Community (UPDATED)

Mike, our go to Religious Leftist, posts on the importance of community:

Each community needs to be in contact with others. They stimulate and encourage, give support, call forth and affirm each other…. A community that isolates itself will wither and die; a community in communion with others will receive and give life.
(Jean Vanier, Community and Growth, via Inward/Outward)

To which I replied:

Ah but Mike... how much do you need me?

Seriously?

It's a rubber meets the road question given Mike's propensity to delete anything, including the most innocuous of items, I say over at his place.

So is he serious?  Or is this more jibber-jabber to meet the Leftist expectation, to talk the talk but fail the walk?

Let's see if my comment disappears and I think, in part, we'll have an answer.

UPDATE: It's gone.  Took about 2 minutes.  An abject lesson.

Comments

[Locutisprime]

So why bother.....

[Mommynator]

I agree with Locutisprime. Why bother? His mind is cast in diamond. Only God can break it out.

[Rick]

Great question... and I'm not sure I can answer it adequately...

The Religious Left claim to know with certainty that the Religious Right are hypocrites, intolerant, bigoted, etc...

And there are those amongst my brethren on the right...

But clearly, the Left live in glass houses... and I think it righteous to call them out on it...

Mike's idea of community, despite all the talk that would suggest otherwise, is about hanging with like-minded people. Period. And that, in my experience, is a microcosm of what takes place more broadly amongst Christian Progressives... this all while they wag their fingers at the rest of us about how more tolerant they are, more loving, more compassionate, etc...

It's all a crock...

It needs to be called out.

[tim aka The Godless Heathen]

I love it – “A community that isolates itself will wither and die”, then he deletes Rick’s comment. Can there be a more telling example of the Left’s empty rhetoric?

Though I doubt Mike can see his hypocrisy, I say more power to ya’ Rick, call him out.

I think ignoring the Left has/is part of our problem on the Right, we need to engage them more. Too often we just give up, throw our hand sup in the air and think ‘Why bother’ but we, myself included, need to present our side more often. As maddening as it can be, how else do we expect our message to get across?

[chuck aka xtnyoda]

It's kind of like doing "force recon" work... you know... behind the enemy lines... in their camp...

tedious dirty work... not for everyone...

[Mike]

I'll break my silence here Rick, and you can delete.

There are 6 billion people on the planet, and I know for a fact that a lot of them disagree with a lot of what I say. And some of those who disagree leave comments from time to time, which I am grateful for.

However, you are the only person on the planet banned from my blog. You're not banned for your positions, you're banned, as I have told you over and over again, for your behaviour.

That's all.

[Leslie]

Delete it? That deserves a post of its own!

The love of community that has popped up as fashionable lately contorts "love thy neighbour" into something that reduces the need for God. We are the ones we've been waiting for.

Every good idea can be contorted into an idolatrous one.

[Anya]

Now I'm curious, what behaviour is he talking about. Did you insult his mother in law or something?

[Leslie]

Delete it? That deserves a post of its own! Too bad you're not a homeless heroine addict, Rick, you could probably say whatever you want then.

I find that the current Christian tendency to elevate the importance of community pushes "love thy neighbour" to something that reduces the need for God. To love community is to be exclusionary because sooner or later something will threaten the group. It automatically creates outsiders.

To go about life as an individual loving all mankind regardless of community...that liberates us to love as God works through us.

[Leslie]

Sorry about the double post, Rick. The first one didn't show up right away.

[Rick]

Anya... you ask the relevant question... the one I can't get Mike to answer with any specificity... and I'm left with one and only one conclusion...

I'm banned from his place because I disagree vehemently with his hypocrisy... and I'm in his face about it...

But hey... to be the only guy on the planet to be banned from Mike's blog... that's something eh?

The behavior for which I've been banned must be something else... and what's funny is that I've been on this blog for... hell... a long time... and my behavior here is consistent with my behavior there...

Given that... what's my crime?

It's pretty simple...

And this post proves it... because this post is exactly the kind of crime I've committed at Mike's...

Some crime eh?

I believe Mike has made an allegation Mike should now substantiate... but that's not gonna happen...

Too bad...

In some ways it's kind of funny because I see some of what Mike doing to be virtuous...

And in that respect, I welcome Mike here to my little "community"...

And Mike... your comment stays... I don't delete that which might be conforntational... I use them to engage...

Don't run Mike... let's be a community and learn from each other...

You can start by substantiating my crimes and letting those here know in what way I've been so horrible...

I'm not going anywhere Mike... I'm right here... have been here for a very long time... I'm no troll...

Engage... for once, put your money where your mouth is...

[Mommynator]

Yeah, I'd like to know exactly what you're guilty of, Rick. Things can get a little rough here, but the name of this blog says it all, doesn't it?

Love doesn't just mean squishy wishy washy kumbaya. It means knowing what is right and doing it and saying it.

Unfortunately, for people like Mike, that standing up for right is not something they like - it's too definite.

Okay, Mike - what's it gonna be?

[Rick]

Mommynator... it's gonna be silence...

That's the modus operandi...

[Morgan K Freeberg]

Back in the olden days "community" really was a strengthening agent. Back then, people were in it for good. If the community died, everyone in it died. If the community didn't eat well, nobody ate well. If anyone was shut out of the community it was certain, miserable death.

Nowadays the term has all these "fair weather" friends. They want to live in a community in which they say how it is, and everyone else copes. If ever it is to run the other way, they make bluffing noises about leaving. These are the Alec Baldwin types.

If Mollusk Mike could be pinned down on a thing or two, which of course he can't, I'm sure that's where we'd find out he's coming from. He's wanting the power of a King, in fact, of a Sultan, with none of the responsibility that goes with it. The power-sans-responsibility that comes from living in a community...half of the time.

[tim aka The Godless Heathen]

Let me see if I have this all correct –

Mike has a blog, he deletes Rick’s comments because he doesn’t like what Rick has to say then bans Rick.

Mike then goes to Rick’s blog, makes comment then runs away when confronted.

So Rick is to Mike like Fox News is to Obama. Fair & Balanced versus childish amateur in way over his head.

[Mommynator]

I think you nailed it, tim.

[Frank]

Mike I take a lot of heat because I'm not hardcore right material but buddy you gotta stick around. I actually stay on this site because of the backlash.

What would I stand to learn finding a site where I can just circle jerk with like minded people? In the process of debate you get things shoved in your face and you become well educated on the matter, you have to in order to argue your stance.

The big secret: a few people have changed my mind here and there.

[Mommynator]

Good, Frank. I think you've already found that this site houses a community of very different individuals who, for the most part, respect each other and each other's opinions and can have a grownup discussion - even argument - when necessary.

I've learned a lot here and other places like this. I've changed my mind on a few things, but have only been strengthened in other things.

It's a good thing.

[Frank]

It's a great thing. And I need something to do at work, lol.

[Instinct]

Well, in the interest of shining some light on things I went ahead and posted the question on Mike's blog asking what your behavior was that was so bad you were banned.

I figure I'll get an answer about the same time that Obama gives us the open and transparent government he campaigned on.