Has anyone here been to the CARM forums?

[DianJo]

Just wondering if anyone here has visited these forums at CARM (Christian Apologetics and Resource Ministry).
Someone here once wrote that they kinda felt like they were “preaching to the choir” and I kinda felt that way too.
I found this site and just out of curiosity, I visited and “lurked”. I finally had to register because I could not stand what I was reading about the catholic faith! Absolute Lies!!
It was on a “Roman Catholic” debate board. There were many catholics trying their best to defend and explain all the “misconceptions” there - all to no avail.:banghead:
The owner of the boards - Matt Slick (appropriate name) posted his version of what other faiths believed and every bit of it was blood boiling! He even claimed that we are not Christian!!!
Has anyone else been there? If so, what are you feelings about it?
Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut.

DianJo

 

[1962Missal]

I’d be prepared for rather rough handling at the hands of the mods there. They seem to be very angry people. My opinion is that they feel that any Catholic who does not quickly see the “truth” of their message is an obdurate troll. So anyone who tries to defend Catholicism is, in their minds, blind to the truth and a troublemaker, to boot.

When you get tired of CARM, try www.fresh-hope.com. Ask for admittance to the “Apologetics” forum. Different strain of anti-Catholicism, just as virulent.

Justin

 

[Heathen_Dawn]

I used to post on the CARM boards in the past, when Matt Slick opened a paganism forum. A most unpleasant experience. Slick doesn’t spare moments in playing God, reminding people of how he can delete posts, lock threads and close forums in a snap. People who don’t adhere to Slick’s view, even Arminian Protestants, let alone Catholic Christians, are treated like dirt. I wanted to leave that board from the first moments, and eventually he closed the paganism forum, so I did.

Loathsome. Suitable only for the very thick-skinned.

 

[Magnanimity]

Wow, these are some tough posts for the CARMites! I was on those boards for about a year prior to my conversion to Catholicism. Since that conversion I’ve only been here posting.

However, I would like to say in defense of CARM that even when I started to change my mind about Catholicism (I began posting when I was a committed Evangelical and stopped a few months prior to conversion), I never felt any pressure from mods. I think that they were always fair toward me. It may be that with others who posted more, aggressively, shall we say, with their language that they were banned. But, in most instances I was glad to see the individuals go when they did go.

Also, I see here many of the same “handles” that appear at CARM on the Catholic boards. I myself have used the same one in an effort to hopefully have some of those Evangelicals over there mosey on toward these boards. Additionaly, many of the Catholics who defend the faith over there do so quite well. So although there are certainly lies and/or misunderstandings about hte faith that show up over there, the Catholics who post there do quite a good job of setting the record straight.

Like I said, haven’t been over there in a few months, but my memories from when I was there are quite positive.

 

[Heathen_Dawn]

1962Missal:

When you get tired of CARM, try www.fresh-hope.com. Ask for admittance to the “Apologetics” forum. Different strain of anti-Catholicism, just as virulent.

A similar board is www.reachingforchrist.org, with more of the same anti-Catholic sentiment. If you’re looking for a friendly board free of all that nonsense, try crossandflame.com/forum/.

 

[hawkeye]

No point in me even trying, I always get blocked after 2 or 3 posts, BRILLIANT definately not democratic thats for sure :crying:

 

[Count_Chocula]

Thank you so much for telling about that site. That place is a gold mine of anti Catholic drivel that will be very useful to study, thoroughly rebuke and be wary of to help me along the way vs “Bible Christians” (even though a good 98% of Catholocism can and is found in the Bible).

I also love the way this site, as does many other P.stant peeps show the numerous passages stating something that alludes to “faith alone” while ignoring the VERY plain text in James.

Crazy people them P.stants are I tell ya.

 

[RJS]

1962Missal:

When you get tired of CARM, try www.fresh-hope.com. Ask for admittance to the “Apologetics” forum. Different strain of anti-Catholicism, just as virulent.

Justin

I often post at FH (RJ) and I would say they are getting better. Before they would post long out of context quotes and such, they don’t seem do be doing that anymore because we have been able to refute most of it. We could always use more help though

 

[DianJo]

Heathen Dawn:

I used to post on the CARM boards in the past, when Matt Slick opened a paganism forum. A most unpleasant experience. Slick doesn’t spare moments in playing God, reminding people of how he can delete posts, lock threads and close forums in a snap. People who don’t adhere to Slick’s view, even Arminian Protestants, let alone Catholic Christians, are treated like dirt. I wanted to leave that board from the first moments, and eventually he closed the paganism forum, so I did.

Loathsome. Suitable only for the very thick-skinned.

Hi Heathen Dawn. I read lots of your posts there. Everyone kept calling you Heather Dawn!! They thought you were a female witch!!
I see everyone pretty much had the same experience as I did! Frustrating!

 

[DianJo]

1962Missal:

I’d be prepared for rather rough handling at the hands of the mods there. They seem to be very angry people. My opinion is that they feel that any Catholic who does not quickly see the “truth” of their message is an obdurate troll. So anyone who tries to defend Catholicism is, in their minds, blind to the truth and a troublemaker, to boot.

When you get tired of CARM, try www.fresh-hope.com. Ask for admittance to the “Apologetics” forum. Different strain of anti-Catholicism, just as virulent.

Justin

Thanks for the new site, I might try it! I got tired of CARM before a week was up - I just quit going. I would get stomach aches over what they were perpetrating! I decided it wasn’t worth it!

 

[DianJo]

hawkeye:

No point in me even trying, I always get blocked after 2 or 3 posts, BRILLIANT definately not democratic thats for sure :crying:

I read some pretty inflammatory posts there! What in the world were you getting blocked for? :whacky:

 

[DianJo]

Count Chocula:

Thank you so much for telling about that site. That place is a gold mine of anti Catholic drivel that will be very useful to study, thoroughly rebuke and be wary of to help me along the way vs “Bible Christians” (even though a good 98% of Catholocism can and is found in the Bible).

I also love the way this site, as does many other P.stant peeps show the numerous passages stating something that alludes to “faith alone” while ignoring the VERY plain text in James.

Crazy people them P.stants are I tell ya.

Good Luck to you! I guess it’s a good place to practice but the thing is - you don’t know if you’ve made a positive impact. They WILL NOT HEAR YOU OR THE TRUTH no matter how much scripture, history, writings, etc. you throw at them. :banghead: They turn it all around and refuse to believe what you’ve presented. Let us know if you make any progress!

 

[Heathen_Dawn]

DianJo:

Hi Heathen Dawn.

Hi DianJo.

Everyone kept calling you Heather Dawn!! They thought you were a female witch!!

Well, there hasn’t been a single board where this hasn’t happened to me.

I see everyone pretty much had the same experience as I did! Frustrating!

What do you expect? That board is run by a self-righteous Calvin-worshipper.

 

[DianJo]

Heathen Dawn:

Hi DianJo.

Well, there hasn’t been a single board where this hasn’t happened to me.

What do you expect? That board is run by a self-righteous Calvin-worshipper.

Well, at first, I didn’t expect anything really. I thought it was just a group of people discussing the differences until I decided to start reading about Matt Slick and some of his “insights” that he says are fact. I nearly went ballistic. So, then I decided that this might actually be a good thing - it might be an opportunity to speak the truth about the catholic faith. You know as well as I do that to speak the truth is one thing but to have someone actually hear you is quite another! anyway, after a few days, I realized it was pretty much hopeless. Matt Slick still makes my blood boil, though. Was just interested to see if the way I felt about CARM was just me or was it others as well. Thans for the (name removed by moderator)ut.

 

[VociMike]

I’ve been on CARM for a few months, after getting kicked off of The Baptist Board along with most of the other Catholics who were there (we were told, in so many words, that we were too dangerous to Baptists who weren’t secure in their faith).

What really impresses me on such boards is the Catholic presence. There are some tenacious and knowledgable Catholics on all of these boards who just refuse to let the slanders and falsehoods go unchallenged. It can be quite a faith-affirming experience to see them in action. the downside is that it can also be a near occasion of sin, if you let it. But when you see former anti-Catholics on these boards begin to explore, and then defend, the actual teachings of the Church, it’s very exciting!

 

[St_Veronica]

VociMike:

I’ve been on CARM for a few months, after getting kicked off of The Baptist Board along with most of the other Catholics who were there (we were told, in so many words, that we were too dangerous to Baptists who weren’t secure in their faith).

What really impresses me on such boards is the Catholic presence. There are some tenacious and knowledgable Catholics on all of these boards who just refuse to let the slanders and falsehoods go unchallenged. It can be quite a faith-affirming experience to see them in action. the downside is that it can also be a near occasion of sin, if you let it. But when you see former anti-Catholics on these boards begin to explore, and then defend, the actual teachings of the Church, it’s very exciting!

I got booted of the Baptist forum too…I protested (via email) to Dr Bob and then the board owner who could never explain to me why I was removed since I have NEVER had any board violations…I was never told why, no explaination.

I was on CARM for over a year…the mods are known to turn a blind eye to rule violations from non-Catholics (perpeutated on Catholics). Matt Slick (owner) openly says Catholics can’t be saved unless they deny teachings of the Catholic faith…several of the forum members believe that and follow suit.

It’s a fairly ‘anti-Catholic forum’.

Fresh Hope forum, I posted there for a bit, more of the same, smaller scale…people allowed to post false teachings(anti-Catholic website info), claiming they are accurate teachings then you are expected to explain why…but when you say, look it’s not true…they either argue it is or stop responding…and of course the mods don’t see any reason to hold anyone accountable for that either. They do’nt require any sort of retraction when something is proven wrong. Heck even one of the mods was posting the false info. Basically they don’t want to hear anything that goes against their preconceived notions about the Catholic faith.

SV

 

[hawkeye]

DianJo:

I read some pretty inflammatory posts there! What in the world were you getting blocked for? :whacky:

Probably for telling the truth, but I don’t go on those sites anymore, I haven’t been to the one in question, I might give it a try :whacky:.
I was blocked from an ex-christian website, there was a lot of foul language on there, but unless you swear and spit out venom then it doesn’t seem to be acceptable.
I was blocked from 2 Christian web-sites as well, but am I not sleeping good at night because of it ? NO— I sleep like a baby

 

[Racer_X]

When I decided to “revert” to Catholicism, I spent a lot of time arguing on line with anti-Catholics to test my faith. It was the best thing to convince me of soundness of Catholic doctrine.

If you really want to bang your head against an anti-Catholic wall, try these two boards
Catholic Alumni
Former Catholics for Christ

If you’re at all familiar with the “Rapture Ready” message board, knowing that Catholic Alumni is composed of all the worst posters from RR will tell you how bad it is. The worst of irrational bibliolators.

 

[Count_Chocula]

DianJo:

Good Luck to you! I guess it’s a good place to practice but the thing is - you don’t know if you’ve made a positive impact. They WILL NOT HEAR YOU OR THE TRUTH no matter how much scripture, history, writings, etc. you throw at them. :banghead: They turn it all around and refuse to believe what you’ve presented. Let us know if you make any progress!

No, I won’t bother to discuss Catholocism with peeps like that, I only really worry about face to face stuff and then I usually keep to myself unless some one challenges me over the RCC, I always win but no one listens usually (although I know some sympathetic Mormon friends who understand more than we what it’s like to be part of a universally hated and misunderstood church.)

 

[Little_Mary]

Yes I am familiar with CARM and my very first post was blocked. They are impossible. They are very anti Catholic and yes, they seem to turn a blind eye when a non Catholic breaks the rules.

People who spend that kind of energy bashing another religion must be very bitter, unhappy people way deep down.:nope: