Thursday, August 23, 2007

is there any discernment left

I'm on a rant today. Things are light at work and I have some personal time. In that time I've been trying to find a way to put to rest the tension regarding the TeamPyro posters. How about this, you take a look at them and you decide? If you don't care at all about the issue, don't read on.

I'm am honestly attempting to do this in a humble, non-mean, etc. way. I hope I come across that way.
  • Does the title on the Pyro page and the posters there cause you to have a general opinion about a general group of people?
  • Do you know if that opinion is accurate?
  • Even if the opinion formed is subtle, if you bumped into someone from that category of people would you more quickly judge what they say/do against the perceptions in the posters than if someone else said/did the same, i.e., would you grant them the same grace?
  • Or another angle, if you bumped into someone that you didn't know and they said/did something that fit the categories conjured up in these images, would you assume they are part of that group and respond to them in a way different than you might otherwise?
  • As you read the text on that page and the posters, do think that someone really believes what is said there? For example, do you think that someone would say it is ok to reject Orthodox Christian views, become a heretic, for the sake of finding common ground with someone else? Do you think that someone thinks that it is ok to create doctrine from imagination rather than Scripture? More important, if you think that there might be some who thinks that, are these posters helping you distinguish those who do from those who don't?
  • What emotions are conjured up when you think about the group that this represents? Is it distain and contempt or is it compassion and a desire to engage and correct if needed?
  • In the future, when you hear the catch phrases in the posters, will you perceive them to be part of that group? Would you be able to hear what they are trying to communicate and engage them or would you judge them in light of the caricatures depicted here? Would you even make assumptions about their motive?
Alright, enough of that. I hope you get the point. You may not agree with me and I am ok with that. But please don't categorize me as one who can't take the truth or one who is judging someone else's right to judge or one who thinks there is never a place for humor or any of the other responses I've received as I commented on this topic.

In my opinion these posters are not adding any value to the Kingdom and I contend they are doing damage. Feel free to disagree but don't respond to me like I'm some kind of self-righteous, hyper-sensitive, whatever. Thanks.

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