Arguing till I am blue in the face…

About fifteen years ago, I started using bulletin board services online. These were pre-world wide web servers that ran out of people\’s homes. You would dial up the BBS on your 1200 baud modem and connect to a text-only based site. These sites would provide forums for discussion, information for reading and programs for downloading. Some of the more progressive boards had games you could play online, text only of course.

Way back then, I remember getting into debates with people online in topics of religion and politics. I recall the great frustration in trying to communicate truth and debunk lies in a forum that is just not conducive to discussion. I can\’t tell you how many times I got in a debate with some misinformed person who was certain that the phrase \”separation of church and state\” appeared in the U.S. Constitution. I encountered a great deal of hostility from atheists and non-Believers of all kinds as I attempted to enter into a logical exploration of faith, science, the Founding Fathers and the Holy Bible. On a BBS, it was too easy to rabbit trail from one discussion to another, thereby making it far too difficult to make a point that would stick.

Little has changed since then. People are still stubborn, arrogant, ignorant and rude. Today we have the world wide web, which has opened up countless more opportunities for everyone under the sun to spout their opinion on any number of topics. The Internet is all about the free flow of information, but as can be witnessed by the number of people who are supporting John Kerry in this Presidential election, information may be available, but many choose not to acknowledge it.

Since 1999, I have run a site called Dealofday.com. It is an online shopping site that tells people where they can find coupons and bargains for purchases made online.

The site includes a forums section where members can discuss deals they find, freebies they have received and coupons to be clipped, along with discussions of their families, their jobs and whatever else is on their minds. It truly is a community of people who have grown to know each other and care for each other.

Our General Chit Chat board occasionally became filled with religious and political discussion, which some members wanted nothing to do with. Therefore, I started a Religion and Politics forum where these topics could be addressed in a civil manner.

Well, sometimes it is civil and sometimes it gets nasty. But interestingly enough, I have yet to see anyone change their mind based on what is discussed in these forums. Bush diehards and Kerry diehards remain as they were in spite of news or information that might sway the mind. Christians and non-Christians often find themselves at odds. One group says the Bible is true and another says \”how dare you tell me how to live my life\”. It\’s typical stuff that goes on in every segment of society. We are merely a microcosm of American culture.

Today, I was viewing the boards and I ran across a post from one of our more liberal members. The topic? How religion needs to stay out of government because of the separation of church and state.

No amount of discussion or facts would convince this person that they have no clue where this phrase originated or how it applies to the U.S. government.

And so, I have pulled away from my own boards. I don\’t think I can enter into one more discussion with a token liberal who repeats the mantra \”Bush lied about WMD\”, in spite of the overwhelming evidence that the whole world thought Saddam had WMDs.

Wide is the road that leads to destruction. Narrow is the path to life, and few find it. There is nothing new under the sun.