Why is it so easy.........?

Question

to forget the tenets of our chosen religions in an anonymous setting and become so mean spirited and negative?

For example: Many educated atheists lose their tempers here and start spewing venom instead of facts. Many christians here forget what christ taught and belittle and name-call others. I, myself have gotten caught up in the negativity that plagues this place and hurt someone. I publicly apologized to her and now I would call her friend. However, it doesn't change the hurtful words I said. (for you M.W. my favorite turkey sandwich....LOL)

Anyways, why do we let ourselves become the worst version of ourselves here? does anyone act like this in real life?

Well, I don't know about you guys, but this is not my "real" life....this is my veg out time.....Thanx for some great answers.

Answer 1

Well, I'm remembering my very first time on the 'net back in...'98. I got onto this chat room called "Teen Age Chat" and just kept on typing over and over "Teenage wasteland! Teenage waste la-aa-and!" (by The Who, you know) to see how much of an anonymous nuisance I could make of myself.

I think it's like that with a lot of people who come in to the R&S forum; they don't see that there are real people on the other side of their screens.

Also--and I don't know if I am all wet about this, but all this online insensitivity might come from our operating so much of the time in a very mechanized society. Let me explain. Back in agrarian days, your animals, or maybe your slaves, did a lot of your work for you. If things didn't work out, decent people DID not abuse their animals or their slaves (yes believe it or not, some slaves were treated very well, hence the Steven Foster array of songs, not that I'm condoning slavery.) You tried to find out if they were sick or overtired, cared for them tenderly, you know? They were living things, and you could see them suffer if you mistreated them.

NOW, we KICK the tires of a car before we buy it, SHAKE the coke machine if it doesn't give us the thing that matches the picture on the button we pressed, SWEAR at the operating system if we get blue-screened. Many people who hang out on internet forums for fun are pretty computer literate, so if the computer is showing printed matter they don't want to see, they set about fixing it.

On more than one occasion, I have found myself trying to "debug" someone on an internet forum who isn't responding the way I had intended him or her to respond to my *BRILLIANT* insights on spirituality. Spirituality and politics are especially popular fora for people frustrated with the way the world is, a place where they can come to "change the world." Maybe hearts do sometimes get changed for the better, when there is a mutually respectful dialogue. But a lot of times, when people try to evangelize or influence folks politically en masse, it amounts to what one wit on the net referred to as "Internet Slacktivism."

Yes, many respond like this in real life. It's called road rage.

Answer 2

i think it is because so many people do not really know their god or gods. they only know what is written in a book about them and what their religious leaders use as fear tactics to control them and get their participation in church and their tithing.

people go to church one time a week and listen to a man speak.
most do not read their texts at home and if they do it is not in a scholary fashion. they read it verbatum and without feeling and uaually are doing it because they feel that they must.

they listen to men tell them about everything that is wrong and un-godly in the world and all of the warnings to stay away form it or YOU WILL BURN IN HELL. fear leads to negativ energy. negative energy leads to negative lives. negative lives lead to negative people.

as for the athiest's. i feel that most of them are here simply to stir the pot and cause chaos. i have not met an athiest that could stand up to any ammount of religion without breaking down into a name calling jackass. their scientific facts break down in the face of faith. and they are left with name calling.....

add to the fact that most of the athiest's on here (that i have talked to)are under 18 and they really have not had a chance to experience life yet.

however i have also not met the christian that can handle even the slightest bit of scientific fact that goes against their religion.
they cut and paste scripture and think that it is an answer. they give very few of their own words or experiences and when they do it turns into a name calling match.

I am pagan, i get into a few arguements ince in awhile. some things i feel strongly about. and i will always speak my mind.

i can listen to christian polythiesing and athiest scientific arguements. and really not care one way or the other because faith cannot be proven by science and science cannot discredit faith. when i argue i try to keep to the issues and attack what someone is saying and not their genteral character..however sometimes a good verbal assassination is what someone needs.

Answer 3

Everybody does. Don't act like you're the only one that does this. Personally, I think you're trying to make out yourself to look like you've gone to hell and come back because of some "words" you spewed over the internet. Get over it. Have you ever been to jail? Been arrested? Had to have gone through someone's long sickness and then end up losing that someone after months of the inevitable? If you haven't, then don't try acting like you 've been through the worst life has to offer. I know that that's not the worst in the world, but don't use the the self-victimization tactic on us to make us sympathize with you.

Answer 4

You can tell a lot about the true character of a person by their posts when there is no accountability attached, such as in an anonymous forum. That people would not only be able to *think of* some of the things they post, but that they would also have no qualms about actually *posting* them is a deep insight into the true spirit of a person, IMHO.

Answer 5

I admit I can be a bit of a smartazz on here sometimes myself, but I usually try to stay away from the religion cause I'm atheist and anytime you get atheists and christians together arguing religion there is bound to be trouble(that and politics) But you make a good point

Answer 6

Religion and our own personal belief systems touch a deep chord in each one of us. Many a war has been fought over the sake of religion and belief systems.

I think we want each other to believe the way we do so badly that we will do what ever it takes, and we feel when others disagree with us that it is a strike against us personally.

Answer 7

It is the anonymity of the internet that allows people to drop both their gaurd and their discipline. Someday, we will be required to use our real names, rather than fictitious names as Varr61 or MyUtmost4Him. We will know who we are chatting with, be able to reference them in a phone book, and hold them (and us) accountable for all things we post.

Untill then, the Internet is like a very dark Tavern, where nobody knows your name.

Answer 8

I think Im pretty real to who I am here. I know there are some people here who if they acted like that in public, probably wouldnt last long, and there's no way they could possibly have real jobs and homes and families. I think people basically put forth here how they WISH they were in real life. Usually its the very weak, pimpleface friendless 9th graders who make the most noise.

Answer 9

Sad to say but yes, ppl do act like this. Our world is full of disrespectful ppl who don't care who they hurt and never think twice about it! I have seen supposedly christians curse ppl on here! Those ppl are false christians and are hurting God's witnesses so much. I pray that all Christians will think about how they say or write things when speaking to anyone.

Answer 10

It happens. We all get frustrated. Most of us are actually fairly educated in our chosen religion- athieism, christianity, muslim, etc. And I would bet that none of us really act this way in real life. We should be focused on critical analysis, not spitting venom.