This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.
How to Beat Internet Trolls
In order to beat Internet trolls, you have to know their strategies.
Below are 17 common games played by trolls to disrupt our power to learn, inform, and organize on the web ...
1. Threaten those who speak out, to try to intimidate them and their readers into silence.
2. Misquote the Bible to pretend that God commands us to be obedient slaves to authority … even if the powers-that-be are downright tyrants.
3. Start a partisan divide-and-conquer fight or otherwise push emotional buttons to sow discord and ensure that cooperation is thwarted. Get people fighting against each other instead of the 3corrupt powers-that-be. Use baseless caricatures to rile everyone up. For example, start a religious war whenever possible using stereotypes like “all Jews are selfish”, “all Christians are crazy” or “all Muslims are terrorists”. Accuse the author of being a gay, pro-abortion limp-wristed wimp or being a fundamentalist pro-war hick when the discussion has nothing to do with abortion, sexuality, religion, war or region. Appeal to people’s basest prejudices and biases. And (as explained by H. Michael Sweeney’s 25 Rules of Disinformation) push the author into a defensive posture:
Sidetrack opponents with name calling and ridicule … Associate opponents with unpopular titles such as “kooks”, “right-wing”, “liberal”, “left-wing”, “terrorists”, “conspiracy buffs”, “radicals”, “militia”, “racists”, “religious fanatics”, “sexual deviates”, and so forth. This makes others shrink from support out of fear of gaining the same label, and you avoid dealing with issues.
(The person trying to smear reputation may not be a random knucklehead … he may, in fact, be a government agent, or a member of the group he’s smearing.)
4. Question motives. Twist or amplify any fact which could so taken to imply that the opponent operates out of a hidden personal agenda or other bias. This avoids discussing issues and forces the accuser on the defensive. Or accuse the author of being a narcissist.
5. Pretend it’s hopeless because we’ll be squashed if we try. For example, every time a whistleblower leaks information, say “he’s going to be bumped off”. If people talk about protesting, organizing, boycotting, shareholder activism, spreading the real facts, moving our money or taking other constructive action, write things to scare and discourage people, say something like “we don’t have any chance because they have drones and they’ll just kill us if we try”, or “Americans are too stupid, lazy and greedy, so they’ll never help out.” Encourage people to be apathetic instead of trying to change things.
6. Demand complete, fool-proof and guaranteed solutions to the problems being discussed. For example, if a reporter breaks the story that the big banks conspired to rig a market, ask “given that people are selfish and that no regulation can close all possible loopholes … how are you going to change human nature?”, and pretend that it’s not worth talking about the details of the market manipulation. This discourages people from reporting on and publicizing the corruption, fraud and other real problems. And it ensures that not enough people will spread the facts so that the majority know what’s really going on.
7. Suggest extreme, over-the-top, counter-productive solutions which will hurt more than help, or which are wholly disproportionate to what is being discussed. For example, if the discussion is whether or not to break up the big banks or to go back on the gold standard, say that everyone over 30 should be killed because they are sell-outs and irredeemable, or that all of the banks should be bombed. This discredits the attempt to spread the facts and to organize, and is simply the web method of the provocateur.
8. Pretend that alternative media – such as blogs written by the top experts in their fields, without any middleman – are untrustworthy or are motivated solely by money (for example, use the derogatory term “blogspam” for any blog posting, pretending that there is no original or insightful reporting, but that the person is simply doing it for ad revenue).
9. Coordinate with a couple of others to “shout down” reasonable comments. This is especially effective when the posters launch an avalanche of comments in quick succession … the original, reasonable comment gets lost or attacked so much that it is largely lost. Use “forum sliding” and “topic dilution” to so dilute and distract the conversation that people forget the original point.
10. Use technology and numbers to gain leverage. You can either hire low-wage workers in India or other developing countries to “astroturf” (see this and this) or – if you work for the government – you can use military personnel or subcontractors to monitor social media and “correct” information which you don’t like (and see this). You can pay students to post pro-government comments online. You can even use software which allows you to quickly create and alternate between numerous false identities, each with their own internet address. Or program software to write the comments itself.
11. Become incredulous and indignant. Avoid discussing key issues and instead focus on side issues which can be used show the topic as being critical of some otherwise sacrosanct group or theme. This is also known as the “How dare you!” gambit.
12. Use a straw man. Find or create a seeming element of your opponent’s argument which you can easily knock down to make yourself look good and the opponent to look bad. Either make up an issue you may safely imply exists based on your interpretation of the opponent/opponent arguments/situation, or select the weakest aspect of the weakest charges. Amplify their significance and destroy them in a way which appears to debunk all the charges, real and fabricated alike, while actually avoiding discussion of the real issues.
13. Associate opponent charges with old news. A derivative of the straw man usually, in any large-scale matter of high visibility, someone will make charges early on which can be or were already easily dealt with. Where it can be foreseen, have your own side raise a straw man issue and have it dealt with early on as part of the initial contingency plans. Subsequent charges, regardless of validity or new ground uncovered, can usually them be associated with the original charge and dismissed as simply being a rehash without need to address current issues — so much the better where the opponent is or was involved with the original source.
14. Censor social media, so that the hardest-hitting information is buried. If you can’t censor it, set up “free speech zones” to push dissent into dank, dark corners where no one will see it.
15. When the powers-that-be cut corners and take criminally reckless gambles with our lives and our livelihoods, protect them by pretending that the inevitable result – nuclear accidents, financial crises, terrorist attacks or other disasters – were “unforeseeable” and that “no could have known”.
16. Protect the rich and powerful by labeling any allegations of criminal activity as being a “conspiracy theory”. After all, it was the CIA itself which created the perjorative term “conspiracy theorist” and gave advice on how to attack people on that basis. For example, when Goldman gets caught rigging markets, label the accusations as mere conspiracies. Throw in the tired out cliches “tinfoil hat” and “live in your mom’s basement.”
17. Hit and Run. In any public forum, make a brief attack of your opponent or the opponent position and then scamper off before an answer can be fielded, or simply ignore any answer. This works extremely well in Internet and letters-to-the-editor environments where a steady stream of new identities can be called upon without having to explain the criticism — simply make an accusation or other attack, never discussing issues, and never answering any subsequent response, for that would dignify the opponent’s viewpoint.
Postscript: Over a number of years, we’ve found that the most effective way to fight disruption and disinformation is to link to a post such as this one which rounds up disruption techniques, and then to cite the disinfo technique you think is being used.
Specifically, we’ve found the following format to be highly effective in educating people in a non-confrontational manner about which game the troll is playing:
Good Number 1!
Or simply:
(include the link so people can see what you’re referring to.)
The reason this is effective is that other readers will learn about the specific disruption tactic being used … in context, like seeing wildlife while holding a wildlife guide, so that one learns what it looks like “in the field”. At the same time, you come across as humorous and light-hearted instead of heavy-handed or overly-intense.
Try it … It works.
- advertisements -


By the way GW that list is good. For some folks it can be very effective. The more it gets spread around the better.
Nice batch o lables ya got goin there. Whatcha planin to do when you get outa high school? Lemme guess. Fema has a job for ya? Sniper school?
It sure seems to me you are talking yourself into something. You know looking for some excuse to justify some shit you planing on.
To the anti-America, islamic-cult & russian gangster-invader defending, propagandists at the GW impostor site:
I am SO SO SO flattered !
Thank You !
Do you support the following American policies?
America and its allies are arming the most violent Islamic terrorists in the Middle East, as part of a really stupid geopolitical strategy to overthrow leaders we don’t like (see section III for more details). And see this, this, this, this and this. And – strangely – we’re overthrowing the moderate Arabs who stabilized the region and denied jihadis a foothold.
Indeed, the French terrorists who just murdered the cartoonists in Paris apparently just returned from waging war against the Syrian government, where they may – directly or indirectly – have obtained U.S. weapons or training.
If we want to stop terrorism, we need to stop supporting the terrorists.
Do you agree? Or do you think that "war is peace", and that supporting terrorists is the way to stop terrorism?
Really ... I want to know.
Call me an old-fashioned American, but I don't believe in supporting Islamic terrorists. PERIOD.
1. America cannot follow a consistent strategy between successive elected regimes because of the fundamental workings of the proletariat democracy cycling between the two monopoly equally worthless political parties, ie democrats & republicans. Therefore at times the USA supports the worst factions and at other times the USA supports the less-than-worst factions. Over time the USA's policies are clearly inconsistent in goals and methods and lacking strategic effectiveness.
2. However, even with the serious limitations caused by #1, the inconsistent non-strategic policy of the USA has over time contributed to the numerous varied islamic cult factions fighting and killing each other, destroying their own infrastructure, AND THIS IS UNAMBIGUOUSLY ABSOLUTELY GOOD, BECAUSE THE ISLAMIC CULT IS UNAMBIGUOUSLY ABSOLUTELY EVIL, INCOMPATIBLE WITH CIVILIZED MODERN SOCIETY IN WHICH PEOPLE HAVE FREEDOM *FROM* PERSECUTION BY PRIMITIVE MYTHOLOGICAL CULT FANATICS AND THE ISLAMIC CULT MUST BE ERADICATED BY ANY AND ALL MEANS. THEREFORE ANY AND ALL KILLING OF ISLAMIC CULT FOLLOWERS IS UNAMBIGUOUSLY ABSOLUTELY GOOD, REGARDLESS OF WHO DOES IT OR WHY *BUT* IT WOULD BE VERY MUCH BETTER TO HAVE A CONSISTENT EFFECTIVE STRATEGY AND TACTICS THAT SPAN ELECTIONS IN THE USA FOR ERADICATING THE ISLAMIC CULT.
3. If I were responsible for the strategy and tactics of eradicating the islamic cult, I would get agents embedded in all the factions, arm all the factions enough for them to be able to engage in continuous local destructive combat, and through agents and clandestine activities, eg bombing each faction's home areas and making the bombings appear to have been committed by a competing faction, keep them engaged in hating and killing each other and destroying their infrastructure so that they always live in chaos, conflict, ruins and poverty.
I appreciate your forthright answer ... but I totally disagree with you, sir.
Here's why ...
So while your fantasy is to have all of the Muslims kill each other off, what's REALLY resulting is that we're creating terrorist madman who are attacking the U.S. and American interests!!!
In other words, without judging or even weighing in for the moment as to whether your idea of having all of the Muslims kill each other is a good one or not, the REAL WORLD outcome of this attempt is have arm crazies who have said they want to kill US!
The islamic cult's core ideology is conquest, forced conversion to the cult or death, and subjugation to the cult's numerous absurd unacceptable dogma's, eg sharia law.
The islamic cult is pursuing this agenda of creating a global caliphate, regardless of what the USA does or does not do. Of course the islamic cultists will attack those who attack them more than they attack those who do not attack them.
9/11 happened in the USA because the USA allows the islamic cultists to enter and live in the USA as though they were safe and civilized humans instead of dangerous primitive savages. The USA and all other non-islamic cult societies should declare the islamic cult and cult followers/practitioners the same kind of danger as any deadly infections disease, eg smallpox, ebola, etc, AND they should be hunted down and eradicated from all non-islamic societies/countries, there should be reward for the head of any islamic cult worshiper, they should be banned from all international travel,etc, THEN there would not have been a 9/11 attack in the USA, OR any of the other attacks in Australia, Canada, Europe, etc where the islamic cultists are treated like real humans and allowed to live and operate freely.
The broader global strategy should be to eradicate the islamic cultists from all lands that have resources that the civilized humans need, eg Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, etc, repopulate those lands with civilized humans, and share those resources among the civilized humans.
Then incrementally eradicate the islamic cultists from all other lands and repopulate those lands with civilized humans. Eradication teams should be on patrol in communities and schools, questioning children to find out if they have any knowledge of the islamic cult doctrine and practices, and if so, then kill the entire extended family. And let communities know that if 3 instances of islamic cult worship are found in the community, then the entire community will be terminated. In this way people will be terrified of being associated with the islamic cult and there will be an active grassroots vigilance against the emergence of any islamic cult worship in all communities.
I am talking about a policy, strategy, and tactics for ERADICATION of the islamic cult, not the current stupid impossible-to-be-effective western policy of trying to stop only the active islamic militants, who can be clearly identified only AFTER they have committed attacks, and trying to support the "moderates", whch do not exist. All islamic cult worshipers are carriers of the deadly disease, and even if they are not manifesting the violent form at the moment, they pass the deadly ideology on to their offspring, many of whom DO manifest the violent stage of the disease, eg the Boston Marathon bombers. The only real solution is to eradicate the islamic cult globally, the same way that we would eradicate polio, smallpox, etc.
oy vey, if you think islam is bad you should look at the jews! take a look at the talmud. it's like annudah shoah!
Sir, again, I appreciate your straightforward expression of your beliefs. However - according to Christian psychiatrist M. Scott Peck - your views are very immature and uninformed. You may not understand until you are much older ...
God bless you, sir. (Whether you live in the U.S. or Israel or somewhere else)
I am not a christian or a jew.
I live in multiple countries.
What I proposed HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE VERY EFFECTIVELY, ie when the mostly European invaders of the North American continent exterminated the natives rather than coexisting with them, including bounties on their heads/scalps, killing off the women and children, destroying the communities, etc.
It can be done again, and if the islamic cult worshipers continue their slaughter and terror campaign in non-islamic societies/countries, then eventually the level of anger, hatred, and lust for retribution will bring many more people to my proposal.
It is INEVITABLE that eventually the islamic cult worshipers will detonate dirty bombs containing radioactive materals and nuclear fission bombs in non-islamic societies/countries - then there will be HUGE change in public sentiment and my proposal will become very popular.
Prober,
Here's where I'm coming from. I'm an American ... born here, lived here my whole life. (I'm also Judeo-Christian in both background and worship ... but since you're neither Jewish or Christian, that's irrelevant.)
My #1 concern is what is best for the national security and prosperity of the USA (yes, I'm US-centric).
Top national security experts from both the left and the right say that the "war on terror" and arming Sunni Muslims INCREASES TERRORISM.
Top economic and financial experts say that war is TERRIBLE for our economy.
I'm listening to the experts.
I am VERY happy to read that you are an American and that America's welfare is your priority. If so, then we have that in common.
But remain aware of the following:
1. the islamic-cult worshipers reproduce at a far higher rate than the G20, they will easily outnumber us and continue to out produce us in combatants
2. the islamic-cult worshipers are eager to die in the killing and destruction that they are relentless in causing, which means that they cannot be deterred and which results in huge permanent expenses and losses of privacy, liberty, and rights in our societies/countries - which you have been rightly highlighting and complaining about
3. the islamic-cult worshipers will NEVER relent in their quest to conquer, subjugate and convert the entire human population to their cult, and they will employ any and all means to accomplish their goal, including terror shootings & bombings, chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, generation, after generation, after generation,...
Therefore, similar to the colonial Americans and the native Americans, who were incompatible cultures that could not peacefully share the same land, so too the islamic-cult worshipers and the non-islamic-cult worshipers are incompatible cultures that can not peacefully share the same planet - it is simply a matter of a simple survival struggle, them vs us.
The falacy and delusion of your experts is that they believe that we can coexist peacefully with the islamic-cult worshipers = ABSOLUTELY WRONG ASSUMPTION AND THEREFORE ABSOLUTELY WRONG POLICY, STRATEGY AND TACTICS. You want proof of my assertion ? Then just go to ISIL, Al-Shabaab, etc and ask them if they want to coexist peacefully with you OR if they want to force you to either submit to their ideology and control or be beheaded. What do you think the policy of THESE EXPERTS is ???
If your survival instinct is intact and properly functioning, as mine is, then the only rational conclusion is that the global policy MUST be that islamic-cult worshipers MUST be eradicated, and then the strategy and tactics must support that goal.
Good discussion, I am glad we had it. Based upon what you wrote, now I understand and respect you, so I won't challenge you anymore.
..."In this gospel, and this is also the case in the Gospel of Luke, the Kingdom of God is not an event that's going to be catastrophically shattering the world as we know it and ushering in a new millennium. Here, as in Luke 17:20, the Kingdom of God is said to be an interior state; "It's within you," Luke says. And here it says, "It's inside you but it's also outside of you." It's like a state of consciousness. It's hard to describe. But the Kingdom of God here is something that you can enter when you attain gnosis, which means knowledge. But it doesn't mean intellectual knowledge. The Greeks had two words for knowledge. One is intellectual knowledge, like the knowledge of physics or something like that. But this gnosis is personal, like "I know that person, or do you know so and so." So this gnosis is self-knowledge; you could call it insight. It's a question of knowing who you really are, not at the ordinary level of your name and your social class or your position. But knowing yourself at a deep level. The secret of gnosis is that when you know yourself at that level you will also come to know God, because you will discover that the divine is within you.
...
Now, [in the Gospel of Thomas], this Jesus comes to reveal that you and he are, if you like, are twins.... And what you discover as you read the Gospel of Thomas, which you're meant to discover, is that you and Jesus at a deep level are identical twins. And that you discover that you are the child of God just as he is. And so that at the end of the gospel Jesus speaks to Thomas and says, "Whoever drinks from my mouth will become as I am, and I will become that person, and the mysteries will be revealed to him." Here, Jesus does not take the role of authority and teacher. In the Gospel of Thomas, the disciples say to Jesus, "Tell us, what do you want us to do? How shall we pray? What shall we eat? How shall we fast?" Now if you look at Matthew and Luke, Jesus answers the questions. He says, "When you pray, say, 'Our Father who are in Heaven, hallowed be...' When you fast, wash your face, don't make a show of it. When you give alms do it privately and without being showy." In this gospel, this Jesus does not answer. He says, "Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate, for everything is known before heaven." Now this answer throws you and me upon ourselves.... Here Jesus, in effect, turns one toward oneself, and that is really one of the themes of the Gospel of Thomas, that you must go in a sort of a spiritual quest of your own to discover who you are, and to discover really that you are the child of God just like Jesus." ...
.
let the dead bury the dead,
i heard it here too.
.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/thomas.html
Guns,gays and God. Are just chain yanking tactics. Stay on topic.
For those who believe our American government is NOT treasonously corrupt, I offer you www.goldrenjackass.com Go to the nonmembers' area. Jim Willie is a smart guy and he may be able to open your eyes. Another smart guy is PCR at www.paulcraigroberts.org
Best troll I have seen is share a facebook link that is anti GMO and watch Monsanto buy 3 relevant links to aide you in your commenting.... Wowser, try it and see for yourself.
Bibi’s Iran shocker: How he accidentally revealed his desire for more war...
Netanyahu has long claimed he doesn't want the U.S. to go to war with Iran. But this weekend, he let the truth slip
http://www.salon.com/2015/04/06/bibis_iran_shocker_how_he_accidentally_r...
Fuck Likud Israel
And fuck its online army of trolls.
When last I looked "trolls" don't Try to challenge the author to prove the veracity of his evidence and conclusions now do they?
Let's have the Tyler's set up a special forum post and let's settle this once and for all. Shouldn't be to hard to argue your evidence outside your own website should it?
Come on Tyler's lets do this! If I'm just some troll meant to disrupt and spread disinformation than show me up!
Because I thought "trolls" were just bots.
In reply to Shitgum: You are the one that comes off like a screaming bitch and a cowardly bastard. Ha. Ha. Ha.
You can get away with it on the internet but If you walked up to someone and started your screaming bitch fit, someone would probably bitch slap you. Ha. Ha. Ha.
ANY TIME, ANY TIME YOU WANT TO GO TOE TO TOE GEORGE ON FACTS ILL BE HERE WAITING. IM CALLING YOU OUT GEORGE TO EXPLAIN YOUR BULLSHIT.
I SAID THROW DOWN BOY! OR ARE YOU JUST GONNA STAND THERE AND BLEED?
I THOUGHT SO!
LOOK AROUND MY ZH FRIENDS AND NOTICE THIS PLACE HAS BEEN CATURED.
HEDGE ACCORDINGLY!!!
all caps, eh?
Ever consider that you might be a shithead?
Still waiting for the obit.
Ever heard of large print for seniors? Complaining about all caps? You're too sensitive. Besides I liked the lines from Tombstone, one of the all time great movies.
I could not have a bigger smile on my face for the fact GW has to run the same crap article twice in a row. Could it be any clearer that this what ever it is, is a fraud and a gutless coward.
When I saw this this morning I could not help myself to laugh so hard that it looked like this.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wdYPxFMhEkE
CHECK MATE YOU GUTLESS COWARD!!!
Dear Sir,
I do not make any decisions about which posts make it to the front page, when they are posted on the front page, how long they remain on the front page, or whether they are put back on the front page.
I'm not much of a chess player, but at least I know the basic rules.
Dear Sir,
Your article was reposted and you are re-responding as Though this hasn't been discussed to death.
Never seen the Tyler's repost a story a couple of days after they've already exhausted the narrative. Updates yes but not a full repost of the same thing.
Just admit it and come clean. Confession is good for the soul, seeings how you are such a biblical scholar to boot.
A perfect #13. Golf clap.
Wait a minute. Trolls, being declared persons by the Supreme Court, have inalienable rights under the Constitution also, and rights to EBT cards, free education, subsidized or free housing, full retirement benefits and driver's licenses even though they have never been in this country.
Only bigots and haters speak against trolls. I fully expect the Justice Department to look into this article and make a determination if this constitutes hate speech and incitement to riot. And, if guilt is determined by a jury of trolls, at least the author should be required to watch "non-troll privilege" videos, if not also serve time and have asset seizure of most of his stuff. He would be allowed to keep the videos though.
You forget that trolls are people too. Maybe more so than others.
Since trolls, almost by definition, are illegal aliens, I think you misunderestmate the extent to which trolls are superior in all respects to slaves, er, taxpayers.
How to beat ignorant retards?
I give up. "Close sesame" as Bugs Bunny famously said.
Yes George, we understand.
Everyone who knows you are a parasite, hypocrite, statist fraud is a troll. Why not?
What was that about name calling again?
Government is evil, especially this government.
The main reason trolls are a problem is that site administrators do not control them.
The methods given are those of liberal fascists in general, not just internet trolls.
Oh, I think I get it. Those of who respect our government, support Israel and President Obama, support gun control, and support outlawing hate speech are now called trolls. The only trolls here are those who like to bad mouth progress like you sickening NAZI bastards. Face it, you're a fringe element and you're never going to win. EVER.
why would any decent person support the notion of using American blood and treasure to support a racist, colonialist, warmongering, expansionist, nuclear rogue state?
Seriously - leaving aside absurd myths, that is?
http://www.salon.com/2015/04/06/bibis_iran_shocker_how_he_accidentally_r...
CompassionateCo- you just successfully followed the above propaganda techniques to a tee. Thank you for pointing out who and what you are.
Thanks for playing!!!
This is so meta.
If you do not understand financial and political realities, what are you doing here?
By George, we flushed one out.
Wrong site. You are supposed to cut and paste that at Free Republic or Politico.
God of the Bible does tell us to submit to government, for all governments are in submission to Him. He also tells us that the extent to which we submit is to the extent that it does not violate his word. He is the ultimate authority and one can take comfort in knowing this if they know Him, as I do.
--------------
God also tells us who the enemy of men are. There is nothing left out in the bible as a guide for MORAL living that is important to make our individual paths straight in His sight, which is part what we will be judged by. We will ultimately be judged by what we do or do not do with the knowledge of the Son of God, Jesus.
------------
The Bible does say we are either SLAVES to Christ or Slaves to self, world and devil; just look at the definition. Then look at FREEDOM and ask who is has it? The answer is quite evident; freedom is a grand delusion and we are indeed slaves; most to self, world and Satan. Bring on the thumbs down as your testimony of your own guilt before a Holy, Just and Good God, for it is not me you disagree with, but the LORD who created you. Sin is not a created thing; it is what man does by nature.
-----
Just remember this if nothing else; those who attempt to discern the things of God's word, such as Mr. Washington, and are not of the family of God will always get it wrong and thus unreliable, but the true Christian has the mind of Christ and can be trusted. Also remember that most of what is called Christian today and throughout history is in direct conflict with the word of God and thus God and is to be rejected.
You seriously pick and choose your verses.
I choose to believe God and His Son's actual WORDS.
Paul (Saul) of Tarsus, enlisted by none other than the Risen Living Christ, says, "...7:4, "Wherefore, my brethren, ye are also become dead to the law by the body of Christ"
Over and over and over and over Jesus says to QUIT judging, QUIT ruling and throw of the FALSE cloaks of Kings and a man's dominion over other men.
GOD says much the same to Samual, centuries earlier.
The bulk of the good book is not good, nor true, it is the word of MEN that wanted to retain power and control and were greedy and sadists to boot. All WITH the approval of OUR God.
People like you, while well intentioned, are the ones that REFUSE to listen to his ACTUAL words.
Jesus says there are NO kingdoms and rulers in Heaven. He then tells us that forgiveness, not judgement, love, not hate, cooperation and family, not rulers and cities, are the way to bring our Heaven, and our God, to this earth.
Two thousand and some odd years later, still not hearing him. Still trusting that some men are more equal than others, more "holy," more "right" in their death and destruction.
My spirit cries and prays for you. Good luck on your journey of hatred and Statism. History shows it always ends well. Well, for the rulers that win. For the people, and the other rulers, not so much.
Those that have ears let them hear.
Another with the "god" of his/her imagination; you reveal you have no fixed point of reference. Did God promise to preserve His word or not? If you believe that, then you cannot believe what you wrote. If you do not believe that He preserved His word, then you prove you have great imagination.
The God that I know does not want me to serve corrupt government. Anyone who pays attention, knows we are living in a Culture of Corruption.
The "god" of people's imagination/invention is far removed from the true God of Scripture who is Christ and that other "god" is the "god" of this world and his name is Satan. You serve or are enslaved by one or the other...believe it or not, makes all the difference and no difference.
The Bible asks us to CHALLENGE - not obey - tyranny:
Resistance to Tyranny is Obedience to God
G.W. - I believe you are one of the best writers on ZH and find your writings informative. On the other hand, as a Christian, nothing angers me more than when one takes what my LORD meant by what He has said and "get it wrong". The article you refer to is so full of "biblical holes"; one would not even know where to begin.
--------
Why is it so easy to pick on Christians, I'm speaking of the world as a whole compared to picking on Islam as a simple analogy? One is an easy target because it is subject to the law of forgiveness and love and the other on hate and fear.
---------
As God has plainly said; do not fear men who can kill the body, but fear Him who can kill the body and the soul.
----------------
May the Lord bless you and do not stand in the path of the wicked; they always self-destruct and in the end will be rightly judged...no worries.
Crocodile- now do you see what I mean about GW? His conclusions are so full of holes but you believe his other views regarding his political "information".
This guy is chalked full of holes and I hope you take The time to confirm his links outside of his blog and you'll see that his political conclusions are as
Full of holes as his biblical knowledge.
Sincerely,
A True Patriot.
Crocodile. Thanks for your words.
My belief is that when Jesus turned over the tables of the money-changers in the temple, he was disobeying the authority of the day. Jesus kicked butt ... he was not an effiminite wimp.
My belief is that Scripture demands that we do justice and to stand up to ANYONE — including the rich or powerful — who do injustice or oppress the people.