Since I have been blogging, I have had thousands upon thousands of comments from readers. I love them. You bloggers out there know that one of the best parts of blogging is reading what others have to say. Faithful readers will know that sometimes we get into very elaborate discussions about important things as well as unimportant things, and sometimes we just riff off of each other when we are being goofy. It can be educational, inspirational, and hysterical. (Though rarely all at the same time.)
Yesterday, when I posted “Mormonism: You Probably Won’t Get It“, I knew that I would get a lot of response. Every now and again I write something that I think is important. (Not that all of my posts aren’t genius, but some aren’t that important. Case in point: click here) Yesterday’s post rocketed up the list to my #4 post of all time – and climbing.
What came with the hits was something new: Opposition. In one single day I received more critical, offensive, and hostile comments than in the previous 3,000 comments. Apparently the simplicity of my message riled some people up. I choose to wear it as a badge of honor.
I don’t know about yours, but I paid extra to have a special keyboard made that has, what the salesman called, a “Delete” key. It is magical, and powerful. With it, I have the ability to destroy anything on my screen, and in turn, anything on my blog. Some might argue that I should use it more when I write, but that is for another discussion.
So yesterday, I used my Delete key with great success. What? That is CENSORSHIP! How could you be so neanderthal?
(Help! I’m being repressed!)
Yes, it is censorship. I am judge, jury and executioner when it comes to comments on my blog. The key word here is MY blog. If you want to have your own blog, have at it. It’s free: http://www.blogger.com
I respect the rights of others to have opinions that differ from mine. I also respect the rights of people to shout those opinions from the mountaintops, if they feel so inclined.
In turn, I would expect those same people to respect my right to refuse to provide a platform for what I know to be false and misleading comments.
Don’t confuse this with the wonderful discussions we have about gospel topics. I enjoy sincere, honest discussions that help us understand the gospel better, and become better saints. I don’t mind if you disagree with me. The difference is that the new comments I have been receiving are from people looking to tear down the church, and lure people away from it.
Not on my blog. Not on my watch.
Here is are basic concepts upon which this blog is founded:
1) God lives, and loves us. Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer of Mankind.
2) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church upon the earth, and the only church that has the priesthood authority required to perform saving ordinances.
3) The Church was restored through a modern-day prophet named Joseph Smith. He and his successors, up to and including Thomas S. Monson, are prophets in the most literal sense. As are the apostles that serve with them. We should give them heed.
4) The Book of Mormon is the word of God.
and
5) We can strengthen each other by learning and sharing our experiences.
6) We can also laugh at our culture and each other and still be righteous.
There.
So, if you want to espouse your belief that the church isn’t true, or that it needs reformed, your comment will be deleted. If you want to tell me how the prophet and the brethren are not inspired and are out-of-touch, I will delete that too. If you want to be harshly critical or aggressive to any of my readers, I will delete that too. Besides, there are plenty of other blogs out there that will embrace and celebrate your hostility.
I have a magic button, and I’m not afraid to use it. I have also had to implement comment moderation, so that I can look at a comment before it goes up on the blog. Sorry, I am loathe to do that, but it has become necessary for now.
My invitation is this: If you want to participate with a great group of people, discuss gospel topics, have some fun, and work our way through this difficult world together, then you are welcome here with open arms, and open hearts.
Extra loves from,
-MMM-
Discover more from Thus We See...
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Okay MMM, I have just spent the better part of an hour catching up on several posts (yes, I am way behind in my reader – it being valentines day and all the diet coke and ice cream stuff), and I applaud you.
“Not on my watch”
One of my all time favorite phrases that I have used on many occasion with my children, my young women, and any other poor soul who finds themselves under my stewardship through no fault of their own.
Your blog. Your rules. And in the end, you provide some powerful insights that help some of us at exactly the right times. Keep on, keepin on brothah!
Look at Morgan – tossing back Python lines!
You are the blog king?
“Well I didn’t vote for you!”
Your experience mirrors mine: posts about history seldom get hate comments, even though such posts illustrate the faithful implementation of gospel ideals. But just let me say “I believe this” in so many words, and my moderation queue is flooded with people saying, “Yeah, but if you just know as much as *I* know, you’d believe otherwise.” It amazes me to see how closely the DAMU monitors my blog for direct expressions of faith.
When someone cries censorship, I yawn and remind them that they have the right to an opinion, but they don’t have the right to an audience, especially not on my blog.
Thanks for your comments MMM! Thanks for your blog posts! Thanks for taking one, two, five, twenty…however many for the team!!! Thanks for using the delete key!!! It is so refreshing to know their are others out there, even if they are anonymous, trying to live and be and do what we really teach! I personally find great hope, humor,strength and courage in reading your blog….if only to have another witness of my faith. Sometimes living the gospel is just plain difficult, especially when there are those within and without who either are willing to lead others astray, or they just honestly don’t quite get the doctrines. (I am not excluding myself in that last comment. I am sure there are others who can see places where I have not learned or learned how to apply the doctrine. So much to know and do!) But ever grateful for those who, like you, are trying! Thanks!
No offense to your blog, but I don’t understand why anyone would read it if they didn’t feel at least somewhat similarly.
How many non-LDS people would read a blog about LDS principles and culture? Sounds like you got blitz’d by non-readers with an agenda.
For me, this blog was the find of the century. An author who seems to live the gospel the best he can, expressing thoughts in a non-judgemental way. On top of that, a great humorous look at our culture that is certainly peculiar. It’s great.
I love this because true principles may be a troll magnet, but they don’t have to be a troll haven.
This is what Julie Beck talked about: being a “lioness at the gate.”
Or lion. Sorry.
Awesome. Good for you! I love that, “Not on my blog! Not on my watch!” Just plain awesome.
I like what Vatermann had to say. I had to delete a FB friend who wasn’t actually a friend (I thought I knew him…he slipped past my rigorous screening process!) I deleted him, not because he was making inappropriate comments (although he was), but because he made a friend of mine feel stupid for making a comment. Cross me…that’s one thing. Cross a friend of mine…you’re out!
Thank you for keeping it clean! I hate when people blog just so they can invite bickering and hatred. Let’s keep this a fun, family-friendly place to be.
Thank you. Continue to stand for truth and righteousness!
Your house, your rules.
Like others, my first thought about yesterday’s post was how many negative comments you would receive. I’m glad you wrote it, and its all true and well said.
I love, love, love your blog because it is a SAFE way to have humor about our culture. With so many other blogs its a gamble, and I can’t feel comfortable following them anymore once their true character shows. Not here. Not a single post.
Amen.
I have to speak in church on Sunday on the importance of gaining our own testimony. Your 6 points (well the first 4 for sure) are my whole talk basically.
The foundation of the gosple is simple, the truths also.
I love coming here because even when you are being silly, your testimony of the gosple shines through. It is inspiring and uplifting.
They’re singing your song: “Please delete me; let me go….”
Seriously, there are plenty of discussion blogs to read. I read a selected few of them (and even more selected and fewer posts on those blogs). But you’re pretty clear here about the purpose of your blog.
I’ve alwas been a fan of the “my house, my rules” principle. And I practice it on my blog, as well.
*standing up and applauding*
Here,Here! So happy to have your blog to trust in. And so sad that I, too have been initiated into the ‘moderate your responses’ club. Sigh! But I’m glad that delete key is there. No one needs to read the hate-mongering and flammable comments that are deposited all too frequently. Here’s to uplifting and/or insightful blog posts. And responses . . .
“Help, I’m being repressed.” You’re funny, man. I had a thought while reading this post: I’ve wondered before why it was that God the Father made a personal appearance to Joseph Smith in the grove when receiving the gospel message from The Savior would have probably been enough to bring about the restoration. You know what I mean? But that moment in the Grove, with both The Father and The Son appearing on earth, is the foundation of the strength of my testimony. Thinking about it from today’s perspective of opposition from within and without, I think I get it. The First Vision is the mortar between the bricks of my life and how it’s conducted. Anywayz, that was my thought.
Love it. The nay-sayers and anti’s are nuts to think you’d publish their bitter diatribe. Deleting makes them helpless, gives them less power and no voice.
Keep up the good work, I tell all my LDS friends here in New Zealand about your blog. We find it uplifting, entertaining and spot on doctrinally-speaking, which is refreshing.
I wondered if you’d get a lot of “hate mail” from that post, but the thing is: it’s all true. And there is a LOT to “not get” when you don’t have a foundation called a testimony. The Spirit is the best teacher there is, and you’ve gotta get with Him first before anything else will make sense to you because this worldly-world is just so blinding without it. You were spot on. And the DELETE button is the friend of every blogger, but especially when it comes to dealing with the sacred. (I, too, like Vaterman’s idea.)
JWW
So well said. You could be the next Michael Otterson, who I so admire. Oh my gosh- wait- maybe you ARE Michael Otterson. You might have to delete this!
Hugs!
I like Vaterman’s idea.
& that would be the exact reason I continue to read from your blog….there are plenty of “Mormon bloggers” who don’t actually teach true & correct principles…let them check out those sites!!! (the wicked take the truth to be hard!)Besides, I’m not sure what was so “offensive” about the post anyway?
& it’s ok if you don’t post this…just wanted you to know…Keep up the GREAT work!
Okay, now I’m going to have to go back and read yesterday’s post! This sounds interesting…
=)
Triple M, THIS is why I read you everyday. No guts, no glory.(and you’ve got just the right amount of guts!)
Good for you! Use the delete key with abandon! I instituted comment moderation after I posted a blog about Julie Beck’s talk, “Mothers Who Know,” which is my all-time favorite conference talk, and got a ton of negativity from feminists. Didn’t bother me in the slightest to delete them all. Our blogs are our turf. Good on you for protecting yours.
MMM, I’ve always been impressed with how nice you are when you are explaining why you deleted a comment. To save time and trouble, maybe you should just come up with some basic deletion categories to post when you delete a comment like: TMI, False Doctrine, Too speculative, Anti-Mormon, Abusive, “you didn’t get the joke and I’ll spare your humiliation,” “Anti-chicken wing,” “Oh, no you figured out my secret identity” etc.
As another mmm, I agree and appreciate your censorship. I almost wrote a comment yesterday lamenting the number of so-called “LDS oriented” blogs. I’m a convert. I have never spent one minute on any blogs, offical or otherwise, relating to my “old” church. Yet, ex-mormons and disaffected mormons seem to have made tearing down the church a day job. Keep up the good work as moderator.
People seem so afraid today to stand up and choose the right. I’d rather risk offending a few to not have anyone close to me think I don’t stand for something.
I have followed your blog for a year or so and find it interesting what you delete. Once in a while I catch a comment before you remove it. I know what you stand for and won’t tolerate. I, like many of your other readers, appreciate the efforts you make to steer the posts to something positive. I also know that you allow people to respectfully disagree with you. It amazes me how many people don’t want to respectfully disagree.
Well said, MMM!! Appreciated yesterday’s post very much.
Bravo! Well said. I enjoy reading your blog and applaud your use of the Delete key when necessary. It’s your blog so you make the rules.
I think it is too bad that you have had the negative comments. I actually appreciate that you choose to use the delete button and make this a safe place.
Have a great day!
I can just see you standing about, high on the city wall, proclaiming the Gospel Truths! Way to go, Keep it up! Love this post.
You’re not the first to have to eliminate the trolls, or enable comment moderation. Luckily, the trolls, in time, will move on, and you might be able to take off moderation (or at least only enable it for anything you feel may stir the pot). But yes! Wear it as a badge! It means you got something right. Rarely do the anti’s come crawling out unless their well-hidden guilt or self-justified hatred is pricked, and I’ve learned over time that it’s just not worth responding to their wrath. Delete away!
I always seem to miss the hate posts on your blog but I’m ok with that. I don’t like confrontation. Mainly because I have a nasty habit of taking the bait and firing back. But I’m getting better! Keep up the great work!
Sharline: That is funny!
ugh! I think it did!!! *sigh*
As soon as I started reading the post for today I immediately wondered if you would have to approve comments before they are added. Bummer. But its understandable. Good for you, for staying in control of what comments are added. It will definitely make the blog all the more pleasant, knowing that bashing and ridicule won’t be among the things that we read while visiting. And good for you, for writing such a great post yesterday! I’m glad it got so much traffic! I know I shared it on FB, and in turn some people that don’t read your blog shared it on their FB, too!
I’m glad you’re out there, MMM! (now lets hope this doesn’t post under Ben today)