The Matrix

[Symphony]

Yes, that's true, JapEmp never use smiley's.  

Check this out, JapEmp, "Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Alihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness."  Exodus 25:9-10  thought you might like that.

Gangrene, "bottom of the social food chain".  Hehe, pretty funny gangrene.  BTW, is your user name from II Timothy 2:17:  "...and their talk will eat its way like gangrene..."??


WAAAAA.  My user name not in the bible.  Neither is Tibby's.  Though there IS a "Tob", hehe, in Judges 11:3:  "...the land of Tob..."

Thanks, MusicGirl.  Your name in bible by implication, I guess..

[Sapphire W34P0N]

Haha, that is cool, Symphony.

[Gangrene]

Gangrene, "bottom of the social food chain".  Hehe, pretty funny gangrene.

Funny?  Eh, what do you mean?  High School can be a pretty mean place.

BTW, is your user name from II Timothy 2:17:  "...and their talk will eat its way like gangrene..."??

Honestly my reasons are not quite so deep.  Thanks for the verse, though.  I think I'll adopt it.

[Symphony]

Yes, gangrene, you're right--it's not very funny.  The persecution in HS can be murder.  Oops.  

[Tibby]

Symphony, you jerk! lol, keep the puns to your self!

HS isn't that bad, I just left it. The only people who are picked on are the people who bring in on them selves. The self proclaimed "Rebels" and the "goths" and "punk rockers"! Oh please, those people are picked on all the time because they act like the biggest losers. They bring in on them selves, following the pathetic trends, doing what Rage against the Machine and Metallica tells them, all the while claiming that they are “individuals’ Then there are the people who don’t bother to shower for a week at a time, and the kids who where black trench coats in the summer… kids in high school have a choice wither or not to be picked on. I feel no pity for them.

[Gangrene]

The only people who are picked on are the people who bring in on themselves.

That's crap.  Do you honestly believe that those who do not follow that which is popular are asking to be maligned for it?

A place where you are forced to go, do nothing useful while you are there, and learn material that is largely irrelevant; High school is highly socially stratified by its very nature.  Unless someone wants to spend the majority of their time and energy pursuing popularity they will more often than not find themselves on the lower end of the social pecking order.  If you don't believe me about the existence of said pecking order, contact your local sociologist or read up on it.  It is there.  Perhaps you were at the top of the heap and never bothered to look down on those below you.  If that's so, I suggest you open your eyes.

. . . kids in high school have a choice wither or not to be picked on. I feel no pity for them.

That is completely incorrect.  Everyone does not have a choice of whether they are picked on or not, just as those who were shot at Columbine did not have the choice of whether they were shot or not.  The whole concept behind the idea of shooting at schools is to take power away from those who use it against you, and use what power you have to bring revenge.

There are only two major commandments that we have to follow, and that sum up the whole of the Law of Moses.  Our duties as Christians do not revolve around churches, missions, bake sales, memorizing every little verse, putting a fish on our car, or any other such nonsense pushed by popular Christian culture in this nation.  What we are to do is to love our neighbor as ourselves, and part of that is to not judge them by the standards of this world.  Now your little statement gives the impression that you feel no pity for those who do not throw themselves into the pursuit of popularity.  Is that your idea of how to love our neighbors as ourselves?

[Symphony]

Hmmmm....

[Sapphire W34P0N]

Hey, I like Rage Against the Machine and Metallica.

[Tibby]

Gangrene- You COMPLETELY missed my point. They DO follow what is popular. Goth is “in” now, Punk is “in.” It has nothing to do with being a prep, it has to do with being normal. Madonna (boo) is pretty popular, but she isn’t “normal.” Same with Avrel Lavean(sp? and boo), the little wanta-be Punk is so popular, everyone calls her a punk, and she doesn’t even play punk rock! Anyways, It has nothing to do with not being your self; be your self, but don’t me geek in the process! You can be yourself without 00 gauge ear rings and orange hair. Being yourself, has to do with who you are inside, not how much like the cast of "SLC Punk" you look like!

Loving them and pitying them are to very different things. I’ll help if I see some bully picking on a kid, I will show him the love of Jesus, I’ll hang out with him, but he brought the bullying on himself, and thou I love the guy, I don‘t feel sorry for him! You act like a chump, you get picked on like a chump, it is simple cause and effect. Now, granted, many kids don’t realize this until it is to late, and that is truly sad, but that is life. You’re only there for about 4 years, let the bullying make you stronger inside, give you stronger resolve, because the world isn’t going to pick you up and wipe the tears out of your eyes.

Sapph- I would have never guessed…

[Symphony]

What we are to do is to love our neighbor as ourselves, and part of that is to not judge them by the standards of this world.

You've really had some good things to say, Gangrene, but I'll take just that one statement.  To not judge them by the standards of this world.

I think Jesus puts it, "Do not judge by appearances; but judge with righteous judgement."

Of course, as with your statement, it is certainly not totally clear what that "righteous judgement" may be, but we can pretty easily figure out whether we're judging by "appearances" or, as you say, by the "standards of this world".

Thanks...

[Tibby]

I never said to judge someone by how they dress. I believe the verse you are attempting to quote is in John. But let me point out a verse that is similar, by more popular to quote, in first Samuel. God was tell him not to look at their bodies to decide who is the king. He said “Man looks at the outward appearance, the lord looks at the heart.” I have said nothing contradictory to this. I said just what the verse says, the people in high school look at your outward appearance. I can’t change that. But I don’t deny that fact that this a reality. I wish no one to judge by there eyes, by, I can only control my self. These people KNOW that they will be judged by there clothing and style. They KNOW that, even though it is wrong to judge a “book by its cover,” it happens, and it happens in high school. This is why I do not pity them. I love them, and I treat them with what respect I can, but pity never did anyone any favors in the end.