(Untitled)

[nightsatnewport]

hi everyone! I updated the look of the community today - I hope you like it :) I've thought of one problem when I was updating, though... I thought I'd ask for your opinion while this community is still small. On biola, there's a friends page with everyone's personal journal updates. As I was reading through, I realized that I'm not sure what our

Comments

[darth_carnate]

I have a feeling this was about me. Sorry, I just sometimes forget who's reading. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with me using the language I was using (well, I didn't when I thought only certain people would read it). Normally, I don't swear around those who might be bothered by it. It just hadn't crossed my mind that those who aren't used to it might be reading my journal. For the sake of those who might be offended, I'll keep that under control.

By the way, if you want to know my views on using such words, feel free to ask me sometime.

[nightsatnewport]

actually i didn't notice your journal in particular. i noticed my own picture of my hampster with a macheine gun first hahaha. i wondered if that was really the image i wanted to give biola.

let's say mm... beyond swearing. what if there's a post that talks about drugs or sex or something more serious. what would you think then? i'm more concerned about my responsibility to people than wanting to slap them on the wrist for a potty word.

[nightsatnewport]

p.s. i can't spell machine.

[darth_carnate]

Well, I think in a situation like that, it's more important that whoever it is has people there to help him or her through a tough time.

If someone from Biola were to post, with pride, his or her most recent drug-related escapades, I'd say talk to him or her, make sure that person knows that his/her actions are against God's will. If, on the other hand, a person uses live journal to confess something that he/she has been feeling guilty about, I say support that person and help him/her through a tough time. If people know that they are sinning, and desire to change, they don't need condemnation.

Sorry, that really sounded like a rant, didn't it? It wasn't meant to be.

[nightsatnewport]

no it didn't sound like a rant at all... i actually think you're right about the difference between being proud about sin and confessing sin.

i know that i'm drawing a lot (too much?) from my own experience when i was a church-going non-Christian. all of my friends, my parents, and my youth pastor all knew that my relationship with my boyfriend wasn't glorifying God (and i don't mean that i wasn't submitting to him...) and no one ever confronted me about it. i totally take responsibility for what i did... i should have known that it was wrong. i still wonder how things would have been different if someone would have spoken up, though. i don't want to have someone really suffer later because i decide it's not my place to talk to them about it.

[darth_carnate]

You're absolutely right that we need to help others to serve God to the best of the ablities He has given them. If that means confronting someone with sin, so be it. At the same time (and I can tell that you know this) that has to be done with a caring heart and only out of the desire that others become better because of it. Any anger, any spite, any vengeance would only ruin whatever message we tried to send.

I realize that particular part of the subject isn't really an issue right now, I just feel that it's important to keep in mind.