Our evils are not justified by another's evils

[fragmentsofdreams]

We need to stop justifying our own evils and the evils of those we support by pointing to the evils done by others. Evil does not justify evil. When we stand before Jesus on that final day, the fact that someone didn't give us food when we were hungry won't excuse us not giving food when they were hungry; the fact that they slandered us won't excuse our slander of them; and the fact that did the same wickedness that we did will not excuse will not excuse our own sin. When confronted with an accusation of wrongdoing, we should first either acknowledge our fault or demonstrate that there is no fault before addressing anything else. Removing the plank in our own eye must take precedence over the speck in another's.

 

[SolomonVII]

How does this apply to your participation on CF forums?
Can you give us some concrete examples of what you are talking about, as it pertains to yourself especially.

(I am assuming that it does pertain to you too, as you used the pronoun 'we").

 

[fragmentsofdreams]

How does this apply to your participation on CF forums?

It is a response to how most of the political threads are:

Person 1: A did X.
Person 2: Well, B did X, too. Plus, B did Y.
Person 3: But A did Z as well.

Can you give us some concrete examples of what you are talking about, as it pertains to yourself especially.

(I am assuming that it does pertain to you too, as you used the pronoun 'we").

If I found an example of where I did this, I would prefer to edit out the offense rather than let it remain.

I try to use we in critical posts that are not directed toward a specific person. It is an attempt to reduce the level of confrontation and to serve as a reminder to myself that I too need to be on guard against the things I criticize.

 

[BAFRIEND]

It is a response to how most of the political threads are:

Person 1: A did X.
Person 2: Well, B did X, too. Plus, B did Y.
Person 3: But A did Z as well.



If I found an example of where I did this, I would prefer to edit out the offense rather than let it remain.

I try to use we in critical posts that are not directed toward a specific person. It is an attempt to reduce the level of confrontation and to serve as a reminder to myself that I too need to be on guard against the things I criticize.

I want a specific example, otherwise I do not buy it.

 

[Sianelle]

I am reminded of the complaint of a Roman governor about the Christians in his province. His complaint was that the Christians were not only caring for their own poor and unfortunate, but those who weren't Christian as well.

 

[fragmentsofdreams]

The most recent example I read was the McCain lying thread. People responded with accusations that Obama lied too without any attempt to exonerate or censure McCain, implicitly condoning lying if someone else does it.

 

[MikeK]

How about:

Osama (Obama)
McSame
Uh-bama
McLame


Also - it's not really honest to be the defender in this argument:

1: Your candidate supports abortion and the Church says abortion is evil.
2: Yeah? Well your candidate is okay with torture qand the Church says torture is evil.

In this case, person 2 should defened his own position and support for the pro-abortion candidate based on why it's right in his mind, not by merely sqaysing "yeah, well you do it too". Person 2 would be correct of course, but that's not how one ought to argue - we should defend our positrions based upon their own merrits, not on other people's poor choices or inconsistencies.

 

[SolomonVII]

It's the old 'the best defense is a good offense' routine.
Biblically speaking, it might be like let's stop talking about the mote in my eye and start talking about the plank in yours.

or the standard argument against Christian apologetics "yea, what about the inquistion and the crusades?"

As a reminder not to expect perfection from everybody else but yourself, the argument is not all bad. As a defense mechanism to deny all self-criticism and moral accountability, the arguments do get a little tiresome.

..which brings us to the point of what is the pupose behind some of these threads about McCain lying in the first place?.