# Ben, You're Starting To Get Tiresome (Gentle) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 20, 2003, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-youre-starting-to-get-tiresome-gentle/208485 "2003-10-20T09:44:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-youre-starting-to-get-tiresome-gentle/208485/41 "2003-10-24T01:01:00Z")
You talked about a thread, but you failed to provide the linkage. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-youre-starting-to-get-tiresome-gentle/208485/42 "2003-10-24T01:35:19Z")
Um, obviously, if we wouldn’t be pitting him now if that were the case, **Svt4Him**. ---
**Author:** ![Svt4Him](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@Svt4Him](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svt4Him)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-youre-starting-to-get-tiresome-gentle/208485/43 "2003-10-24T03:28:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > \*\*Um, obviously, if we wouldn’t be pitting him now if that were the case, **Svt4Him**. \*\* Couldn’t have said it better…although I did make reference to it… ---
**Author:** ![Siege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Siege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siege)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-youre-starting-to-get-tiresome-gentle/208485/44 "2003-10-27T12:00:29Z")
I don’t like resurrecting this, but yesterday, **Ben** sent me two e-mails an hour apart, then a third one, some hours later, saying that since I hadn’t responded to the first two, he was blocking my e-mail address as spam. I would like to address some issues he raised. The first time I saw any of the three e-mails he sent me was when I went on-line to check my e-mail this morning. To give me less than 24 hours to respond, and then refusing to accept a response from me is, I think, unreasonable. As to what I consider betraying Christianity, the following paragraph in the prayer he posted in the first thread I cited is what I think most Christians would consider crossing the line: > [@](#): > > If someone argues that you don’t want me to be a Christian, I will > listen, and consider that they might be your servant, which you > in your infinite wisdom have sent to minister to me. If their argument is false, then give me the eloquence to show them where they have erred. But if their argument is sound, I will reject Jesus as a stumbling-block, and turn to the true worship of you, O Lord. I cannot see how one can reject Christ and remain a Christian. If turning to the true worship of God and away from Christianity would not qualify as betraying one’s Christianity, can someone please explain this to me? I am a broad-minded Christian, and one who genuinely seeks to do God’s will. I have studied other religions, including Zen Buddhism and, informally, Wicca. I have given them serious consideration, but as long as I acclaim Christ as my Saviour, I am a Christian, just as I would be, I assume, a Moslem, if I proclaimed Mohammed as God’s true Prophet. Therefore, to reject Christ as a stumbling block would be to renounce Christianity. Concerning the second thread, Christianity as commonly practiced in the United States does not enouraging in the rituals and practices of other religions. That is why for many Christians asking them to practice a form of what they would regard as prayer or worship which belongs to another religion would constitute a betrayal of their Christianity. I also repeat **I did not do this out of anger or malice**. I did it because I genuinely wanted one or more third party’s opinion about whether I was being unreasonable. **Ben** , I assumed that if I asked you privately, you would tell me I was being unreasonable, as you subsequently have. You’ve also put me in the rather awkward position of having to respond publicly to your private words. You made some good arguments; why are you unwilling to post them here? We’ve both seen Pit threads get turned back against the OP, and, as I’ve already said, I’m willing to accept that if it happens. You tell me I haven’t responded to any of your questions. I thought I had, both publicly and privately. On the other hand, from what I’ve seen, you haven’t answered my key question: why are you doing this? I would also like to pose a question to the Teeming Millions at large: Am I being unreasonable? **Ben** , whether you believe it or not, I am genuinely sorry this happened. I thought that if I responded to this, rather than, say Jersey Diamond, it might be kinder. Clearly I was wrong. I wanted to let you know you that a line exists and you were getting close to crossing it, rather than seeing you lambasted after you did so. Next time, perhaps I’ll know better. I also have one final plea to you and to anyone else who e-mails me. For the sake of whatever you hold holy, please give me a minimum of 48 hours to respond to an e-mail before cutting me off! I get _busy_ some times! CJ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ben-youre-starting-to-get-tiresome-gentle/208485.md?page=2)