Please don't assume you are being attacked.

[Lizz612]

There seems to be a slight disconnect at times between what people mean to say when they post and how some people here read it. It seems to be worst (or at least most volatile) when regarding supporting the troops and damning the religious right.

This is far from being an old problem. Its happened time and time again here, sometimes regarding nothing more than one word. And outside of the internet, writers are not always clear and their work gets interpreted the wrong way. But it is particularly hard here where you can pound out an emotional response to a perceived slight and have it up in no time at all.

I think it is fair to assume that the vast majority of people on this forum a) do NOT hate all Christians indiscriminately, and b) do not want our troops to die. While the writer should always strive to be clear about what they mean, please give them the benefit of the doubt. If you have serious doubts ask the poster to clarify, don't just start attacking.

Repost permission here.

[freetobegay]

1. All christians are hated here, plain & simple

The lines have been drawn and as a christian...

[mopaul]

3. that might be an exaggeration

maybe

[Lizz612]

4. I'm sorry you feel that way

But I think you are giving a handful of posters too much credence. I don't hate anyone simply because of their religious beliefs and I refuse to believe that I am the minority, both in the Democratic party and here at DU.

[stlchic]

5. They are?

What DU threads have you been visiting?

:wtf:

[Mizmoon]

7. Well, I disagree with that

seeing as how I'm a Christian and all.

on edit: what makes you think people here want our troops to die? For God's sake - we want people to know they're dying for no cause - OBL isn't in Iraq! We're the ones bent out of shape because casket pics are not shown. It's like a Disney war where even the deaths are sanatized for your protection.

We also think that Boy George's creation of a new Islamic State might not have been the best way to spend billions of our tax dollars in the war against Islamic terrorism.

And it's not a crime to mention western actions that may have helped lead to 9/11. How many Americans even know that Iraq and Kuwait were one country before the British arbitrarily decided to hack it off, denying Iraq a decent port? Does that excuse 9/11? OF COURSE NOT. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Does discussing this make us "wish for the troops to die"? OF COURSE NOT. But if we don't talk about what led up to this war, we will never find a lasting peace.

[Catholic Sensation]

8. were you trying to set up another flame war with that post

what is wrong with you? ALL Christians are not hated here, only the lunatics like Pat Robertson, Bob Jones IV, and Jerry Falwell. Your post stinks of the bullshit feeling of persecution felt by some Christians that makes me hate to admit to being a Christian.

[freetobegay]

13. What is wrong with me?

I have been burned one to many times.

[Lizz612]

21. I'm sorry you've been burned

But I still think you are painting us with a much too big brush and frankly its not fair.

[funky_bug]

10. It's okay - it was a tough day

I read your previous posts, and there were some attempts to belittle you by posting some disgusting photographs. Two bits of advice for you, my friend:

1. When someone wants to sling mud, let it dry. It's easier to flake it off, than run the risk of smearing it everywhere while it's still wet.

2. Those who have a tendency to get their panties in a bunch, usually needed something removed from their ass anyway.



:hug:

[freetobegay]

15. Thanks for your kind words

Being Gay & being christian has made me feel insecure at post at all here on DU this week.

[funky_bug]

18. No doubt you're not alone

I know you walk a bumpy path... my best friend is also gay and christian. He says he spent many years not fitting in anywhere. The gay community could not understand how he could have faith in a religion that condemns his sexuality, and the church... well for many years their were no liberal churches... even in that many of the gay-friendly churches are (in his words) all about being gay, but not much about being Christian.

Hang in there... there really is room for all of us :)

[Sapphocrat]

22. Then you haven't read...

...a single one of my posts this week.

I'm not a Christian, but I've been farking killing myself to figure out a way to work WITH Christians, to help them take back what's been stolen from both them and the rest of us. I am motivated half by natural, knee-jerk, fight-for-the-underdog liberalism (without questioning who may or may not be quietly, or overtly, condemning me for being a heathen lesbian), and half by plain old one-hand-washes-the-other common sense.

"All Christians are hated here" about as much as "all gay people are hated here."

Now, stop that.

[Lizz612]

2. Kick

It took me hours to get permission to repost, I would really like to see some comments before I just give up and let it die. :(

[funky_bug]

6. When one is wounded, the skin is sensitive for a period of time

We have been wounded - those of us that worked so hard to get Bush OUT OUT OUT! I suspect we are all quite sensitive, and our skin is quite thin. I made the error of allowing myself to assume I was being attacked. In the end, I was personally attacked for my assumption. Again, I blame that on the wound, not the wounded.

Your message is valuable. I hope we can all take more deep breaths, and try to be the compassionate liberals that we all know we are.

"Consider how much more you often suffer from your anger and grief, than from those very things for which you are angry and grieved."
Marcus Antonius

[Catholic Sensation]

9. were you personally attacked for your assumption

or because you acted on what you're admitting was a false assumption?

[funky_bug]

12. Hmmm... let me ponder

I think a bit of both. I think there was an assumption that I was assuming something, and I was sort of read the riot for it... then there was the basic "f-you" type of post, along with the "bullshit" posts...

And then there was the assumption that I made which led to me being blasted for assuming...

Damn, that hurt. Now I need a beer to clear my head...lol

[Catholic Sensation]

16. Jack and Coke tastes better

[funky_bug]

19. I SO cannot do Jack Daniels

Whiskey makes me terribly mean. I'll stick with the ale, and a bit of vino, but thanks for the suggestion.

[Lizz612]

11. Very true

Thank you for your input, you were one of the people I really wanted to read this. :hug:

Very often here people get very caught up in their emotions, I've seen it time and time again. Some times people just need a break, a nice walk through the Lounge, some kitty pictures and the world seems like a better place.

[funky_bug]

17. You mean like this?

Thanks for thinking of me... but I enjoy debate and lively discussion. If we stop listening to other points of view, we truly stop growing. I learned a lot today, and got cathartic release in the process.

[Lizz612]

20. Or one of these.

Yeah I like the flames to, but when the flames are not really about an issue but what I consider a miscommunication I get kind of annoyed. It feels like a waste of time when we could be discussing topics that are more immediately pressing, such as what the hell we are going to do in Iraq, the economy and all that stuff.

[Catholic Sensation]

14. Some DUers need to go back to school and take a reading comprehension

class of some sort, because this monstrous inability to understand what is actually being said has lead to more flame wars than discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.