Toxic Fanboy.
You know, that fanboy who expects specific things in their fandom(s), anything not matching up and they get furious. What about when the one making the rules gets viewed as toxic?
It's as bizarre as if Mike Pondsmith, creator of the Cyberpunk 2020 tabletop game, were viewed as a toxic fanboy because people didn't play by the rules he set up for the game. As such, God created not only the universe, He also set up every scientific law that keeps this universe in check. If the theory of the Multiverse holds up, He set those up as well, no doubt in my mind.
So, to put it bluntly, God's not the toxic fanboy, we are. The atheists and skeptics, definitely, but many in the church have become vehemently toxic fanboys as well. The street preacher who condemn the college kid with tattoos. The church secretary who found out a new female member of the congregation used to be a hooker. The anti-gay pastor who constantly uses vulgar homophobic slurs and epithets during his sermons. The church member who secretly believes anyone not of his/her skin color won't go to heaven.
Toxic fanboys.
Sadly, they've existed centuries before pop cons and fandoms became a thing at all. After all, the devil is so jealous of God's power and following, he will always seek a way to bring His kingdom down. And yet, no matter how many cults, twisted sects, and false religions pop up, God's Kingdom still sticks around. 2,000 years after the church started up, after numerous subtle attacks from outside AND inside the church, I can tell the intention was not so much about bringing a building to bare pieces but to have people worship a distorted image of God. What better way than have influential people give bad ideas of the good God? Today, we're super sensitive about hearing someone down some influential pastor we like and stand our ground, "Judge not!," or what ever other scripture literally anyone can take out of context (that verse has quite a few other words in regards to a measurement of judging that aren't as popular as those first two words). Yet, Paul (aka, The Apostle Formerly Known as Saul [the Persecutor]) had no shame nor regrets in calling out several people he identified as heretics (including a blacksmith) and firmly commanded that if a Christian knew of any other heretics, they should do a shout out to inform.
Who cried out against him? To my knowledge, not the heretics themselves. It was either the followers of the heretics or new Christians who'd only heard of Paul as a persecutor and knew him to not be one of the Disciples of Christ. He effectively put those arguments to rest with the authority God put in him. Reading his letters is an excellent way of dealing with toxic fanboys in the church.
In fact, believe it or not, I remember having been one of those toxic fanboys, what Paul called a "quarrel-seeker," but it took hearing a sermon on the roots of anger by one pastor AND a sermon on letting go of your sins for me to realize what was wrong. Right after that second sermon, I took time to pray fervently, forwardly, and fiercely to God about my darkest sins, borderline demanding/begging for forgiveness and definitely got rid of the anger that connected to this demented desire to seek arguments with people and groups that I knew held onto cultic beliefs.
No more. My folks have noticed that change as well. I've quit being a toxic fanboy. So, remember, the One who creates the rules of the game can never be a toxic fanboy, only the fans who don't like this rule (that came out of nowhere) or that rule (because it goes against their preferences).
Just because you (or I) don't always like the rules doesn't mean they're not for our benefits.
