Failure, Confrontation, and Arguments

Perhaps you've found yourself wondering how to stand up for yourself in an argument without doing it in a way that is against the teachings of the Bible. I've pondered this myself, and what I've concluded is that God has given man discretionary reasoning abilities.

Discretionary reason could be called the "gray area," or the topics that were not specifically covered in the Bible. For example, masturbation and porn are never explicitly mentioned in the Bible but we still find ourselves feeling guilty afterwords. God has left it up to the reasoning abilities of which He has blessed us with to determine how to go about our discretion.

 My favorite Bible verse in terms of the discretionary argument is 1 John 3:18, "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." So, if you find yourself arguing with another person, don't worry about offending them. The truth must be said. Sometimes, you've got to be an "asshole" -- as women often call men; a conversation for another time -- to get things done. This doesn't mean that you go out of your way to insult someone. But, if they challenge you, or try to debate you, then it is your discretion to respond in a way that seems fitting.

Personally, I'm a ruthless debater. If I know that someone has no idea what they are talking about, or they are accusing me instead of inquiring, I shut them down by changing the conversation, or walking away. There is no point in listening to a person discuss matters they know nothing about. If a person starts to accuse you of things which are not true, the conversation is especially not worth your time. Never respond to accusation with anything more than a simple denial. Do not defend yourself against false accusations. Just end the conversation. Nothing more than that will change anything, much like making public apologies for something said that was "offensive."

Ultimately, we are not perfect, so simply try your best. Don't punish yourself too much for mistakes and failures. Simply examine what went wrong, and move on. Don't take a comments section too seriously either. Some people simply enjoy hurling abuses. Utilize the block function.

Happy debating!