The Realization
When I started The Deep Freeze back in February, I had hoped to create an environment where liberals and conservatives could come together to debate current events and ideology. In the first few months I was disappointed that I wasn't getting much participation. So I decided if I wanted people to come visit my blog I was going to have to go out and recruit them. So I did. I started visiting other blogs, conservative and liberal, and commenting my opinions. It worked well. My participation improved, but not as I had hoped. But in doing so I learned alot about myself and other people I have met. Some of it good, some of it not so good.
I have found that some people aren't open to new ideas. It's human nature. I'm just as guilty sometimes. We all read a headline sometimes and draw our conclusion before we read the article. We all see the world through our own perspective. As such we tend to congregate with people who share our views. Most blogs I visit are like little cheering sections where a close knit group of bloggers comment on each other's posts offering praise and support of one another. It's like a little support group. When an outsider comes in and offers a different opinion they quickly pounce and show their numbers casting the intruder back into the cyberspace from which they came. When I started this blog I noticed most of the comments here came from fellow conservatives. I wanted to be different. I wanted to explore. I wanted to find debate. So I ventured outside of my comfortable nest and I tried to engage a few liberals in debate. I've been around the internet long enough to know when you join a community of millions of people, you're bound to run into a few assholes. I guess I wasn't prepared for the fact some people would think I was the asshole.
Some of the sharpest tongues I encountered were when I shared my religious faith with people, especially when I point out the lack of morals in our society. I tried to warn people our evil ways are going to destroy us. I tried to warn people that life without Christ is a life condemned to death. I've discovered that many people feel genuinely threatened by Christ. It's like they turn into rabid monsters when you mention the J-word. In the past months I have been called a self-righteous jerk, an asshole, a bigot, a homophobe, a fascist, a nazi, and part of the Religious Reich. I have been accused of trying to run people's lives, take away their freedom, and "imposing" my beliefs on them. I've been told that my faith is "a fetish for fictitional characters." I've been told my beliefs are "garbage." And the people who tell me these things dismiss my claims of a "War on Christianity" as make believe.
So I've come to the realization The Deep Freeze will not be the house of debate I had hoped it would be. Too many people demand I put Christ aside before they will debate with me. They don't understand it would be simpler to ask me to de-attach my left arm. It is a concession I am not willing to make. But nonetheless, I will continue posting on conservative topics in this space. I will continue sharing my faith and my views of our degenerate society. To my friends who comment here regularly, Simple American, Bookworm, Alisa, Blogawakening (wutup, Mike!), and anyone else I forgot, rest assured we will keep fighting the fight here on the Deep Freeze. But things will be tailored a little bit from now on. I plan to talk more about my personal life. I plan to talk more about my family. And I especially plan to talk more about God. I have come to the conclusion that is what I am called to do with this. No matter what I do, I am called to be a disciple of God first. This will be a blog of personal reflection for me. Hopefully I can stick to the plan. I will not be going out actively searching for debate anymore. It is too hard to find. All I find is hate. If God wants me to witness to someone, He will make it happen. I just have to be ready. I have given up the dream that this site may someday grow into the next Drudge Report, Captain's Quarters, or Little Green Footballs. From now on this is just my space where I come to vent. Everyone is welcome to comment and share their views as long as they are respectful to others.
I have found that some people aren't open to new ideas. It's human nature. I'm just as guilty sometimes. We all read a headline sometimes and draw our conclusion before we read the article. We all see the world through our own perspective. As such we tend to congregate with people who share our views. Most blogs I visit are like little cheering sections where a close knit group of bloggers comment on each other's posts offering praise and support of one another. It's like a little support group. When an outsider comes in and offers a different opinion they quickly pounce and show their numbers casting the intruder back into the cyberspace from which they came. When I started this blog I noticed most of the comments here came from fellow conservatives. I wanted to be different. I wanted to explore. I wanted to find debate. So I ventured outside of my comfortable nest and I tried to engage a few liberals in debate. I've been around the internet long enough to know when you join a community of millions of people, you're bound to run into a few assholes. I guess I wasn't prepared for the fact some people would think I was the asshole.
Some of the sharpest tongues I encountered were when I shared my religious faith with people, especially when I point out the lack of morals in our society. I tried to warn people our evil ways are going to destroy us. I tried to warn people that life without Christ is a life condemned to death. I've discovered that many people feel genuinely threatened by Christ. It's like they turn into rabid monsters when you mention the J-word. In the past months I have been called a self-righteous jerk, an asshole, a bigot, a homophobe, a fascist, a nazi, and part of the Religious Reich. I have been accused of trying to run people's lives, take away their freedom, and "imposing" my beliefs on them. I've been told that my faith is "a fetish for fictitional characters." I've been told my beliefs are "garbage." And the people who tell me these things dismiss my claims of a "War on Christianity" as make believe.
So I've come to the realization The Deep Freeze will not be the house of debate I had hoped it would be. Too many people demand I put Christ aside before they will debate with me. They don't understand it would be simpler to ask me to de-attach my left arm. It is a concession I am not willing to make. But nonetheless, I will continue posting on conservative topics in this space. I will continue sharing my faith and my views of our degenerate society. To my friends who comment here regularly, Simple American, Bookworm, Alisa, Blogawakening (wutup, Mike!), and anyone else I forgot, rest assured we will keep fighting the fight here on the Deep Freeze. But things will be tailored a little bit from now on. I plan to talk more about my personal life. I plan to talk more about my family. And I especially plan to talk more about God. I have come to the conclusion that is what I am called to do with this. No matter what I do, I am called to be a disciple of God first. This will be a blog of personal reflection for me. Hopefully I can stick to the plan. I will not be going out actively searching for debate anymore. It is too hard to find. All I find is hate. If God wants me to witness to someone, He will make it happen. I just have to be ready. I have given up the dream that this site may someday grow into the next Drudge Report, Captain's Quarters, or Little Green Footballs. From now on this is just my space where I come to vent. Everyone is welcome to comment and share their views as long as they are respectful to others.
posted by Mike at 3:24 PM
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