Blogging Twouble

what to do... what to do...

It all started over a year ago with my post on Romanism. I used my corner of cyberspace to expose Romanism for the wicked religion it is, and Kaboom!!! In came an army of Romanists from all walks of life basically highjacking my comment box, bringing in so-called Romanist apologetics. There were links to Romanist sites, there were assertions of the supremacy of the Papacy and the "holy catholic church" (cough... cough... cough...), and there were plenty of name calling (idiot, fool and a child of the devil come immediately to mind).

I quickly realized at that point that my blog would no longer be "my blog" if I didn't somehow limit the ability of my adversaries to comment what they wished. So I started deleting and banning, which brought out the ire of just about everyone. It was then that a Romanist named Eric suggested I establish "commenting rules" for my blog; that way, everyone that commented on my blog would know what I expected. So I composed the Terms of Use. There was plenty of grumbling, but for the most part, my guests went along with my rules; those who didn't I banned and didn't feel the least bit bad about it. And so things have carried on this way for well over a year.

The Commenting Rules had a very beneficial effect over the last year in that it weeded out a lot of undesirable commentors who felt my rules were too strict, but that is not to say that it ridded me of all nay-sayers. Not by a long shot. Romanists, sodomites, liberal quack-os... you name it, they are around, commenting respectfully from time to time; but most often bending the rules.

This never ceases to amaze me. Really. I don't visit Romanist sites. I don't visit Sodomite sites. I don't visit far-left sites. I REALLY, REALLY DON'T. Such sites aggravate me. I don't need to, daily or even weekly, visit blogs by Romanists, Sodomites and lefty quacks to understand them better. I know what they are about, and I'm soooo not interested.

Well, it would seem that there are people out there that, for some strange reason, do the exact opposite. I have a troll who I have banned for well over a year now (he/she/it cannot comment), and still, 3-4 sometimes 5 times a day, the troll logs on. This poor fool has no time for my views, he/she/it thinks I'm completely wrong on just about every issue, but still, multiple times a day, where does the troll go? My blog.

I don't understand.

And then we have Jake, Joel, Dennis, Aliera... etc. Again, they think I'm off. Fine. I can live with that. Why do they keep coming back?

I don't understand.

Are they trying to influence me or my readers to their particular cause? Probably. I mean, it's the only logical explanation. This blog has NOTHING for a Romanist who is content in his/her romanism. This blog has NOTHING for a queer. It has nothing for left wing nutjobs. Why else would they keep coming back?

I recognize that this is the way much of the blogosphere operates. A blogger and a small army of his supporters "play" on their blog, eventually someone shows up who disagrees with the blog or a specific post, and then everyone jumps into a debate. A lot of people must find this quite enjoyable because it's going on all over the place in th blog world. The problem though, is this isn't how I want to run my blog. I hate long winded, drawn out, unfruitful debates and babblings. I want to post the Truth that is in Christ, and get honest questions or impressions; not veiled agendas.

So now the question: what do I do about them? This question has surfaced from a comment by my good friend Puritan Belief. He clicked on the homepage link from one of Jake the queer's comments. Boy, I don't think he was prepared for what he saw. Profanity, advertising for the murdering infants, immorality... you name it, it's there. So what should I do? Should I remove the homepage links of commentors if the sites are ungodly? And if so, where should I draw the line? Joel's homepage is a Romanist site, and is therefore as immoral in the spiritual sense as Jake's site is immoral in the physical sense. Should I remove the homepage links of all Romanists as well?

And then let's go a step further: should I even be letting known Romanists comment? Sodomites? Lefties?

BTW, these questions aren't rhetorical. I'm really asking. I'm already deleting comments I judge violate the Commenting Rules, I delete trackbacks that direct my traffic to sites that aren't in line with the views of A Form Of Sound Words, and I don't allow links in comments that send people to wicked sites. I suppose, if I were consistent, I would have to remove the homepage links as well...

What think ye?


Rand

(All are welcome to comment on this question, but understand that it is the views of my born-again brothers and sisters that I will be taking into consideration.)