Love Endures All Things

[no2masters4life]

I joined Catholic Answers to view debates between fellow Catholics and non-Catholics who want to challenge my assumptions about being Catholic.

Imagine my surprise to see the current state of some of our forums. A few have plunged readily into name-calling, baiting, and poor scholarship even when advised against this by resident apologists and administrators. Some of these threads went on too long and degenerated to such a degree that I couldn’t tell which one of us was defending our faith and who was attacking it.

I wasn’t expecting a room of even-tempered evangelists to be hearing objections, making points, and using the truth to set themselves free, but arguments grow disproportionate in anger and unchecked by love too often. “Love endures all things.” “Love, faith, hope, the greatest of these, love.” “We must strive to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect.” These should be first and foremost in our dialogue with separated brothers and sisters and with all those who do not embrace our path.

I offer these these suggestions.

A. I would discourage the use of irony and sarcasm. Use nouns and verbs. Strike a meek tone about facts.
B. If you trip up, get an expert involved right away, a staff apologist or the like. Remember that you belong to the Body of Christ and you don’t have to do this alone.
C. Don’t use emoticons to flip someone off or make a point. It’s not cooler than thou if you let some stupid comic face comodify your dissent.
D. Don’t try to get in the last word all the time. It makes a better impression to remain unflappable and let the defense rest.
E. Our Church is the Rock of Peter, and the powers of death cannot triumph over it. Many opponents of that statement have spent years amassing a litany of ideas to damage the precept, and grow mealy-eyed at thoughts of overturning it like Roe Versus Wade. Expect the worse, but answer with grace.
F. Don’t ever quote something that isn’t cross-referenced by three other reliable and transparent sources. And NEVER quote a Wiki unless you’ve checked out its annotations.
G. If someone isolates your voice out of context, and does so unfairly, invite them to start a new thread and let them have the opening remarks. Then make your point again. Don’t bury the existing thread in catty rebuking efforts.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Christy_Beth]

I have a bit of a problem with your number of references. It is unlikely that someone will find that many to support what they are saying. One or two is usually adequate. As far as the tone here. We are only human, and the moderator’s do an excellent job of keeping track of what is being said. At least, in my opinion and experience.

 

[no2masters4life]

We must try harder to be both kind and scholarly. I have Tim Staple’s “Jimmy S. Made Me Catholic” and “Catholic Answers To Common Objections”, as well as three of the Catholic Answers Apologist Books (two green and one blue). Apologetics is hard work, and you have to be gracious in aspect and as surgically precise in argument to make a point these days. IMHO.

 

[promethius]

I agree that it is important to avoid a lack of christian charity, particularly in baseless name calling. However, I saw someone post this the other day, copied and saved it, and i think it’s germain to this one too…

BISHOP FULTON J. SHEEN
Christian love bears evil, but it does not tolerate it.

*Christian love bears evil, but it does not tolerate it. *
*It does penance for the sins of others, but it is not broadminded about sin. *
*The cry for tolerance never induces it to quench its hatred of the evil philosophies that have entered into contest with the Truth. *
*It forgives the sinner, and it hates the sin; it is unmerciful to the error in his mind. *
*The sinner it will always take back into the bosom of the Mystical Body; *
*but his lie will never be taken into the treasury of His Wisdom. *
*Real love involves real hatred: *
*whoever has lost the power of moral indignation and the urge to drive the buyers and sellers from the temples *
*has also lost a living, fervent love of Truth. *
*Charity, then, is not a mild philosophy of “live and let live”; *
*it is not a species of sloppy sentiment. *
*Charity is the infusion of the Spirit of God, *
*which makes us love the beautiful and hate the morally ugly. *

 

[no2masters4life]

Thanks for posting. That is a weightier argument than my call for decorum and accuracy. I am not at all advocating a soft posture towards evil when I remind members to put on their best face towards lesser brothers and apostates. They are not the Enemy. They are sheep that have fallen away, misguided brethren. They need to be helped, not hunted. I’ll admit it can be annoying to witness back. It’s like screaming into a jet engine. But our best apologists are centered in their faith, and they rarely go off on someone who, for all intents and purposes, is blown about by every wind of doctrine.