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In Reply to: Re: Please let the "youth" issue die posted by Coordinator on September 30, 2008 at 05:35:55:
Coordinator said: "Please leave the "youth" issue alone if you have no reason to be personally offended."
But I do have reason to be personally offended, which I've tried to explain in other posts. Let me try again. My first response to Don was a short, angry outburst. As I acknowledged in the next post, I was shooting from the hip (speak or act recklessly or impulsively), in other words, I was triggered by Don's post.
The issue of "ministering" to youth, which to me means, indoctrinating, is a very sensitive one to me. I was manipulated, exploited and abused by religious leaders when I was a "youth". As I was reading the posts that started this thread and then came across Don's post, it set me off and my first post was angry and hyperbolic (eg. all clergy are wolves).
Just like in that other situation you refer to, when I tried to explain myself and why I reacted the way I did initially, Don just didn't get it. So I kept trying to get him to see where I'm coming from by explaining why "ministering to youth" disturbed me.
I must say I'm a bit dismayed by your reaction. I really don't understand the double standard here. Why do you minimize the effect Don's posts had on me? It's not just that he said "I have a youth ministry", but it was the context in which he said it. Don't you think it is also "tricky territory" to talk on the GenX board about needing more money to minister to youth? Why can't you see how that could be highly offensive and triggering to some people here, or do you think it is "only natural" for an SG to be triggered and offended here but not an FG? I really don't get the apparent inconsistency.
I'm sorry, but I don't agree that my posts created an obligation for you to explain more about the "youth" issue. You haven't provided any further explanation that wasn't already covered in your other posts on the issue. All you had to do is accept that it is possible that the "youth" issue can trigger and offend FGs as well as SGs. I was merely elaborating for Don the reasons why his posts triggered that first angry reaction from me, and to do that it was necessary to explain why "ministering to youth" is offensive to me.
Me and Don will never see eye to eye on this issue, and that's a good thing. It means we're no longer in the cult, we can disagree on anything, we can argue and debate, and yes, we can even be angry and offensive. But if you, as a coordinator, are going to police everything that is said here, then please do it fairly, equally and consistently.
