Negative or Positive

So I feel the need to express this and I hope that people take it the right way...but I feel like much of the BCM has a very negative atmosphere to it. Sarcasm is fun and hilarious at times, but I feel like at times our BCM has fallen victim to sarcasm going too far. Recently a friend from outside the BCM sarcastically stated "wow...i can tell the BCM is quite the uplifting place" after witnessing interaction between two BCM members. I know she was joking, but still...what are we saying to nonchristians through our negative interactions with each other? Why would anyone ever want to become involved in a place that is known for tearing each other down and constantly using other people as a source of amusement. I'm not saying I'm fault-free here...quite the opposite actually...but I think it's definitely something we all need to think about. I know I have become more and more sarcastic as the year has gone on and I'm worried about what has resulted from that. I think it's important to remember that what we say and what we do directly affects everyone around us and can even cause other people to turn away from Christ or the BCM or even to cause other people to deal with the temptation to sin. As a female, I have been reminded that what I wear and how I act not only affects my life, but can cause other people to sin. If a female is not dressed appropriately when around males, she can become a source of temptation - and I feel like not acknowledging this and being careful of this is incredibly selfish. With this said, the same goes for our words and actions. Through what we say, we can cause another person to be tempted to lash out in anger or become frustrated and even turn from God by sinning. The only truly selfless thing to do is to make sure we watch what we say so we don't become a temptation towards hate or bitterness for other people. Maybe the BCM is actually a very positive place and this was just one not so wonderful example of a negative interaction, but I guess I kinda feel like it might be more than that. Maybe I'm wrong, but if nothing else...it's something to think about. Through our actions and words, are we building the self-centered hypocritical christian stereotype or tearing it down? I feel my guilt. Let's change.