You're Daciple. You're somewhat of a legend, you've been around and you're probably one of the best Christian posters on here.
Who cares if I'm offended?
You have a right to offend me. Seriously. I don't care if you offend me. The answer is not to try not to be offensive, the answer is to not care if I'm offended. Seriously. It doesn't matter if I'm offended.
Don't care about offending me. Say what you want. I might not agree with you on everything but I agree with you on a lot of things and I'm not out to quiet what you have to say.
I do care to a degree if I offend people as a whole, some people I care much more if I offend due to my respect for them. Take for instance a stranger as to whom I have no relation with at all, versus my wife or a friend. I dont want to offend the stranger, but I much more so dont want to offend my wife or friend. The only time I have absolutely no worries on offending others, close or not is in regards to preaching the Gospel. If you arent saved and my preaching hasnt offended you in some way at some point, I havent preached the Gospel correctly. I need to Repent and preach it in a different manner. The Gospel is meant to offend you and everyone else, if they arent Born Again. The Flesh hates the Gospel, the World hates the Gospel, if I offend someone by preaching Christ or the need for Repentance or that they are going to Hell because of Sin, then I have no cares that it offends them.
However when it comes to other discussions, I do care. In general I dont want to offend anyone, the Word actually speak on this specifically:
Rom 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
I can tell you in the past few years the Lord has definitely been moving upon me concerning that type of thing. In times past, I honestly didnt care one little bit about who was ever offended by anything I said, or really anything I did. I was very very very vocal concerning political ideologies and would rant and rave and give my views, stood by them no matter who I offended and how it came across. I was very sure almost cocksure in my political understandings and how I portrayed them and delivered them to others.
You know what was always happening? I was offending everyone, all the time. The fact is, if I were state all my political beliefs, defend them and denounce the ones I believe are incorrect and why I believe they are incorrect, then I am absolutely sure that I would make enemies with just about everyone on this forum. Thats on a forum that is based on understanding that there is such thing as the Illuminati who are the Elite and who control Politics. Even with that common ground its guaranteed at some point I will say something that will offend everyone, and I can tell you it can be hard to earn back the Trust or the ear of one you offend.
Then maybe 2 years ago, a guy who I met on here, who no longer visits the forums, said something on Facebook, and it struck home with me in such a way that it and what the Lord was already moving upon my heart absolutely changed my perspective on speaking on Politics. He said something along the lines, of how many people are married to their Political Ideologies? Almost everyone is married to there Politics, and how much damage will you be doing to your Witness of Christ in their lives, if you continue to press and object to every little Political Stance?
Amen! That is when it struck me, what is more important to me? More over what is more important to God? Winning debates on Politics and thus offending and dividing AT LEAST half the populace (for me it would be 99% of all humanity) or not to be concerned with such things and thus have many more ears that would be willing to hear the Gospel? What is more important, Politics or seeing people get saved?
This became very obvious to me at my Church, in which I am rather new, and it is an established Church with literally generations of members there. I ended up stupidly getting engaged in a talk about Politics with some of the Elders there and immediately regretted it. Of course they dont understand my position, nor do I believe I could ever convince them to side with my ideologies. I dont agree with them either, and while I dont believe I offended them, because I chose not to further engage and try and egotistically show them how the entire basis of the ideologies they expressed were fundamentally flawed and hypocritical in light of the Word of God, I do believe that my witness has been diminished in their eyes.
Does THAT matter to me, yes indeed. I dont want my witness to be diminished in others eyes due to a Political difference or understanding, but unfortunately that is how Politics is married in most peoples lives. If you notice, I hardly wonder out of the Religion section, because that is what is important to me. When this site first started you would catch me writing essays, such are the lengths of my writings, on many Political Areas. I would write in detail with footnotes and the whole jazz, they were almost Thesis on these subjects. I also didnt care whatsoever whom I offended. Looking back now, I wonder how many people I offended with my Political Rants that then made my Witness on Christ discredited in their eyes? I am sure many...
So do I care if I offend you Colgate backwards? When it comes to Political speaking and the like then yes I do, when it comes to telling you go to Church or Repent or get Born Again or follow Christ, no not at all...
Okay.... my positions change from day to day? That I do not believe.
Maybe they dont brother, I can only go by what I witness in how you have expressed them. For instance, when I first started reading your posts I noticed you were very Pro Christian, denouncing pretty much all other Religions and Ideologies. I was off the Forum for a bit, I return and notice that you are much more Islamic leaning, and you are entitled of course to like what you like but I also have noticed you like most anything the Muslims write and little the Christians write. I dont know if this is the actual case, I have seen others express the same thing in other posts, but from my perspective that position has changed. Is it day to day? No I may have been exaggerating but from my viewpoint you went from a strong supporter of Christianity to denouncing it in some ways if not out right and now being a supporter of Islam.
Again I dont know if that is the case 100%, I havent read everything you have written, but again this is only from my limited perspective, to me it seemed like the stupid little tuss we had marked a changing point and from then on I noticed you slowly moving from a Pro Christian stance, to now what seems a Pro Islamic possibly Anti Christian stance. Maybe thats my own projection of what happened between us onto your writings, but again I have seen others state something similar so maybe not...
And the problem with internet is lack of tone. If you could actually hear my tone, my tone would be sort of a quiet, introspective, curious tone. It wouldn't be loud or hostile. More a questioning, calm tone. But here there is no tone and this can make words appear hostile. My words are often in disagreement with people but I'm not really hostile towards anyone on here. I don't really hate anyone.
I agree with this, and I too am the same way. I understand exactly what you mean, many people always picture me as hostile and choose to cast me in that light, but I am not inherently hostile to any persons, I hate no one. I am however hostile to certain ideologies, I used to express them concerning Politics but now I focus almost solely on the Gospel. I will speak in hostility towards False Doctrines and people choose to see me as hostile towards them, but I am not. I always personally separate the idea from the person, it may seem I am hostile towards your person (you in the general) but I am not, its the idea...
I say this because there is a method to my madness. It only appears random to others because they do not perceive the underlying structure.
LOTS OF INTELLIGENT CONVERSATION
But... even Magón and all the other people I mentioned..... I don't agree with everything some philosopher said. But I still think philosophy is good.
So I will tell you brother, you are much more schooled on that than I am, to be honest I havent read from any of those people, so maybe I am just too ignorant to put all your posts together in the way in which you intend to be seen. I understand the basic concepts, I see how they are promoted and used to influence society and I can say that in the end I probably wouldnt respect any of those people because they probably are all part of the Elite trying to influence the World in a manner that removes them from Christ. I could be wrong, you can tell me maybe, but I doubt any of those people were preaching the Gospel and as I stated before that Alone is all that matters to me at this point. In my younger days that would enthrall me, I would have loved to dive in and learn all about it, but again as I have aged and the wisdom I see, it comes down to, does it help to spread the Gospel and improve my Witness or does it detract?
As far as what you mentioned....... I don't think I've ever said "hey, start a violent revolution"
I don't think I've ever said anything like that. I don't think I've ever taken that position. Wasn't that Marx's position? Violent, external revolution?
I dont know if you have stated that outright, and if you say you havent then I believe you. However I would think you can understand my position on why I took what you said the way I did correct? I understand you are your own individual and I agree I stereotyped you, in most conversations in the past when I myself was much more Left leaning or at least Anti Capitalist, most everyone I knew and spoke with, when it came down to espousing Marxist or Leftist ideologies, which you have, and spoken on Anti Capitalism the term Revolution always included violent opposition to the Evil Capitalists if they wouldnt conform to the Agenda. I apologize if this isnt the case, I went on an assumption. However I do not apologize for writing what I wrote, I believe that the mass majority of people who hold Anti Capitalist Pro Marxist, Leftist, Liberal Ideologies associate Revolution with a violent uprising, and everything I wrote is still my position on that. Hopefully someone who is in that ideology at the moment stumbles upon it and maybe it affects him to a point he rethinks what it really means to be a Revolutionist. And the True Revolutionist is he who preaches the Gospel to a Lost and Dying World, who is at animosity with the Gospel, the Preacher and God Himself.
Look..... I don't really have an opinion on revolution in that sense. But that sort of thing is a means. I'm more interested in ends. Once you've figured out which ends you are for, I think then is the time to address the means. But I like to address ends.
So what exactly are the ends you are looking for?
I agree with your sentiment, and thus that is how I have shaped, altered and defined my means, the ends I care about are only Spiritual. It is only to see others be Born Again into the Kingdom of God. All other ends mean nothing, because in the end all other ends are going to burn at the coming of the Lord. Marxism, or any of the Philosophers and their humanistic ideologies and understandings wont mean a thing, they will all burn. Capitalism and the myriad of Philosophers that support that ideology wont mean a thing, they will all burn. The only thing that matters in this Life and the next is, have you been Saved by Grace thru Faith in Christ.
That end has dictated the means by which I now operate, Philosophy, why its interesting doesnt amount to much. The ideas of men mean little to me, especially ideas not revolving around Christ:
Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
This is my end, what is yours and by what means do you seek to find your ends?
Violent revolution is a technique, a means... it's not an ends. It's for the sake of something. Was George Washington justified? I have no idea.
So I dont believe he was justified. Again I dont discuss this in my Church because they are married to their Politics, but I dont support the Revolutionary War, I believe it was a means for the ends of creating a System in which the Elite could openly practice their version of Satanism without worry or control of the Satanic Church of England. I believe it was orchestrated by those in power and allowed them to wield power in this new land. Of course my Church chooses to believe God Himself ordained this Nation ect ect ect. I dont agree, but would me shouting at them about this really help move the Gospel to the Lost? Would it help me preach a message to the Saved to get them to Repent of Sin and rely on God? No it wouldnt so that avenue that means doesnt support my end, so I dont delve deeply into it.
Trust me, I'm not Che Guevara. I like him, I actually have a book of his writings and I admire his theories- he was way more interesting and intellectual than he is made out to be.... but I am not Che, I know I'm not him, I don't desire to be him.
I used to admire and respect Che, as I stated I had all the paraphernalia, ask me now? I utterly dislike the man close to hating him, he is murdering Anti Christ that destroyed families and nations for his personal gain while lying to the poor and under privileged to use them to further his psychotic desire for money and power. Same as Marx, or Lenin or Hitler or Bush or Obama or any other high profile Politician. They all serve the same Agenda, the Agenda of Satan and all of them are in Hell more than likely...
I would rather be Marx than Che. I think the intellectual architect, the one who develops the theory is way more dangerous than the one who uses violence.
Marxism is Satanic plain and simple, I dont respect any of these ideologies, all of them push an agenda to remove people from God and instead serve the State. These ideologies are all ideologies in how to control populaces, I reject them all personally. I do agree that Marx is much more dangerous than Che, Che died, we are still at war Spiritually with Marx...
That was basically Marxist. If you took some Marxist literature and used it to express the same things as the first half of Fight Club, people would be horrified and reject it because it's Marxism. But you show them the first half of Fight Club they'll be like "right on!"- even though it's saying the same thing.
But it's the second half that ruins the movie for me. I agree with Ebert saying it was fascist. I think it was.
Okay.... "materialism is bad" *problems of society*...... right on!!!...... we are missing something in our lives..... right on!!!!..... now let's turn violent........... wait...... whattttt????????????
That was basically me watching Fight Club lol.
Interesting observation, can you name a time Marxism didnt fuel violence and Fascism? Maybe I am just not aware of such a time, but from my recollection and observation, Marxism has always lead to Fascism.
What do you think is the underlying philosophic ideology that is being played out in America at the moment that is causing PC Culture?
In my opinion it is Culture Marxism, and the further we go along with this slide into Culture Marxism the more "PC" we become, the more violence we see and just as the Title of your thread says, the more Fascist we become...
