For reasons I will not pretend to understand, the number of comments Christian trolls attempt to leave on this blog is quite variable. I'll have some weeks where I do not get any and others where I end up with 20 or more. I let most of them through the moderation Intense Debate requires regardless of my settings, but I generally try to delete those that are nothing more than name calling or blatant violations of the comment policy. Why? I figure that most atheists don't visit atheist blogs because they want a heavy dose of Christian proselytizing.
Most of the comments from Christian trolls contribute to a sense of clutter and contain few novel ideas. Many just keep repeating the same tired ideas over and over, indifferent or oblivious to the fact that we have heard it all before many times.
Here is a recent example of the sort of comment I might sometimes delete:
As someone who has experienced God in my life numerous times, sometimes blatant other times subtle, I can assure all of you God is very real and has freely given us (to whomever desires) hope for a future. One beyond this life. This hope is only through Christ and Christ alone. No other religion or belief has hope. I ask that you evaluate your life. Think about your motives in life and I challenge you to sincerely ask yourselves "What if I'm wrong?" I do this out of love because I was given this hope and I want others to share in this hope. If you have any questions I would love to do my best to answer them with the knowledge I have acquired throughout my life. Peace and blessings to you all!
1 John 5:9-13
If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which[c] He has testified of His Son. 10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. 11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life,[d] and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
Perhaps it was a decent example of the common tendency many Christians have to elevate their personal experience above all else, but it was otherwise unremarkable. It certainly wasn't anything we haven't heard countless times, was it? I am starting to suspect that much of this drivel is just being copied and pasted with no real thought being invested. That would explain why it all seems so familiar.
I allowed this one through as you can see here. I'm not sure why, but I suppose I must have thought some of you might find it entertaining. I hate to admit it, but after all these years I still haven't figured out if this sort of thing is something readers like or whether you'd prefer not to see it here.
As for me, the proselytizing has become sufficiently boring that it barely registers. When I read something like this, I find myself thinking that it is no wonder we keep hearing about how young people are abandoning Christianity in droves (even though it is not clear that this is actually happening). Christianity seems to offer so little. Even if young people aren't turning away in record numbers, they should be.
