Thursday, July 27, 2006

Let's clear up some misconceptions, shall we?

"A Badge of Honor" is a clearinghouse for people to tell their stories when they've been treated in an unchristlike manner by online Christian communities. They compose their stories themselves and submit them to the Postmaster for inclusion on "A Badge of Honor." The people who tell their stories are NOT the postmaster. I preserve their anonymity, as well as my own, unless they indicate they want personally-identifiable information to be posted. Read a ways down to find the parameters of story postings here.

I knew only one person who's submitted a story here, before he or she requested inclusion in "Badge." All others I've met when they e-mailed me. I did very limited "advertising" about the site when I first set it up at 4t.com (recently renovated and now in blog format) and people started sending me their stories. I've had to twist no one's arm, nor have I posted fake stories or composites. I don't do background checks on the people who send me their stories and I don't try to figure out their real-life identities. They're on their honor to tell the truth about what happened to them on the sites they write about. With all the nut cases hanging about the web and with the way some of them have been treated, no one ought to blame them for a desire to remain anonymous online.

As for thinking I'm some person or other: As most people who frequent the web are aware, people link to other people's sites all the time. An example is Metacrock, who blogs at Metacrock's Blog, and who visited "A Badge of Honor." Metacrock blogged an entry and linked to "Badge." Metacrock is in no way responsible for the content or scope of "A Badge of Honor." Metacrock is not the Badge Postmaster, nor (I suspect) would he wish to be. So...if you have a gripe with Badge, my e-mail addy is clearly posted all over here. In case you missed it, it's badgepostmaster.hotmail.com (edited 3/17/07 to reflect current e-mail contact). If you want to get in touch with Metacrock, you'll need to contact him yourself; I don't take messages. Who knows? He might even be glad to hear from you. Just don't insult him by confusing him with me. And I've never been a part of the CCC community, nor have I any wish to be. I do read their public archives, and that's the reason why I've never desired to be counted in their number.

So Mike, though I'm in no way upset to have been mistaken for Metacrock, I'm surprised that you made the mistake. He never called himself the Postmaster, we have totally different writing styles, and he has a different Blogger ID than I do (which showed when he commented on "Badge"). You might even want to find out if there's a reason for why he does what you were so quick to ridicule. Were he your brother (as indeed he is in the Lord), maybe you'd think twice before judging him as you have. Do you want people making nasty comments about your spelling and grammar? It could be done, and it might only be carelessness on your part.

Think whatever you like about "Badge." Post whatever you wish, truth or lie, on your sites. But for the sake of your own witness and everyone's well-being, the truth is much preferable!

5 comments:

Badge of Honor Postmaster said...

Thanks for the comment, Light. I think there's a real problem out there with harrassment, particularly by people who mistake "contending for the 'truth'" with doing God's actual will. They can make an idol out of being "right," and heaven help the people they target as "wrong." I finally decided that my name and primary e-mail address are no one else's business unless *I* make them such. Isn't it terrible that supposedly strongly masculine pastors (if they're patriarchal, that strong masculine persona is important, right?) would be so threatened by a woman writing on a subject the patriarchal folks keep saying is not even true? If it's not true, it's not of God. And if it's not of God, what in heaven's name are these people afraid of...especially if a "weaker vessel" is writing it?!

It must have gotten the blogger's goat to have to ask the woman herself who her husband and pastor were! Like an egalitarian's husband and/or pastor is going to tell her to stop writing about biblical equality!

It would be funny, almost, if it weren't for the fact that the jerk was invading your friend's privacy. That kind of agenda makes them potentially dangerous. And people wonder why some of us won't give our names. Short answer: We do...to trustworthy people.

Hey...there's a general test for these female subordinationists (or "complementarians"...or whatever name they want to go by): Would you approve of whatever it is you're saying to the woman you think is in error, if some other man said it to your wife, daughter, or sister? If not, then what makes you think God is OK with you saying it to HIS daughter???? (What should God do with a son who would behave like that?) Maybe putting it in the terms they promote (men and women are so different you can't approach them in the same way) instead of the simpler, "Would you really want someone to say/do that to you?" test, will make someone rethink online harrassment.

How did your friend's situation resolve?

Badge of Honor Postmaster said...

Yikes! A CBMW founder, huh? Well, good for your friend for standing her ground. People like that guy are a good argument for hotmail and yahoo accounts.

Just A Berean said...

Just for your information, these people associated with CBMW have been known to harrass public egal writers. One well known writer lost his position due to public harrassment and inaccurate statements being made about him. I have NO doubt that many would stoop to seeking to bring financial harm to those who disagree with their doctrinal beliefs about patriarchalism.

Badge of Honor Postmaster said...

OK...now I've made the connection to the case, a none ymus. That was a shameful thing for them to do. I think they take advantage of those loosely identified as egalitarian not engaging in that kind of behavior. We simply don't do that kind of thing. Not that NO egalitarian has ever harrassed a patriarchalist to the point of career or financial setback, but not one of the myriad complaints I've read on patriarchal venues has ever mentioned one. I don't doubt they'd be on that in a split second if it ever occurred. And they'd be right to protest it. Too bad they tolerate and even applaud such behavior in their midst.

It's good to remember that CBMW was founded to stand *against* something, namely biblical equality. If being anti-something is how you're defined, what you actually stand *for* is going to be hard to pin down. Perhaps that's why you can't get two patriarchalists to agree on what term to use, let alone what patriarchy entails. "Each does what is right in his own eyes." Lords of the earth, and all that. ;) Regardless, they're only going to unite in order to fight against biblical equality and those who embrace it. Have you ever noticed that when egalitarians are scarce, patriarchalists start picking fights with one another? It's fascinating to watch, in a morbid kind of way.

Just A Berean said...

"Have you ever noticed that when egalitarians are scarce, patriarchalists start picking fights with one another? It's fascinating to watch, in a morbid kind of way."

yes, I have watched that on the public list CCC. Harsh bunch.

BTW Postmaster, great job on this blog site. :)