Announcement

Collapse

Deeper Waters Forum Guidelines

Notice – The ministries featured in this section of TheologyWeb are guests of this site and in some cases not bargaining for the rough and tumble world of debate forums, though sometimes they are. Additionally, this area is frequented and highlighted for guests who also very often are not acclimated to debate fora. As such, the rules of conduct here will be more strict than in the general forum. This will be something within the discretion of the Moderators and the Ministry Representative, but we simply ask that you conduct yourselves in a manner considerate of the fact that these ministries are our invited guests. You can always feel free to start a related thread in general forum without such extra restrictions. Thank you.

Deeper Waters is founded on the belief that the Christian community has long been in the shallow end of Christianity while there are treasures of the deep waiting to be discovered. Too many in the shallow end are not prepared when they go out beyond those waters and are quickly devoured by sharks. We wish to aid Christians to equip them to navigate the deeper waters of the ocean of truth and come up with treasure in the end.

We also wish to give special aid to those often neglected, that is, the disabled community. This is especially so since our founders are both on the autism spectrum and have a special desire to reach those on that spectrum. While they are a special emphasis, we seek to help others with any disability realize that God can use them and that they are as the Psalmist says, fearfully and wonderfully made.

General TheologyWeb forum rules: here.
See more
See less

Your Facebook Isn't Helping My Skepticism

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Your Facebook Isn't Helping My Skepticism

    Can what you share damage your reputation?

    The link can be found here.

    ------

    Is what you're sharing making it harder for someone to come to Christ? Let's plunge into the Deeper Waters and find out.

    Why should you be cautious about what you share on Facebook? Could it affect someone long-term? What would someone say to us if they could speak to us about this?

    "Dear Christian,

    I have been your friend for awhile and I see you post sometimes on Facebook. I like you posting pictures of your family and such and some of those funny videos. I understand you will also post from time to time on things that we disagree on and that reasonable people can disagree on. You can post on politics for instance and even if I don't share your views, I understand that someone can be reasonable and still have them.

    I also understand that you have a right to be skeptical of claims as well. If you're skeptical of evolution, well I don't share that, but I can understand it. Yet at the same time, I worry that you claim skepticism here, but when it comes to something that agrees with you, you're not skeptical. I also do not see you as really investigating claims.

    Why? Because when I see you post something on Facebook sometimes, it's something that I not only know is false, but I can readily demonstrate it's false. I can tell that it's a story that has been made up and has no factual basis. I can understand getting caught from time to time. We all make mistakes. I am talking about regularly doing this kind of thing. Why should I trust you to be posting the truth when I can see that what you shared is false in just a couple of minutes of looking it up?

    You see, you make this claim that to me is incredibly bizarre. You claim that God lived among us as a man 2,000 years ago and died on a cross and rose from the dead. I'm sure you'd agree with me that that's a strong claim. You say that you base your entire life on this claim. You say that this is the most important belief that you hold.

    The problem is that this isn't a belief that I can as easily check. I will have to do a lot of reading and study on the topic and decide what to believe. Yet when you share readily stories that are false that I know to be bogus or can easily show to be bogus, why should I trust you on the matters that I cannot reasonably check so easily? How do I know that you aren't just as gullible when it comes to religion as you are when it comes to a story you read on the internet?

    You see, I want to know that you check all the claims you make to the best of your ability. If you're not, then maybe you're not with this claim, and there are plenty of Christians out there I meet who give me no reason to believe their story beyond what they feel and their personal testimony. They have no idea whatsoever about historical research. Maybe you're just like them.

    In fact, I can tell you're being objective if there's an argument that would help your conclusion and you reject it because the argument just doesn't work, even if you agree with the conclusion. It shows me you're interested in more than just a goal. Truth is what matters to you.

    If truth does matter to you, please show it. Take the time to look up a story before sharing it. If I cannot trust you with the stories that I can check, why should I trust you with the stories that are much harder to check?

    Your skeptical friend."





    To be fair, there are far too many skeptics who will fall into this boat as well and many skeptics are just like Christians when it comes to this. My main problem is with Christians doing this since we are supposed to say that we are people of truth and committed to the truth. Many skeptics will not be as reasonable as the person that I have role-played and it is a rare exception when I meet one who is willing to read the literature.

    I have said it many times but it often needs to be said. Please check on what you share Christian. Every time you share something easily shown to be false, you destroy your credibility in the eyes of unbelievers out there. Why should they trust you on the major things when they can't trust you on the minor things?

    In Christ,
    Nick Peters

  • #2
    A big problem is that some of the people who are the worst offenders here won't even consider that they might be wrong.

    I know one guy who is Facebook friends with lots of non-Christians, and on a nearly daily basis shares articles arguing for a flat earth. What's worse is that he intertwines this with his evangelism and implies that this is a major issue for Christianity. He thinks counterarguments that the earth is round are funny because they are so obviously wrong to him.
    "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

    Comment


    • #3
      When schools don't teach children how to think critically, this is what you'll get.
      Enter the Church and wash away your sins. For here there is a hospital and not a court of law. Do not be ashamed to enter the Church; be ashamed when you sin, but not when you repent. – St. John Chrysostom

      Veritas vos Liberabit<>< Learn Greek <>< Look here for an Orthodox Church in America<><Ancient Faith Radio
      sigpic
      I recommend you do not try too hard and ...research as little as possible. Such weighty things give me a headache. - Shunyadragon, Baha'i apologist

      Comment


      • #4
        I can't number the times I've posted a snopes link for some obviously false urban legend. Older people seem to do it a lot. Don't know why...
        If it weren't for the Resurrection of Jesus, we'd all be in DEEP TROUBLE!

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Christianbookworm View Post
          I can't number the times I've posted a snopes link for some obviously false urban legend. Older people seem to do it a lot. Don't know why...
          Nowadays people will just say "Snopes is a liberal site" and ignore everything they say.

          I tried bringing up Snopes's debunking of the legend that Mr. Rogers had some obscene tattoos on his arms from his military days. Snopes actually posted a picture of Mr. Rogers without his shirt on from an episode where he went swimming. This was photo evidence. But it didn't matter, because Snopes is a liberal site and everything they say is automatically false.
          "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

          Comment

          Related Threads

          Collapse

          Topics Statistics Last Post
          Started by Apologiaphoenix, 03-15-2024, 10:19 PM
          14 responses
          75 views
          1 like
          Last Post rogue06
          by rogue06
           
          Started by Apologiaphoenix, 03-13-2024, 10:13 PM
          6 responses
          61 views
          0 likes
          Last Post Apologiaphoenix  
          Started by Apologiaphoenix, 03-12-2024, 09:36 PM
          1 response
          23 views
          0 likes
          Last Post rogue06
          by rogue06
           
          Started by Apologiaphoenix, 03-11-2024, 10:19 PM
          0 responses
          22 views
          2 likes
          Last Post Apologiaphoenix  
          Started by Apologiaphoenix, 03-08-2024, 11:59 AM
          7 responses
          54 views
          0 likes
          Last Post whag
          by whag
           
          Working...
          X