You’re very perceptive. It’s true, that much can be either concealed or revealed by using the appropriate style of writing. When you encounter a flurry of stereotypic behavior followed by telegraphed reaction to whatever you say, one have to wonder at the source. Is the writer actually who they seem to be, or is this an act, someone trying to convince both me and themselves that yes, this is who they are?
Brings to mind an ancient pop song by Joe South called “The Games People Play” 1969.
When someone just popped into FR very recently it’s one thing, but when this is an ID (with a provocative sounding title) it could be a lurking troll intending to put on a persona when he/she thinks he/she has landed a perfect target.
Well, except that I tend to be an unsatisfying target, unless the person gets a buzz off of Christians telling them, in various subtle or unsubtle means, to go to hell.
Hey, the devil may have been waving at me through a troll rather than through an actually concerned person. But as far as I am concerned, it is the same devil in either case and I have the authority, as submitted servant of Christ, to tell him to go packing back to the hot place.
I mean, a fairly long standing ID
And yeah, thanks for reminding me of the “Games People Play.” There was the song by, who, Joe South? Then there was the pop-psychology book. “I’m OK, You’re OK.” The pop-psychology book, at least, managed to identify some dysfunctional ways of human interaction and counsel against them.
Christian theologians tended to bristle at “I’m OK, You’re OK” but I can see a Christian theology compliant variant that would work, something like “I’m OK” (because I have accepted the work of Christ) “and I hope that you will be OK too” (because the gospel is addressed to everybody). Just because one is a Christian and believes everybody needs salvation, doesn’t mean one has to go damning everybody one meets. Sometimes the positive suggestion, the “look for the Lord in this,” is the thing Jesus would do.