Are you a follower of Jesus?
Do you like to leave comments on other people’s blogs?
Let me provide a few suggestions on how to leave good comments on other people’s blogs:
- Be Loving. If you can’t say it with love, don’t say it at all. If you want to condemn someone to hell, don’t leave a comment. If you have the urge to yell at someone, don’t leave a comment. If you leave a comment which you think is loving, and people suggest your comment wasn’t loving, you may want to rethink how you interact with people online.
- Be willing to learn. You don’t know it all. Seriously. Recognize that no matter how smart you are, there are other smart people in the world too who view things differently. If there are others who view things differently, maybe you can learn from what they have to say. At the bare minimum, seek to understand their position before you disagree.
- Use proper grammar and paragraph breaks. It looks terribly uneducated when your comment is full of grammar and spelling mistakes, and consists of 500 words of run-on sentences without any paragraph breaks. We all make a few spelling and grammar mistakes. I make one or two in every single blog post. But if you want people to read what you write, you need to make the attempt to write in a way that helps people read.
- DON’T USE ALL CAPS AND LOTS OF EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!!!!!!!! In the online world, that comes across as screaming and yelling. Is that really how you want to be perceived?
- Please, no name-calling. If there is one thing we all should have learned way back in Kindergarten, it is that name-calling never helps any situation. So no matter how much you disagree with someone, you don’t need to resort to calling them a heretic, a false teacher, a reprobate, or other such names. It just doesn’t help.
The reason I am writing about this is because I have recently decided to start banning people who comment on my blog who are unloving and hateful. I might issue a warning or two, but after that…
An Example of a Bad Comment
I don’t mind if people disagree with me. I welcome it. But if you are going to disagree, do so with the five suggestions above.
Below is one example of a person who has been leaving bad comments and who got banned.
I normally wouldn’t post this sort of thing, but I want to show you what I am talking about, and besides, he clearly says at the bottom of his comment that I could post this….
* * * * *
JEREMY I AM SPEAKING TO YOU AND ANYONE THAT BELIEVES YOUR PATHETIC VERSION OF GRACE… WHICH I CALL CHEAP GRACE!! I HAVE BEEN WATCHING THESE PEOPLE POST THINGS ON YOUR COMMENTS PAGE AND YOU ARE LEADING THEM ASTRAY!!! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF… GOD WILL JUDGE YOU FOR YOUR WRONG YOU HAVE DONE TO OTHERS! YOU BETTER BELIEVE THAT!!! YOU GIVE COMMENTARY ON GRACE AND BELIEVING AND EVEN A LITTLE SCRIPTURE EVERY NOW AND THEN ON THE TWO, BUT ANYTIME SOMEONE TALKS ABOUT FAITH WITHOUT WORKS YOU RUN FROM THE TOPIC AND EVEN HAVE THE ARROGANCE TO IGNORE THE PLAIN AS DAY WORD OF GOD THE SUPPORTS THINGS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH BELIEVING IN GOD!!! THIS SCRIPTURE HAS YOUR NAME ON IT MY MAN:20But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? YOU IN THIS CASE IS THE FOOLISH FELLOW THAT GOD IS TALKING TO… SO I WILL ASK YOU THE SAME THING THAT JAMES ASKED… ARE… YOU… WILLING… TO… RECOGNIZE… OR…NOT?! YOU SAY FAITH ALONE AND NOT FAITH WITH WORKS, WELL IF THAT’S WHAT YOU BELIEVE AND LIVE THEN I WILL ASK YOU THIS… WHAT KIND OF FAITH DO YOU HAVE; DEAD FAITH(NO WORKS) OR TRUE SAVING FAITH(ACCOMPANIED WITH WORKS)?!?! HERE IS ANOTHER ONE; 2“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. OK SEE HERE… IF YOUR RIGHT AND I DON’T NEED TO BEAR FRUIT TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE THEN YOUR SAYING THAT I DON’T HAVE TO ABIDE IN CHRIST… BECAUSE, IF I DON’T BEAR FRUIT THEN GOD SAYS HE…….. WILL……… TAKE……… ME………. AWAY!!!!! HOW CAN THAT BE SO HARD TO GRASP FOR YOU?!?! ANOTHER FALSE TEACHING THAT I SAW COME FROM YOU… SIN(PAST,PRESENT,FUTURE)!!!!!!! I MEAN HELLO… THAT IS TOTALLY AGAINST SCRIPTURE… ARE YOU BLIND?? LET ME HELP YOU TO SOME SCRIPTURE; 8he that doeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. To this end was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9Whosoever is begotten of God doeth no sin, because his seed abideth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is begotten of God. 10In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. HERE IS ANOTHER FOR YOU !!!!!!!!!!FALSE TEACHER!!!!!!!!!! 18We know that whosoever is begotten of God sinneth not; for he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and the evil one toucheth him not. NOW, DO YOU NEED ME TO TEACH YOU WHAT THE SCRIPTURE MEANS OR WILL YOU JUST DISMISS THIS AS YOU DO EVERYTHING ELSE THAT DOES NOT FIT YOUR BLIND VIEW?! I… IN NO WAY TURN A BLIND EYE TO SCRIPTURE THAT’S FROM GOD JUST SO MY OPINION WILL BE THIS OR THAT!! IF… THE… BIBLE… SAYS, 24You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 17Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.OK, GOD… SAYS THAT FAITH ALONE(WHICH IS WHAT YOU TEACH) IS DEAD,USELESS,VOID,PATHETIC IN THE EYES OF THE LORD!!!HOW ABOUT THIS NOW…12“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. WOW, HE WILL DO… GREATER THAN JESUS’…WORKS!!!NOW, LET US MOVE ON TO THE NEXT TOPICS THAT FALSE TEACHERS HATE TO TALK ABOUT!!! MY PERSONAL FAVORITES…
#1 WHAT DOES (GOD) CALL LOVE?
#2 IS THERE A HOLINESS NEEDED?
#3 ARE WE TO DO RIGHTOUSNESS?
#4 WHAT IF WE DON’T FORGIVE MEN?
YOU CAN POST THIS IF YOU LIKE… GOD SAYS TO EXPOSE FALSE TEACHERS!!!
Jeremy, right on!
I would remind your ranting detractor that Jesus only had harsh words for the Pharisees and those who should have known better. The Pharisees accused Jesus of having cheap grace because he loved and accepted “sinners.”
I am so tired of judgmental “Christians” that fail to live in the love of Jesus. His love was scandalous in that he allowed a former prostitute to wash his feet. He dined with tax collectors. He hung out with fishermen. He used shepherds to announce his birth. He touched lepers. Jesus did all sorts of things that would not be accepted in many churches today.
I am grateful for the grace of God that was so costly to him but cost me nothing. I cannot earn any standing in the Kingdom of God. I can only be obedient to Him. That obedience requires me to love in a way that seems scandalous to the modern day Pharisees.
Don’t let the Pharisees get you down.
Well put Mark!
Good point about the Pharisees and Jesus.
I think more and more followers of Jesus are starting to learn about the true love and forgiveness of Jesus.
thank you..much needed personally
Jeremy, I must say you have been an actual godsend.
I have been following your writings for awhile now and the majority has been encouraging and challenging.
Recently, I’m in the process of reading your e-book, ‘Skeleton Church’. It is great and recommend it to everyone!
Keep on keepin’ on for Christ!
Thanks, David. I hope that ebook is the first of many more to come. I am nearly done with my next ebook on the Unpardonable Sin. I wanted to have it out by now, but these things never go according to schedule….
You must be doing something right.
Bullet! My good buddy! How have you been?
I…. LOVE…. YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!
(ooops! Dang it, I’m gonna get banned… for mocking everyone. I’m pretty sure there are some good Proverbs for “mockers”, etc.)
Hey, that dude was as sharp a theologian as Bonhoeffer… using the old “cheap grace” term and all, eh?
Well, sarcastic humor isn’t prob. a good commenting practise either… so I’ll just read and learn more… hopefully.
Peace to all, in the grace and faith of our Lord Jesus, the Christ.
-M.
😉
Hey! I don’t remember giving you permission to post a picture of me diligently working at my keyboard.
Seriously, I occasionally look at a couple of blogs that would not classify as Christian, but tend to attract “Christian commenters”. They break all five of your rules, and definitely make an impression on those who read the comments. Not a good, loving, Christlike impression, but a memorable impression nevertheless.
Sam,
I doubt you have ever said or done a mean thing in your life! Ha!
Thanks Jeremy,
I think these are great tips that more believers need to be aware of. How we communicate online needs to represent God’s love and politeness. Unfortunately, many people seem to feel less inhibitions online and say things they would never say in person. Practicing godly communication is critical.
AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!
You can ban me, but that won’t stop me from reading your dum stuff anywho and emailing ALL my friends and talking about how dum and mean and ugly doo-doo heads everybody reaaaaaallly!!!! R!!!!
So there,
Love and Peace Brother,
You make me think, anyway.
Grateful Al,
You are right. Even if you think my stuff is dumb, you are still more than welcome to get the posts by email and send them to all your friends to tell them what a “dum and mean and ugly doo-doo head” I am.
Better yet, you could even start your very own blog somewhere, and write online refutations of every single post I write. It is free at Blogger.com or WordPress.com.
I may not always agree with you, but you always make me think. I love that. Chalenging our beliefs is a good thing. I say keep doing what you’re doing.
Oops. Please don’t ban me for misspelling challenging. 😉 Using my smartphone. Blasted tiny keyboard. 😛
Thanks Jeremy,
My pet peeve is when a person writes a 1000 word comment on a 500 word blog.
Constructive feedback helps foster a positive and respectful online community, so it’s commendable that you’re addressing this issue on your blog. Your guidelines for leaving comments reflect a commitment to creating a space where individuals can engage in meaningful dialogue with kindness and openness.
I appreciate the emphasis on love in communication. It’s crucial to remember that behind each comment is a person with feelings and beliefs deserving of respect, even in disagreement. Encouraging commenters to approach discussions with a spirit of love and understanding sets a welcoming tone for your blog.
Additionally, your emphasis on humility and a willingness to learn is refreshing. Acknowledging that none of us have all the answers and that there’s value in listening to diverse perspectives fosters a culture of mutual respect and growth. This approach encourages commenters to engage thoughtfully and respectfully, even when expressing differing viewpoints.
Lastly, your reminders about the importance of proper grammar, avoiding all caps and excessive punctuation, and refraining from name-calling reinforce the need for clear and respectful communication. These guidelines ensure that comments are constructive and conducive to meaningful discussion, rather than detracting from the conversation.
Overall, your commitment to fostering a positive and respectful commenting environment is evident, and I believe these guidelines will contribute to creating a welcoming and enriching community on your blog.