@happyme - See what I mean? You always zero in on the "meat of the matter." I recommended you because the concerns expressed in our conversations echo the concerns expressed in their conversations. A meeting of minds?
Reputation scores are another mystery for me, and my poor mentor had no choice. I adopted him and he's just too kind to refuse. His score is in the 50's like yours and he considers himself an "inquiring mind" I think.
Like you, when I finally started here, I only commented and replied. My very first comment was a reply to Carl's comment having to do with reasons other than earning power that might attract Steemit users. Carl encouraged me to post and I explained that I'm not quite there yet. I didn't tell him that I don't know how to use Markdown. So I just kept wandering about finding matters of interest, posting opinions and asking questions. And usually those writers were already well established. Occasionally, they would reply. I consider @mattclarke my cryptocurrency mentor who has been nudging me along with explanations about "the market." I have frankly admitted to him that I don't understand a word he says but as the information is absorbed, it is re-digested much later (like a cow chewing cud). Matt recently converted a large block of Bitcoin into Steem and now offers SP for lease. Since you are forming "an influence community" to address our concerns, I think that you and Matt should talk.
But I still don't know how the reputation scores are calculated. Once I even saw a quick jump from 31 to 33, skipping 32 altogether. (I felt the same way about skipping first grade. How did this happen?)
But you know, @happyme , there's a tiny little voice whispering in my head saying, "Ignore the score and speak the truth." The little voice is warning me that truth is not popular, nor is the gospel. Flags and downvotes are out there. And the subjects that deeply stir me as a "Biblical Christian activist" are very controversial. So I'm trying to prepare myself to be faithful "in season and out of season." - 2 Timothy 4:2
I'm so glad that we met. Your clarity and energy are inspiring. God bless you.
Thank-you @sarahspeaks144.
Reputation scores are of little value other than to indicate how many up-votes one has received and/or votes with lots of SP. Since the system is based on SP, when a whale up-votes you, they can greatly increase your rep. whereas when a Redfish up-votes you, they do very little to your reputation. In other words, it takes a lot of minnows to show approval of your content, but just one whale can make your reputation jump or skip a level. Power is everything. The idea behind reputation is simply an indicator of your status... are you considered by those in power as worthy of reading or not? Its basically a popularity contest, weighted by the SP of those who vote for you.
Congratulations if you are absorbing the cryptocurrency knowledge. I'm a Luddite in that department. I'm not a trader nor an experienced investor of securities. I understand things like bank accounts and real-estate, but that's my limit.
Speaking the "truth" is a complex thing to do, because everyone's truth is slightly different. We see things from differing perspectives and that CAN cause heated discussions. If one is here simply to earn Steem, then it is imperative to speak only of safe topics and stay positive and friendly to all. Make no enemies.
I find it difficult to hide behind a mask and pretend I'm someone that I'm not. I enjoy a good laugh like anyone else, but I can become frustrated and when I do, I say so. If I see injustice, I find it hard not to get involved. However, I'm also not closed-minded, so enjoy a good debate about topics that I can lean and/or teach about. Sharing ideas openly and respectfully is the only way to broaden our understanding of things.
I hope it doesn't destroy our mutual respect for each other if I tell you that I am not a Christian. I am a seeker of the truth and although I have on-going discussions with people of various religions, I have not been convinced by any of them that everything they believe is the actual truth. Of course there is a certain amount of truth in most religions, but they can't all be right at the same time if they contradict one another. I'm not against any religion as long as that religion causes no harm to others. There is obvious benefit for having religion and I acknowledge that. It is in the interpretations where I sometimes have a difficult time finding agreement.
@happyme - We’ve been writing back and forth so often that I didn’t realize I had not responded to this comment. I thought we had moved to the chat room, but when I left a DM there, you had already visited and gone. Such are the challenges of finding an immediate interface. I wrote a very long reply that disappeared into a place called, “loading,” from which it never returned. So here we go.
Your most important paragraph begins with the sentence, “I hope it doesn’t destroy our mutual respect for each other if I tell you that I am not a Christian.”
Of course not. That could never happen. Respect is not based on religious beliefs. Respect is earned by conduct and character. When compared with the standard we claim to emulate, Jesus Christ Himself, most “Christians” are not. I’ve just been stalked all over YouTube by a name-changing avatar and troll who pretends to have been “researching” Biblical text for more than 40 years. But the behavior was so psychopathic and abusive that I finally warned him that cyberstalking is against the law and if he were reported and located, he would be arrested.
The simplicity of faith in Jesus Christ is not initially theological but experiential. “We love Him because He first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19
God created each soul with an intrinsic desire to seek Him, an intrinsic ability to recognize Him, and an intrinsic capacity to know Him intimately. As Creator, He is the only Being in the universe Who has that power, and by that power He cannot be confused with or mistaken for any created being. He is unique, inimitable, approachable, and His greatest longing is that we, His creation, respond to His love. When we simply ask, “God, who are you?” He answers, “And ye shall seek Me and find Me when ye search for Me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29-13
This is a promise from God Himself which can never be broken. So the journey begins there.
You write, "It is in the interpretations where I sometimes have a difficult time finding agreement."
Yes, it is quite impossible for lies and truth to agree, and that sentence has caused religious wars since Cain killed Abel. But God doesn't begin with theological debates. He begins with an invitation to form an exclusive relationship with Himself, a relationship that will never end and cannot be intruded upon. In that unique and deeply personal union, He reveals Himself. His name is Jesus.
Thank-you!
I suspected you were more logical about such issues, but there are some who claim to be highly "Christian" yet fail to live by the "word". They immediately feel superior and look upon others as less than human if you don't belong to their 'society'.
@happyme - Yes, those "Christians" mistreat everyone including other believers. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes immersed themselves in Mosaic law and the writings of the prophets yet failed to recognize the Messiah Himself when he lived among them. And they were also the spiritual leaders who conspired to have Him crucified. When Jesus exhorts believers to take up the cross and follow Him, He literally means that everyone who confesses sin, begs forgiveness, and asks to be cleansed and restored to the original image of God in Christ Jesus should also follow Him to the cross according to our individual calling. Peter writes, "Make your calling and election sure." - 2 Peter 1:10
Biblical Christianity is an eternal commitment to live in Christ and to repent when we fail to do so. Neither the Crusades nor the Spanish Inquisition nor the Salem witch trials reflected the Spirit of God. Our only commandment is to love God, love one another, love our neighbors and our enemies, speak the truth in love, and leave the rest to the Father through the Son by the Spirit. That is already a great deal and much more than many of us have demonstrated.
Amen to that!