Robert wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2024 8:33 am
Fowler and Westerhoff also touch on this in the Stages of Faith. One stage is affiliated faith. We build and support our beliefs by those around us. If someone challenges it(says something to the contrary), we must push that person out since they do not fit in our view of faith(which is greatly built/bolstered on those around us).
I think we see that in posts where people insist that the people who agree with them about X are the good people and attribute all kinds of nasty things to people who disagree with them. In Fowler & Westerhoff's model, that's typical of adolescents, and can feel very middle school.
Robert wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2024 8:33 amIt also is a bit of a hero complex too. Some feel they need to "save" everyone from bad information.
"Well, that is wrong and I must speak the truth so others are not dis-wayed."
"I know the real truth. I just figured it out. No. 2000 years of wisdom has been wrong because 'I' see the truth. I must tell all."
Here's something interesting about that list - this is a list of your judgements about people, not what people are saying, and probably not what they believe or how they think while they are posting. I suspect that goes back to Fowler & Westerhoff's model. We are often discussing things that are either (1) questions of fact or (2) markers of group identity, masquerading as matters of fact. If it's (2), then factual discussion is off the table, and judging the people can be a way to distract from actually discussing the subject, which may be uncomfortable if it challenges your group affiliation. I think that happens a lot.
The facts behind these questions are often important. And these facts are often knowable. I think it's a lot easier to nail down the facts than to nail down other people's motivations and inner self.
Of course, a lot of discussion is not about fact at all. But except for trivia, we don't often get a whole lot beyond that kind of discussion here. I think it gets crowded out by other things. Often, it feels like people are battling for their side. And that side is rarely the Kingdom of God. I think it's usually important to be able to disagree on the facts and to think for ourselves. But if factual claims are what we are discussing, I also think that means focusing on the facts, not on conflicting group identities.
Is it biblical? Is it Christlike? Is it loving? Is it true? How can I find out?