How To Properly Debate Via Social Media and Public Forums

Many people debate topics and I am a person who really enjoys a good one. I like the idea of challenging my own thoughts with new information and reforming the way I see the world based on the overwhelming amount of information available. I know not all people share my zeal for this, but nonetheless, here I am.

I have noticed when I am on Facebook that often times people make arguments with the facade of being intelligent about the subject matter and/or having the ability to debate. This in turn leads me into the position of setting up and defending my position, naturally. As expected in any debate format, there are refutes to be given to any one point and subject that comes up, so naturally I roll with the punches, sometimes adjusting my beliefs when I concede they are correct and other times arguing my own side.

Here are some quick tips on debating (How to WIN debates) :

***Disclaimer*** Using these tips may cause people to not like you and/or think you are a jerk. C'est La Vie.

1) When you argue a point, always have some sort of verified evidence to back yourself. Studies done at colleges or by reputable and public sources are widely available on most topics. If using popular media sources, try to use sources from either side of the slant, as many are slanted toward one political affiliation. If you cannot, try to use something independent.

2) If you are joining a "debate" and have nothing to offer besides how you feel, you should simply state that using a simple phrase such as, "I feel like...."  (You cannot debate a feeling)

3) When evaluating the position of an opposing opinion or information, review it in the context of their own usage and your own. While they may not be applying it to YOUR opinion, they likely have systems of beliefs or points that are stemmed from this one, and you should be well equipped to move in that direction.

4) If you don't have anything to refute their argument, just concede. It's far less embarrassing to concede that you may be wrong than to be proven wrong. It also saves you a remote amount of power and dignity.

5) Avoid using derogatory language or belittling statements. It cheapens/weakens your argument, but will probably get a lot of likes on FB.

6) Don't fight questions with questions. If you don't have a good argument, then you don't have a good argument. There isn't any shame in not being able to back a point. It's simply bad form to reply to a question with another question. It doesn't solve anything and moves a productive debate into a hypothetical setting.

7) Redirecting a topic is acceptable once you have acknowledged and refuted a previous topic. You cannot simply ignore the previous argument and presume to be correct. This in effect actually projects a mutually agreed concession.

Now that I have equipped you to be a jerk, use with caution.

Growing Old (Copied from my Facebook Notes)

I hate change. I hate the inevitable feeling where you know for certain you are leaving something good behind you to go on to something else. I hate change.

When I was a child I was a dreamer. I always dreamed that one day I would leave my home and live in a home where I could look over golden fields and enjoy life. I dreamed that I would be doing something I love for a living and that my wife and kids would be completely in tune with what I wanted vice versa so that we all live in harmony. I had a dream that I would leave the small town I grew up in and go somewhere big, do big things, make big impressions, and live a big life. 

When I was a teen I was a drifter. I drifted from place to place looking for someone who could accept me with all of my inadequacies. I drifted from belief to belief wishing that somehow I would come to the right answer. I drifted further from the family that I once knew and drifted even further away from the people who tried to replace them. I let my morals drift from the narrow prism that once held my mind. I drifted from the innocence of childhood into the exploration of youth and adulthood. I drifted from the purity of being naive to the filthiness of knowing the truth.

When I was in my early 20's I was an explorer. I explored the boundaries of the world and the freedoms it had to offer. I explored deeper relationship with my then girlfriend/now wife. I explored my beliefs and dove deep into the core of what they really meant. I explored the pitfalls of disobedience and the tyranny of submission. 

Now I am a man with regrets. I regret not taking advantage of life as a child. I regret spending so much time dreaming rather than living a life that I now know is only possible during that age. I regret wanting to do big things and make big impressions but not taking the immediate steps to do so. I regret my inadequacies and the drifting I did from one belief to another. I regret distancing myself from everyone around me and kedging myself into an open ocean without a true ally. I regret giving up naivety for knowledge. I regret exploring freedom further than what I should have. I regret exploring disobedience rather than training myself up to be strong. 

When I was a dreamer I was protected by the imperfect love of the people that surrounded me, and it felt perfect. When I was a drifter the waves were calmed by the people who paved the paths for me to drift upon. When I was an explorer those who drew near to me were a safety net catching me each and every time I fell, which has already been regrettably quite frequently.

I hate change. I hate when you know you can no longer hold onto a piece of yourself that you have long held on to hoping to have it back. I hate when the flicker of hope that once shined in a far off star no longer shines and you keep peering deeper hoping to find the same light you've known so long. I hate change.

I Don't Love Jesus Enough

I was riding in the car this morning and listening to some worship music when I got to thinking a little bit about the nature of Jesus. I haven't recently been as invested in Him as maybe I would like to be and the reflections of that became evident in my thought. I've been less helpful at home. I've been lazy and slow. I've been less than enthused to help with even the simplest things.

While thinking about all of the things that I do that cause me to fall short every day I was reminded that He loves us anyway. It's something that we all take for granted every single day. It didn't seem "profound" to me this morning either. It just seemed like a matter-of-fact. I mess up. Jesus still loves me. There it is.

When I progressed to the next level of thought I did garner some new inspiration though. I thought about how He loves me in spite of my faults and mistakes, and how that is true love. It reminded me that love is not a feeling that I feel toward someone; it is an action that I exhibit toward the people that matter to me. Instant conviction.

I claim to love Jesus and to follow Him, but daily I misrepresent him when I have a bad attitude or when I a allow my anger to get the best of me. Daily I spit him in the face. How much a friend am I? I don't listen when He calls and often times put other things in front of Him. How can I do those things and still claim to love Him?

Having those thoughts race through my mind I then think about the crucifixion. Jesus said "Father forgive them. They know not what they do." Jesus wasn't just speaking about the hands that crucified him; we do that every day with our "mistakes" that are another pound against the nails. Jesus was speaking to the totality of Christians who fail to comprehend the consequences of their actions and to all of humanity. In that one statement, he asked forgiveness for all of mankind who follows Him.

The Bible says, "Greater love has no man that he lay down his life for his friends," and then, "while we were sinners, Christ died for us." He took it to the next level, beyond what we as people are capable of. He died for people who were not His friends, but He loved us anyway.

If love is an action, then I need to be doing more to act in a way that exemplifies love to the people around me. We aren't called to preach values to other people. I spit on Jesus enough in one day to deserve hell several times over. Who am I to then go to a brother and tell them about their faults? The first step is to reach out to others in love and to show the love that He had for us. That is the great commission. Failing to further his cause is an abuse of His name and leaves us unworthy of it, even though He will perpetually extend His grace.

So what did this all mean to me?
It's simple. If we aren't doing the things that tell people about Jesus with our actions then we aren't acting with love toward Jesus. It's simply a lie to say you love Jesus and do nothing.