Aaaah... that is what some would think, but... many people come to CF searching and sincerely seeking and the first people they will turn to is a moderator and thus... being a moderator is not only janitorial, but also ministerial... it's a combo platter. Also, there will be Christians who are struggling and they will seek out a moderator to ask questions and request prayers.
Saying that being a mod is both ministerial and janitorial is begging the question. Say someone comes to a non-Christian mod and asks for spiritual guidance. It's as simple as explaining that one isn't a Christian and that if they are looking for guidance they ought to consider speaking with the ministerial staff. If a member chooses to speak to the mod anyway, then that is their choice and the resulting conversation is between them, just as it is now.
And btw, it has long been my impression that the PMs going back and forth between mods and some members have long contained some of the most objectionable content on the site. Adding non-Christian mods to the mix, even with the possibility that one may actually give non-Christian advice, would hardly make things worse.
No, being a mod is not merely janitorial. The ability to facilitate discussion is not to be taken lightly; the sight has often suffered from debate mods who could not follow an argument. If non-Christians have that skill and place themselves at the disposal of the site, I think it would be a shame to turn it down. If that means someone gets referred to a book they wouldn't otherwise have heard about, then honestly, it's the least of horrors.
So, being a moderator is 2 things... that go hand n hand... janitorial and ministerial. That is why only Christians should be moderators. But at the same time, those who are not Christians should still be able to serve CF in some other capacity. Why? Because all of us who are apart of this community should serve in some capacity or another.
So, what capacity would that be? Should they just not be called moderators.
And BTW: The whole point of a ministerial team is that it gives you an asset, not that it gives you a pre-emptive strike against non-Christian views. It's someone who can help, and who would be qualified to do so, not necessarily someone you need to get in their first.
As it stands, the fear that a non-Christian could mislead is hardly more real than the fear that a gung-ho kid with half a Bible and a burr in a delicate place could mislead under the old CF. Misleading is a real possibility one way or another. If folks got serious about makiing sure ministers really were qualified, you'd have a real asset to help people in a variety of ways. It'd be a shame to see that turned down because pre-empting the prospect of non-Christian mods was a higher priority.
