Baiting questions, don't they do more harm than good?

Question

I see a number of questions that are bait questions.
That is questions that have an accusation in them.
Fundamentalist do it regarding Catholicism. Catholics do it re Fundamentalisms. Chrisitians do it Muslims. Muslims do it to Christians. Believers do it to non believers. Non Believers do it to Believers.
I believe this adds to the hostility we sometimes see. Questions can be asked without making an accusation. It seems if a person is not sure about their question they can indicate they might have the wrong impression and they do not want to offend.

Answer 1

I think that questions posed more as an insult to a belief system rather than as an honest desire to know the answer is not worthy of an answer. As a Christian, it is a command from my Father in heaven that I not give bad for bad but instead ignore those that taunt me and be a peacemaker between all men. However, occasionally even those of us who do our best to follow the example of Christ get frustrated enough to allow ourselves the luxury of letting off steam. It is not right...but it happens.

And yes, it does more harm than it does good. The person who asks the question gets their jollies out of it...and the person who succumbs to temptation and answers in kind feels a sense of guilt because we have disobeyed the example of Christ.

Answer 2

Just because we don't write that we are not trying to offend doesn't mean we are trying to offend. Perhaps we need to look at questions as they are and realize that most who write them are not trying to offend. Let's not give the ones who are writing question to offend the satisfaction of believing they did their job. Answer with the best intentions no matter what the intentions of the writer were.

Answer 3

I suspect that most of the people getting all frothy about one side of the issue or the other aren't actually very religious at all. If you are a person of faith, you don't have to get wierd about it or shove it down someone else's throat. I think it's the insecure ones with shaky faith who need to yell the loudest.

Answer 4

Persistence is the hobgoblin of small minds. They'll keep doing it because every time they get a rise they get a thrill. Learn to ignore them when you can. That's the one thing that makes them suffer. Personal attacks are their forte. They're energy vampires who bait and feed.Good luck.

Answer 5

I agree,but I think atheists and pagans are the worst by far. Half the time people are just reacting,too. Sometimes baiting works.

Answer 6

No question is offensive unless the answer is not what someone wishes to hear.

Answer 7

whats wrong with offending people?
there are people dropping bombs on people in iraq
and your worried about offending someone?
who knows what is going to offend someone?
if i offend someone
thats their problem not mine

Answer 8

Shirley; That's nice, but you're wasting your time.

Answer 9

In many cases you are correct.

Answer 10

its called entertainment