and likeness of God. And his sacred and most holy spirit is alive inside us. Connecting with that, coming into agreement and understanding, knowledge, which is the original root meaning of "gnosis", that some like to disparage, is what is referred to, in those parallel verse references, when Jesus said in John 14:12, that when we believe, be-(a)live, in him , we shall be able to do all the things he did.
But if we remain dead to the sacred and most holy spirit presence , we will be destroyed in the end. Thinking all this, world, flesh, is all that there is.
It is a shame the only time one person here speaks to me is to harass me. And now make false statements concerning the CP article link. There are no Gnostic Gospel links in that article. My signature, the quote itself is linked to a PBS article that informs on the quote.
The quote is a synopsis, and this is my scriptural learning assessing this, as well as what the article prescribes, of Jesus' teachings as relates to. The kingdom of God is within. As related in many scriptures but also in Isaiah 65:1. I did not include that but shall consider editing, because I feared the charge of, "Jesus did not say that, Isaiah is old testament."
So it is the teaching synopsis of, the kingdom of God is within us. What we seek cannot be found outside ourselves, being we're made in the image and likeness of God. And his sacred and most holy spirit is alive inside us. Connecting with that, coming into agreement and understanding, knowledge, which is the original root meaning of "gnosis", that some like to disparage, is what is referred to, in those parallel verse references, when Jesus said in John 14:12, that when we believe, be-(a)live, in him , we shall be able to do all the things he did.
But if we remain dead to the sacred and most holy spirit presence , we will be destroyed in the end. Thinking all this, world, flesh, is all that there is.
I did post an informative and relevant article. And the charge of it being a troll article as you mean it, is both unfair to the truth of its content, as well as is an attempt to insult the ethicacy of a Christian on-line publication, Christian Post.
Click Bait is usually thought of as a bad thing, as you're hoping to impart so as to dissuade attention from the OP article. However, the truth of the matter is Click Bait in its proper non-troll context is a good thing. Because inviting Net browsing people to click on a link, in the case of my OP here was fully informative in the URL being public so as to give each reader a choice, brings attention to said article.
And the very real issue of internet Trolls and specifically those that target Christians and Christians in Community on-line.
And the charge of it being a troll article as you mean it, is both unfair to the truth of its content, as well as is an attempt to insult the ethicacy of a Christian on-line publication, Christian Post.Click Bait is usually thought of as a bad thing, as you're hoping to impart so as to dissuade attention from the OP article. However, the truth of the matter is Click Bait in its proper non-troll context is a good thing. Because inviting Net browsing people to click on a link, in the case of my OP here was fully informative in the URL being public so as to give each reader a choice, brings attention to said article.
And the very real issue of internet Trolls and specifically those that target Christians and Christians in Community on-line.
I wasn't taking issue with you.
I was just making a joke about that article being click-baity.
Unless you wrote that article, please don't try and defend it.
That article was useless.
It didn't say one thing that isn't common sense, and that everyone doesn't already know.
That article was useless, pointless, inept, and nothing but clickbait.
And I'm not attacking the Christian Post; all big publications post some rubbish articles at times.
No big deal.
But it was still a rubbish article.
It just reiterated tired, well known, common sense things that any 10-year-old already knows.
And it spent way too many words trying to do that.
It was utterly pointless, and it manage to be circuitous and verbose while being pointless.
Now let's be perfectly clear, I'm NOT saying I dislike you; I'm just saying I dislike that article.
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One more thing:
Angelfrog, I like you just fine, and I'm sorry we have different views on the quality and efficacy of this article.
I appreciate you taking the time to post articles, and I appreciate you putting time into the community.
I can appreciate your time and your concern for the community even if I don't care for this one particular article.
For the record, I would have liked the article better if there'd been a picture of a hot chick.
: )
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Angelfrog, I like you just fine, and I'm sorry we have different views on the quality and efficacy of this article.
I appreciate you taking the time to post articles, and I appreciate you putting time into the community.
I can appreciate your time and your concern for the community even if I don't care for this one particular article.
For the record, I would have liked the article better if there'd been a picture of a hot chick.
: )
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