WOF - Non WOF Problem

I would like to ask the WOF members a couple of questions. I am not asking on behalf of the advisors, but for my own information as the adminstrator for ET. Please do not use this thread to insult / flame any other members.

Would you prefer WOF to be a stand alone forum instead of part of the SF/C forum?

• If yes, do you think it would solve the problem with the constant attacks against WOF?
• If no, what do you think can be done to deal with the issue?

If WOF & Non WOF are split off into their own stand alone forums, is there any purpose for SF/C to remain?

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This issue seems to come up at least once a year, or at least it has for as long as I've been here...

When I was on staff here, there were 3 or 4 times when it was suggested that we move WoF to its own congregational forum. I thought then, and still think now, that this is a mistake that facilitates and even encourages further division in the body of Christ.

Contrary to what some believe about me, I think discussing/debating various doctrines is encouraging when done in a respectful, honest way. However, I don't think that most of the discussions that we have here at CF are either respectful or honoring toward one another. THAT, I believe, is the problem, and I am just as guilty as the next guy.

IMO, if we split apart, we are excusing this behavior, and sending each one to their own room without supper. This really doesn't address the core issue however, and will create, IMO, a false sense of "peace". In reality, the root issue will remain in us, because instead of dealing with ourselves, we just split up (again). That's not peace. It's silence.

Instead, I believe the onus is on us (ALL of us, WoF or non-WoF) to go to God, and ask Him to help us Love those who persecute us and say all kinds of evil about us. Like Neph said in the debate forum, we really don't have the right to get upset when people slander us and say all kinds of false things about us.

Not only that, but we need to begin to rightly discern THE BODY of Christ. Whether we're in doctrinal agreement or not, we need to see others as our brothers and sisters, not making it our goal to constantly point out flaws and correct one another's errors, but really listening to one another, learning from one another, realizing that each part of His body serves a different purpose and that NONE of us have all the answers. We are to be known as Christ's disciples by our Love for one another, not by our doctrinal perfection or agreement.

Anyway, those are just my thoughts. Perhaps it sounds like an ideal that can never be achieved, but I believe that all things are possible with God.

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I agree with you. It is the ideal and what we should all be striving for

The question is how to get there

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Changes have already been approved about a year ago, but were never implemented.

http://www.christianforums.com/t7253303/

The name of the "non-wof" still has not been changed. They admins said it would tale place as soon as the conversion was completed. It never happened.

The promotion of WoF to full Congregational status just fizzed out.

Of course given the fact that only a handful remain... I suppose it does not matter anymore. Too late now.
The Non-WoF forum averages maybe one or two active threads a week, while the WoF forum does a little better. The main forum is pretty slow except for thread games. The debate forum gets busy sometimes.
Some people suggest that moving debate to the subforum took away from the main. Others suggest that the entire CF community has diminished greatly in the last year or so.
I am not sure making changes now would matter. As long as people are allowed to come and make repeated unstubstantiated accusations against others...
Who needs that???

i would recommend that the debate forum be done away with.
all it did was to add fuel to the fire, prolong the battle, and legitimize/excuse the presence of flames on both sides.

if all the posts in the main forum were held to the following standards we wouldn't have any problems:

Messages posted to this board must be polite and free of personal attacks, threats, and crude or sexually-explicit language, rude comments and innuendo.

that quote is from the preamble to the CF rules. if it were put as a sticky in the main forum and all the posts were expected to conform or else be cited by staff, (and staff were committed to enforcing it) it would probably go a long way to helping foster good communication.

we have the tools already available to ensure that there is good and helpful communication for everyone in the Sf/C forum. But all the tools in the world won't help if they aren't utilized.

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Psalms 89:14
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.
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Technically the debate forum is subject to the same rules

I agree though, the rules are only any good if they are enforced.

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Originally Posted by pdudgeon

i would recommend that the debate forum be done away with.
all it did was to add fuel to the fire, prolong the battle, and legitimize/excuse the presence of flames on both sides.

if all the posts in the main forum were held to the following standards we wouldn't have any problems:


that quote is from the preamble to the CF rules. if it were put as a sticky in the main forum and all the posts were expected to conform or else be cited by staff, (and staff were committed to enforcing it) it would probably go a long way to helping foster good communication.

we have the tools already available to ensure that there is good and helpful communication for everyone in the Sf/C forum. But all the tools in the world won't help if they aren't utilized.

Another suggestion would be to sticky the two or three hot topics - If you eliminate Healing, Faith and positive confession, 99% of the fight is gone.

By creating a sticky for each - anyone opening a repetitious could be directed to post there by staff -

This way, everyone can have their say and we would not be opening the same arguments time after time.

A search of the history of the most volatile threads will reveal an enormous amount of information - it will show that the OP's are authored by an extremely small percentage of posters and that the threads are duplicates of others from just months ago.

These threads promulgates until there is an all out word battle that always ends the same. Threads being closed, and staff action. Followed by 90 to 120 days of relative clam and then the whole thing starts again.

I think the vast majority of poster want peace and open debate - I would welcome lively debate.

There are several who are not interested in debate or peace. That's why I have my signature - The link, I believe shows the validity of the claim.

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Good idea.
We should compile a list of these topics.

That is a great suggestion Balance Staff would definitely have to be diligent about keeping it cleaned up though since most threads on these subjects get closed or deleted for rule violations.

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Originally Posted by rmw8855

Technically the debate forum is subject to the same rules

I agree though, the rules are only any good if they are enforced.

but in practice that has not been the case. the excuse is always 'Oh but it's in the debate forum, so the usual rules are relaxed to allow for debate."
and they've been 'very relaxed' on occasion.

that's why i said get rid of the debate section. it hasn't worked.

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Psalms 89:14
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.
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