My last post: Gay Trees and Gadianton Robbers gotseveral comments on my own blog. One, which I took from an email that was sent by a former classmate in high school, was pretty forceful. You can see the original post, and my response in the comments section here.
I am less interested in my personal response, but more about howyou would respond if someone left a comment like this on your blog. When there is a comment like this, does it matter whether you are a current or ex-member, or would your response be the same whatever your status with the church? If the person leaving it was a current or former member, would the difference change how you would address it?
So, how do you deal with people who are obvioiusly not in agreement with something you wrote?
I like you, but I REALLY hate it when you talk about politics. It was bad enough in high school when you read communist stuff and Godless philosophers. There is NO REASON for anyone to read things that go against the scriptures.
You always said the reason you read all the weird stuff was because you needed to understand it to be a good debater. You aren’t debating now, and still you make fun of people who are working for GOD. Romney was a BISHOP! Obama has never held a calling or made a lemonade stand. Romney was a STAKE PRESIDENT! Obama hasn’t ever been a good enough person for God to give him any responsibility.
Julia, it is time for you to stop being STUPID. You are too smart to let Satan tell you what to say and do. You should be telling everyone the Truth. God gave you your talents and the gospel and church gave you the Truth.
You need to do the RIGHT thing, instead of just trying to be popular to a bunch of apostates, liberals, and other people who offend God! I am calling you to repentance and I hope that you can still hear the Holy Ghost enough to go what YOU know is RIGHT!
I am emailing this to you because I KNOW you WON’T let anyone who agrees with you have a comment on your posts. You just want everyone to tell you that you are wonderful. You might think your post is funny, but really it is just a MOCKERY OF GOD!
So, what would you say, if this comment showed up on your blog? Would you delete, or let it stay?
I would respond to it, but I would recommend ignoring all of the stuff directed at you personally and just respond to this point:
The fact that Obama has never held any LDS callings doesn’t mean that he hasn’t held any responsibilities that would prepare him for a leadership position. The fact that Romney has held specifically Mormon leadership positions (as opposed to holding leadership positions in some other type of organization) doesn’t make him more qualified than a non-Mormon to be PotUS.
I would delete it. I do not let people insult me on my own blog, and I consider “stupid” to be an insult. My blog is not an “attack Alan” environment — it’s intentionally designed to be tranquil.
That e-mail went beyond civility into character attack – that is not friendship and that is not a political debate.
I think the most appropriate response would be to remind your friend that (a) attacking a person’s character is not acceptable (b) Understanding both sides of the story is always important, even if the other side of the story isn’t always faith-promoting and (c) although Obama has never held an LDS leadership position, there are a lot of valid leadership positions on his resume (community organizer, college professor, politician) that means that he is qualified, even if you don’t agree with his political views.
But honestly – if responding to your friend drags you down too much emotionally, you are not obligated to. Sometimes responding to an attack like that is pointless. You won’t change her mind – however, responding might give you a little more confidence, in which case you should.
I have received a fair amount of angry comments on my behalf – my piece on Mormon weddings and my piece on why ex-Mormons keep quiet about their experiences have been the two big triggers. And if the comment veers into character attack, I don’t usually respond.
I’d let it stay. But then I write satire and enjoy absurdities. 😉
Um… didn’t God give Obama the responsibility of being PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED EFFING STATES?! Or is he not concerned with such trivial matters? (Too busy helping people find lost keys, I suppose?)
Anyway, I welcome haters (in reasonable amounts; too many and I’m pretty sure I’d end up like this). I think they’re hilarious. I like to quote the best ones in the sidebar on my blog.
Good point. Unless it was actually Satan who gave him that responsibility. God’s still working on trying to line Obama up with that prestigious “ward lemonade stand” calling.
Totally — and you’ve got some great ones there!
In the same vein, I’m seriously considering writing a response to that “Mormon Interpreter” article that complained about how my blog is “a bit raunchy and as lacking intellectual content” (or “lacking intellectual content, and a bit raunchy” depending on the version of the article you read see here).
On some level I feel like it’s perhaps undignified to respond to this level of criticism. (opinions…?) But from what I’ve read of it, the article against me is actually kind of funny, hence might lend itself to an entertaining post.
I have only had one comment on my blog that was stupid, and I mocked it in my next post. But then, I don’t get many comments. I’ve been learning in my personal life that there is no use arguing with people who have their heads up their butts, because they can’t see anything but crap. I’d probably let the comment stay; I might mock it; but if the person continued making personal attacks I’d probably ban that person from commenting.
Well, I’m kind of evil (obviously, or I wouldn’t be hanging with you heathens), but I love to leave things like that just with NOTHING. No response, no arguments, just nothing. Winds ’em all up and you don’t even have to do anything. I’m a lazy kind of annoyer.