Where Have All the FR Protestants Gone?

drstevej

[drstevej]

OBSERVATIONS:

[1] There seems to be a significantly reduced number of Protestant Threads (KJV Only being the exception for sure) in the FR Religion Forum.

[2] There seems to be a reduced number of FR Protestant posts in the Religion Forum.

This thread is a place to discuss these observations.

[Ex-Wretch]

My question is why are there so few Protestant threads and posters. Your thoughts?

Since the Religious Forum went PC there is less tolerance for those that walk the straight/narrow way and reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. We are labeled "bashers".

Just the other night I asked a poster why they implored Mary and did not go directly to God with their petition. Their prayer was offensive and insulting to the Lord. I sought not to dishonor Mary but to seek more honor for Mary's Maker. My post was pulled. (Sigh).

True Holy Spirit-filled believers can discern sheep from goats. They hear their master's voice and they follow Him.

The ecumenical poison is in the well. Don't be a partaker in the facade.

[CARepubGal]

Do we need a committee to study the matter? :) Nah, 1 PCA Elder, 1 Amaryldian that will hopefully get that 5th point, OP and the hordes. Even one of you three gentlemen posesses an unfair advantage. :)

[irishtenor]

Gosh, I'm blushing.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

My question is why are there so few Protestant threads and posters.

Its dead Jim.

BigMack

[CARepubGal]

LOL! :)

[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

My question is why are there so few Protestant threads and posters. Your thoughts?

It's not an "Anti-Calvinist" conspiracy, folks.

That kinda thinking is counterproductive, and besides... even if it were an "Anti-Calvinist" conspiracy (which it ain't, IMHO), "irishtenor" has the right attitude: "2 Calvinists against 4,000 means the Calvinists have an unfair advantage".

If you want more Calvinist Threads, then post more Calvinist Threads. I just did a "quick-search" on the "New Articles" in the Religion Forum, and the first screen turned up one explicitly-Calvinist article -- Gamecock's article on the Salvific Will of God.

Gamecock's article already pegged 22 responses on the first go-round -- not bad when a lot of Religion Forum articles die after 8 reponses or 3 responses or none at all.

The last new Article I had time to post was, as I remember, "Baptism does not Regenerate". Every Calvinist -- Presbyterian or Baptist or Dutch Reformed, Dunker or Sprinkler -- can agree on that; but it is a subject which is of interest to the Papists and Greeks as well. Got 56 responses on the first go-round -- and I haven't even had time to shepherd the Thread. If I decide to "resurrect" the Thread by posting some Responses, it'll go to 100+ responses real quick, maybe 200+.

So, here's the scoop (IMO). If you want more Calvinist threads, here's my suggestions:

• POST more Calvinist Threads. You can't complain if you don't vote.

• Post Threads which are INTERESTING to the other (dare I say "lesser"?) Christian Faith Traditions. The Catholics can have their "Daily Rosaries" and what not, but aside from necessary Prayer Requests and other emergencies of Fraternal Calvinist Charity, let's try to Post Threads in which the other (dare I say, "lesser"?) Christian Faith Traditions will have an interest in participating.

  A few years back, I read a funny Arminian post which complained that Calvinists were "Sheep-stealers" who took their Converts not only from Atheists and Cults and Romanists, but (oh my!) from other Protestants. Damn straight, I say! We are indeed "Sheep-Stealers" most foul; though I contend instead, "Sheep-Rescuers"... as in addition to Evangelism, one of our purposes on this Forum is that of Discipleship. We do not merely rally round the sheep-fold... we actively seek to rescue Lost Sheep from the brambles.

• And lastly, consider this: Martyrdom is no Virtue when you're winning. It's all fine and dandy to "Go Out in a Blaze of Glory" when All Odds are against you and All Earthly Hope is lost. But if the FReeper Roman Catholics or Arminians or Mormons enjoyed anywhere near the unparalleled success we Calvinists have enjoyed in gathering Converts unto our cause from their ranks, and losing none of our own... they'd be dancing in the streets of Free Republic, trumpeting their success as evidence of their blessings as the One True Faith.

  Well, we are the One True Faith. The Reformation was NOT in vain. So let's start acting like it. Why tempt Bannings and Suspensions when we have work to do, and our work here is bearing fruit?

  As I said in a (somewhat-unrelated) post to PolycarpIV on another thread, I don't think that the "Martyrdom perspective" is necessarily the appropriate perspective for the American Church to have, when the Secularists are apparently determined to Abort and Homosex themselves into demographic annihilation. That's hardly a good long-term recipe for Secularist Success. Well, in reverse manner, constantly winning new Converts and losing none of our own is hardly a recipe for Calvinist Failure on this Forum, unless we decide to take our ball and go home. Then, you can be sure, we will have failed.

  Think about it.

Grist for the Mill, OP

[BibChr]

I also would like an Ignore button. There are people functionally on my Ignore list as being pointless waste of times; but an actual one would be helpful. And maybe if one's own FR home page showed who was on one's Ignore list, that would explain to some why their bleats are never answered.

Dan

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I guess I fall in on the side of "Protestants" and I stopped posting a little over a month ago (till this one) because of hateful catholic baiters. I can take as good as I get, and I give alot, no doubt and no apologies for it. But a catholic brought my children into the discussion and said some very rotten comments. Not only did NO catholics correct the jerk for his posts, but he was given no more the a "knock it off" by the mods. Then a few days later Mack was banned for knocking the catholic faith. I knew when the posts about my children got to me so bad that I hit the abuse button for them it was time for me to leave. I don't like the abuse button and think that they should either get rid of it or at least when it is hit it cannot be done annonymously. I let the guy know I had hit the abuse button and why.

Becky

[drstevej]

Becky,

I thought the comment about your kids was reprehensible. I hit the abuse button on it too.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Thanks:)

Becky

[Alex Murphy]

And there you have it. More proof (and from BigMack, no less) that the Religion Forum has gone All Catholic, All The Time.

BigMack's taken to posting pictures of Nuns.

[sheltonmac]

...I believe the addition of an IGNORE function would go a long way to BOTH resolving the "abuse button" issue and restoring vigorous discussion.

That's a good idea because the abuse button is an absolute joke. I have never used it and can't understand why anyone would. Ignoring idiots isn't a problem for me.

I've seen the abuse button used in the political forum as a way to get many true conservatives banned simply because they, like me, have serious concerns about our government and are very critical of the current administration. I can certainly imagine that the abuse button has been abused in the same manner in the religion forum.

[HarleyD]

At the risk of sounding conspiratorial I’ve observed several behavior patterns from the Catholics:

1)when a Protestant posts is submitted, generally you’ll find 4 or 5 Catholic posts immediately appear effectively burying the post from the screen;

2)Catholics rarely will comment on a Protestant post unless it’s about Mary or sola scriptura/faith (I have my “Whore of Babylon” article bookmarked for the day it gets slow); and

3)The ignore button seems to be already in effect with the Catholics by not responding to any questions or concerns raised by a non-Catholic. (I’ve dubbed this effect the “Cone of Silence”)

If you do a search on the Internet on Catholics you will find a wealth of articles for them to choose from which clearly gives them the advantage. If you do a search on Protestant’s articles it becomes significantly less (especially Calvinist articles). This is most likely due to the organizational structure differences of the Catholics and Protestants and give us Protestants a decisive disadvantage.

[BibChr]

Another common RCC behavior is to bury a thread with cut-and-paste boilerplate drivel. Which sort of makes sense, within the RCC framework -- no point in them thinking about anything in the Bible, since only The Church{tm} can tell them what to think about it.

Dan

[Ex-Wretch]

... since only The Church{tm} can tell them what to think about it.

Correction: Holy Mother Church{tm}(its a "she" didn't ya know):)

[BibChr]

I was going for the short version. Even Hugh Hewitt can't shake the capitalization habit... though sometimes, I admit, I honestly wonder how saved-from-Rome he is.

Dan

[HarleyD]

And you

"JUST"

happened on this thread....

hmmmmmm

.

NOW THEY'RE MONITORING US!!!!!

Just kidding! :O)

[Diamond]

...within the RCC framework -- no point in them thinking about anything in the Bible, since only The Church{tm} can tell them what to think about it...

Yeah, but even with the Church telling one what to think one still has to privately interpret ^TM what the Church is telling one to think.

Cordially,