The Devil’s Playground

I have a bud, who has very clear views on the online world. Most of them I can agree with,  though it probably took me longer to see it the same way, but mostly we do not disagree on this issue.

But, the online world can be strange in various ways. I’m not talking about those obvious sickos out there who prey on children or the otherwise vulnerable. I’m talking about even folks who in regular society would pass for just like you, I, or any old Tom, Dick or harriet.

People who don’t know us, very often, or hardly at all, and certainly  not well, and often live thousands of  miles away, will often make judgements they don’t have the ability to do. Where else except in cyberland would this happen?  But those judgements if they are of a sinful bent, and they decide to go on a hate campaign against anyone can do severe harm to someones reputation. I’ve seen this done over time, not just to myself but to others too, some of whom had a good and even a little public reputation worth defending, and none of the accusations being true.  Spite, malice, jealousy? Probably a little of all those things creep into trying to drag someone down in that way.  Yet where else but cyberland, where the person does not in any way shape or form, most often, have any personal knowledge of the individual they are attacking can that kind of behaviour go on?

Amongst Christians you would think a set of unwritten rules would apply. God’s rules. But its often not the case, at all.   And often when a question would clear up the thing that someone has taken offense over and so goes on a vengeful rampage of hate in the online world,  they choose to be ignorant, cos if they’d  have bothered to get all the info, then they would not have had liberty to do as they did do.

We all make judgements every day of our lives. But when at least we do not have the knowledge to know if some judgement made is true or not,  then lets at least have the decency and common courteousy to  keep our belief or view to ourselves.

I think when very clear sin issues are involved, and it is ongoing with no sign of remission after a very long time, we are entitled to make judgements based on what we see and the persons actions, if they are clearly violating God’s Law, and glory and are indiffierent about it.   If they have shown it to be persistent and non-ending then you can’t believe anyone would only be like this online, that kind of behaviour  must also spread over into actual life too, as they have the same heart whereever they are in life, and so we  may  make a judgement based on there sinful behavour as they have not displayed the fruits of faith over a long, long time.  Faith without works is dead.  Faith requires fruit to be on display.  But to make judgements based on nothing but our instincts, or cos we don’t like someone or some particular thing that may  nto be against God’s Law, but is against our own liking or will, is not just ungodly and uncharitiable, its downright silly when  the judgement is taking place by someone who has no personal knowledge of you and is thousands of miles away.

Sin can seem to be rampant much more in the online world and I think why folks feel they can hide like a coward behind a computer or an anonymous id, then that will continue to be the case.  But,  I also think sin is easier to expose in the online world just becuse of how the written word endures  much longer than the spoken word.   You almost always have evidence of anothers sin, by the very nature of the interent. As if they sin against you online they often want you to know, so do it where they know it will be seen by you. Whereas in actual life, people can sin against us often and us be totally unaware of it in some cases. And certainly have no proof of it.

The online world is weird, its often full of weirdo’s, you only have to turn the news on to see that.  But, it doesn’t have to be a more weird form of communicating and interacting with each other than it needs be, especially by Christians, when God should be steering the boat anyway, whether online or not.   Its only when the course is perverted,  by sinful actions, even in the Christian community, that it becomes impossible to maintain, and in those instances, I find I for one, cut the dead wood off the tree, and leave it behind, as  we can all do without the added strife of those situations, when you figure its coming from someone who probably has no personal knowledge of you, but chooses to spread  false reports through sheer  malicousness, is thousands of miles away,  and is using the interent to propogate there sin   what other option is there but to cut them off and not give them a chance to repeat it forever?

I have made some very good friends online. Some of them are years old now.  But theres always the one or two, who will not like anything good anyone else has, whether that’s friendships, respect, a good name, or a dozen other things.  So they will throw there toys out of the pram in an effort to destroy the thing the one person has, they don’t, but wish they did, and in doing so, the internet can become the devils playground.