"She Called Me A Troll..."

Its WoW (not gang signs!)

So believe it or not, there was once a time when Elder Butler and I were companions as missionaries (see having a friend=Missionary companionship). We had some pretty good experiences together, and I remember this one instance in which Elder Butler and I were trying to teach this guy in Billings (we'll just call him Joe). Suffice it to say that Joe was a pretty interesting guy... So we were talking to him, and he started to go a bit off topic and tell us about this girl. Yada, yada, yada, and he said something that really made us giggle inside due to the fact that we are WoW fanboys. Joe said "...She called me a troll man!"

You might be asking yourself, "Why would Elder Butler and Elder Cabral laugh at this poor man, who had just been called a troll?" The answer is quite simple, although there is more than one meaning to the word troll...
Off the bat, one may think of the mythical creature, which is also a playable race in the online sensation World of Warcraft, and a lot greater of an insult. Another meaning of the word troll is someone that deliberately posts things in comments, forums, etc. to grief others, make them mad, or purely for lols. This internet troll appears frequently in the World of Warcraft community, and I'm sure that many players have encountered this infamous internet personality.

Internet Trollface

I very well may be the first to admit that there have been times, probably more in real life than on the internet,  that I have been a troll. Being the older brother of 6 siblings usually leads to a troll-like personality in my opinion, and I can see a lot of times when I subconsciously try to grief or put someone down.  But it doesn't have to be that way! One of my favorite scriptures pertaining to the words we speak and their effects can be found in the New Testament of the Bible in the Book of James. In James 3: 2-5  we read:


2. For in many things we ^aoffend all. If any man ^boffend not in ^cword, the same is a ^dperfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

3. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

4. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the ^agovernor listeth.

5. Even so the tongue is a little member, and ^aboasteth great things. Behold, how great a ^bmatter a little fire kindleth!

This scripture makes some great comparisons! Think of the bridle that is put in the mouth of a horse. This small thing allows a rider to guide the horse exactly in the direction that he desires. In the same way the rudder of a ship, even though it is a small, controls exactly where the ship goes. Our mouths and words may seem like a small thing, but they can greatly influence the things that we do. As James states "How great a matter a little fire kindleth!" I personally can count many instances even in which not using the best words in a situation has lead to trouble. How much more then can using degrading and obscene words, and putting others down affect ourselves and the relationships we have with others?

In closing I would just want to say as many internet users have said before "Don't feed the trolls", and I'd like to add, "Don't be a troll either!"