Handling contentious interlocutors

[mercygate]

Pug:

When reading a thread and coming upon an annoying post, click on the person’s screen name by their post. Choose to view their public profile. On the public profile screen is various info, and near the top on the right are the words “add so and so to your ignore list” click the words and follow directions.

You will still see all the replies quoting their posts, however.

I wasn’t thinking about blocking posts; that hardly allows us to witness to the truth; it just makes “difficult” people think we are unable to respond because the Catholic position is untenable.

The kind of person I am thinking of is one who posts, as someone did after several patient expositions on the thread about reconciliation, "You run to men to be absolved. . . " “You’re treading on dangerous ground if you take that tack, Mister!” I lost my grip and responded tartly: “Must you be so disrespectful?”

Surely, I did not witness well to Christ by doing that; yet it seemed that by NOT calling the person to a decent standard, I was allowing him to be worse than he could be . . .

 

[mercygate]

Church Militant:

Gerry … In all the time you’ve seen me posting on here, have you ever seen me back down from a troll? LOL! I’m Irish and Polish and Catholic all the back to my DNA and I love my faith and love to talk about it. (A good use for my blarney…) I tried ignore once and just found it lacking, so I just either ignore the ignorant posts or answer with all the charity that I can muster.

And you’re a pretty good example for all of us.

 

[Pug]

mercygate:

I lost my grip and responded tartly: “Must you be so disrespectful?”

Surely, I did not witness well to Christ by doing that; yet it seemed that by NOT calling the person to a decent standard, I was allowing him to be worse than he could be . . .

Mercygate, the situation you describe is hard. If a person remains contentious, I usually back off (don’t post) for fear of giving into anger. I got exasperated on another website and was called on it, thankfully. Perhaps the person’s own unreasonableness can stand as a witness to their own self. Also remember that a rebuke that won’t help does not need to be given.

OTOH, I think some people respond with respect to a well executed rebuke. I wouldn’t try, however, unless I had no anger on the issue.

I don’t know what goes on in the minds of difficult people. They may love it that people keep answering them and it may feed the contentiousness. Others perhaps are just stumped by an issue and can’t see around it, yet feel compelled to examine it, and so seem contentious.

I didn’t mean that you should put that person on ignore. Another poster had seemed to be asking how to use that feature of the website, and I was trying to answer that.