Will you help me out? Please make a comment on my past answers.?

Question

I am a Christian who spends my time answering lots of questions on Yahoo! Answers. However, I want to be a good steward of the time and gifts that God has given me.

Please take time to review my answers. Tell me if you think that I am being productive. Are my answers doing any good? And any other comments you would like to make.

Please specify if you follow a religion or if your agnostic or an athiest. Thanks.

P.S. I realize that you can't review all my answers. Please skim a few questions I answered that you are insterested in. Thanks.

I will choose a best answer! Please be HONEST!

30 min. and no answers?

hmm maybe instead of just stop using Yahoo! Answers I can take a short cut and kill myself.

Haha...lol Just kidding. I mean I know i was a help to at least 44 people.

Why is that some questions go completely unanswered and others in 15 min. get 100 answers? I mean my question is not difficult and I would be happy to answer the question. And technicaclly they could answer "no" and it would be an answer.

Answer 1

Hey JC:

I can't say if you are being "productive" on Y!A. That depends on what you plan on happening with your time; making converts, supporting believers, correcting misconceptions, de-stressing after a hard day? It is very difficult to know the effect you have on others. I have made a few non-Christian friends and I dialogue with them in respectful, mutually engaging ways. I also like to joke around.

I read a dozen or so of your answers. I think you have sound theology and explain it well. One question about "good translations" was answered better than I've seen before on Y!A, invoking translation methods, etc. Yet it got two points down and my guess is that some 15 year old thought it was too long. You could be writing a Nobel Prize worthy essay, but if it is one paragraph longer than the attention span of a poodle, it will get dismissed. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. Many others, like myself, may have read it and learned something or relearned something they forgot.

Why are some questions popular and others not? Same reason as above. People don't want to think and they don't want to take long in not thinking. If you ask "Is God real?" everyone can answer authoritatively (e.g., no, yes, god is fake, shut up) with minimal effort. Everyone is an expert. If you ask a hard question such as "Does evolution imply our cognitive features produce beliefs aimed at biological fitness instead of truth?" you will get about three answers, two ripping on creationism instead of the question you asked.

My advise is to keep answering questions as a way to stay abreast of how non-Christians are thinking, while engaging some of the things you have learned about these issues. It could also spawn some more reading on your part. I regularly buy books about issues that were raised on Y!A, just because I have natural curiosity. Also try to talk to a person or two you like through email and explore more questions in depth.

Answer 2

A lack of answers may be due to the fact that the question is about you and not R&S. I can understand the humble sincerity behind your request but there aren't too many people asking for this kind of advice on Y!A.

The only suggestion I have is to always try to be respectful. In the marketplace, every faith is merely an opinion. Present your information as objectively as you can, especially when you are describing other people's beliefs.

Don't insult people or their beliefs, just state the differences and let the reader form their own opinion. I have in mind the first few verses of Luke's gospel, addressed to "Theophilus" ("Beloved of God"). He doesn't criticize, threaten with damnation or insist on a declaration of faith. He just says he's researched through all the other testimony and now proposes to lay out an orderly account of what happened. I suspect his audience was more inclined to listen to him than someone shouting, "Turn or burn!" I'm not suggesting you water down your doctrine, just respect people's ability to form their own conclusions uncoerced.

Resist the temptation to answer questions that start with, "Why do..." and include the word "...always...", unless you are really sure they actually want to know something. There's a lot of sucker-bait out there. The most rewarding questions are from people who sincerely seek an explanation about something in your faith and practices. (I think that may have been the sort of thing Yahoo! had in mind when they started this battle of wits.)

If it's about the points, I have no advice. Some of my dumbest responses got "best answer" and some of "my" best were ignored. It all depends on who's out there at the time.

May God grant you a spirit of wisdom.

Answer 3

Hang a minute lemme go read your answers.

Personally I wish you would quote more scripture in your answers to back up your beliefs. I think you are doing well and I would encourage to keep going.
Getting a best answer in the R&S category is hard to do since there are so many conflicting beliefs. Usually people just pick the answer they agree with the most, not the one that is most detailed or has the best argument. If you want to increase your best answer percentage, try answering questions in other categories.
God Bless!

Answer 4

To be honest... some of your answers sound kinda preachy... It's difficult to be brief and quick on this forum... practice speaking logically... many people who are against Christianity are so because of people preaching at them and tell them the truth in non loving ways... try to be a little more practical and down to earth... then just be yourself... we need to be preachy but there is a time and place for it and I feel that this isn't the place...

Hope that helps.

Answer 5

In the answers of yours that I read, I liked how you didn't use scripture. Your answers are easy to understand and are simple. I'm amazed more people don't choice you for best answer.