MennoNet.com

Sudsy wrote: ↑Sun Mar 17, 2024 5:09 pm

Bootstrap wrote: ↑Sun Mar 17, 2024 1:47 pm But as long as people keep twisting things, I probably will respond.

So we disagree. I don't believe it is vindictive to tell the truth but rather the manner in telling the truth can be vindictive. And imo, the continued pursuit of pointing out perceived lies is vindictive. The 'dog with a bone' phrase comes to mind. So, I will not pursue this point any further.

Jeff Altweg wrote: ↑Sun May 31, 2026 11:54 pm As a small town Landlord, maybe 90% of the sad stories I hear from my tenants are simply made up , call it what you want ...If their mouths are moving ,it's probably a lie..... that's why in my line of business, everything and anything of note must be in writing , or it's not revelent .to me, or in a court of law..(Evictons)..... Most Anabaptists That I deal with ,from time to time, won't outright lie about problem things, so much as Omit part of the truth , or slant what's supposed to be facts, to personal ideas and opinions, which is about as bad, because I always have to dig ,or look for facts , to get the real picture .....Anymore I expect that , and make my own decisions from what I can discern , besides words, that's just the way it is .....

Bootstrap wrote: ↑Sun May 31, 2026 2:54 pm A side question from another thread that is no longer worth continuing.

Sudsy wrote: ↑Sun Mar 17, 2024 5:09 pm

Bootstrap wrote: ↑Sun Mar 17, 2024 1:47 pm But as long as people keep twisting things, I probably will respond.

So we disagree. I don't believe it is vindictive to tell the truth but rather the manner in telling the truth can be vindictive. And imo, the continued pursuit of pointing out perceived lies is vindictive. The 'dog with a bone' phrase comes to mind. So, I will not pursue this point any further.

Here's how I see it.

1. If lies are repeated often enough, they become "the truth", what everyone thinks they know.
2. People who lie often attack those who identify lies personally, saying that the only reason they would correct the lie is some personal flaw. We have all seen that at work in cults and some secular settings, including political ones. Words like "vindictive" should be defined so they actually mean something. Nobody feels as persecuted as a liar whose lie has been exposed, that's a vulnerable place to be. But nobody has a God-given right to lie without discovery.
3. We do need to prefer truth to falsehood. In general, lies should be corrected when they are repeated, and if the same lies are told over and over, they need to be corrected over and over. The same standards should be applied to both sides.
4. The language and the spirit of the posts matters, not just the content. For both sides, this should not be applied selectively to the person who is telling the truth.

I really don't know another way to embrace truth on a forum like this.

Mark Twain — ‘It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.’

temporal1 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 01, 2026 11:42 am Wasn’t it Sunbeam who quoted,
"The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself" .. ?

ken_sylvania wrote: ↑Mon Jun 01, 2026 11:19 am

Bootstrap wrote: ↑Sun May 31, 2026 2:54 pmHere's how I see it.

1. If lies are repeated often enough, they become "the truth", what everyone thinks they know.
2. People who lie often attack those who identify lies personally, saying that the only reason they would correct the lie is some personal flaw. We have all seen that at work in cults and some secular settings, including political ones. Words like "vindictive" should be defined so they actually mean something. Nobody feels as persecuted as a liar whose lie has been exposed, that's a vulnerable place to be. But nobody has a God-given right to lie without discovery.
3. We do need to prefer truth to falsehood. In general, lies should be corrected when they are repeated, and if the same lies are told over and over, they need to be corrected over and over. The same standards should be applied to both sides.
4. The language and the spirit of the posts matters, not just the content. For both sides, this should not be applied selectively to the person who is telling the truth.

I really don't know another way to embrace truth on a forum like this.

Are you suggesting that anyone who cares about truth has an obligation to respond and call out untruth whenever it is presented on this forum?

Bootstrap wrote: ↑Tue Jun 02, 2026 8:54 am

ken_sylvania wrote: ↑Mon Jun 01, 2026 11:19 am

Bootstrap wrote: ↑Sun May 31, 2026 2:54 pmHere's how I see it.

1. If lies are repeated often enough, they become "the truth", what everyone thinks they know.
2. People who lie often attack those who identify lies personally, saying that the only reason they would correct the lie is some personal flaw. We have all seen that at work in cults and some secular settings, including political ones. Words like "vindictive" should be defined so they actually mean something. Nobody feels as persecuted as a liar whose lie has been exposed, that's a vulnerable place to be. But nobody has a God-given right to lie without discovery.
3. We do need to prefer truth to falsehood. In general, lies should be corrected when they are repeated, and if the same lies are told over and over, they need to be corrected over and over. The same standards should be applied to both sides.
4. The language and the spirit of the posts matters, not just the content. For both sides, this should not be applied selectively to the person who is telling the truth.

I really don't know another way to embrace truth on a forum like this.

Are you suggesting that anyone who cares about truth has an obligation to respond and call out untruth whenever it is presented on this forum?

Certainly not. That would be a full time job some days, and not a fun one.

ken_sylvania wrote: ↑Tue Jun 02, 2026 11:39 am If not all lies need to be responded to, how do we decide which to respond to?