Play Nice or Play Elsewhere

There’s a new/old sheriff in town, and she’s had cancer.

What does that mean?

It means that I’m going to attempt to post here on Patheos once again in a fairly regular fashion. But I’m tired, worn and no longer have the energy and patience for nasty people who come here to exercise their inner jerk.

The main reason I’m back here at all is that Public Catholic has become a safe and happy on-line community for some of the most wonderful people I’ve interacted with in a long time. I enjoy the wealth of thinking and good-will that you bring to discussions of public events, and I treasure your good hearts and the camaraderie you’ve developed.

I guess what I’m saying is that the good people here at Public Catholic have formed into such a generous and thoughtful group, that they make the trolls and bizarros worth the candle.

However, I am not able or willing to suffer the emotional angst of dealing with abusive and nutty people. I’m also not going to allow this blog to become a dumping ground for anti-Christian, anti-Catholic, thinking. I don’t write for that purpose and I will not allow my blog to become a forum for those who want to destroy the things I believe in.

The reason Public Catholic developed such a warm community of good people who are able to interact without fear of being flamed is that I never tolerated that kind of behavior. The difference now is that I’m all through mud-wrestling. I don’t have the gas in my tank to deal with these folks. They have many places, right here on Patheos, indeed, right here at Patheos Catholic, where they can act out to their hearts’ content.

But Public Catholic exists to empower Christians to engage the world for Christ. That is its only reason for being. I don’t demand that those who comment here actually be Christians — several regulars are not — and I certainly do not demand that we all agree about issues. That would be counter-productive. Thinking together helps us grow and find solutions for the issues and problems facing us as Christians, Americans and human beings.

However, I’m going to be exceedingly quick to delete the nasties and tribal attackers. I will do whatever I have to do to keep my own energy and peace of mind going, and that means limiting my engagement with the negativity and hate of Christian bashers.

There’s a new/old sheriff in town. And she’s had cancer. What that means to Public Catholic readers is that I cherish each of you, and want to provide you a safe place for thinking through the issues of the day together. Public Catholic’s regular readers are such good people who elevate the public debate with their thoughtful thinking. You are the reason I decided to come back to Patheos.

But this is fair warning to the trolls: I’m not going to allow even the least little bit of nasty. Play nice or play elsewhere.

This is a Catholic, Christian blog. That viewpoint is the one that I promote with both pride and passion. There is no reason to come to Public Catholic and then feign surprise and outrage because the viewpoints it expresses are actually Catholic.

You don’t have to agree with me, but if you find my commitment to Jesus Christ so offensive that you can not put a leash on your vitriol, I encourage you to go to another blog where that kind of behavior is welcome, and express yourself there.

I’m going to close this down now and turn to other matters. Have a holy and happy Sabbath, my friends. Public Catholic readers are the best, most thoughtful folks out there.