A question about all these *CATHOLIC ONLY* threads -- help a schismatic out, please!

[dzheremi]

Hello all,

I am just curious, after seeing my participation in one such thread erased despite no protests from the Catholics in it about what I had written, which was in favor of the traditional Catholic position (I think it even got one like from one of them)...

Is the purpose of marking a thread *CATHOLIC ONLY* that only Catholics can reply to it, or to make it clear that the topic itself is not up for debate from non-Catholic outsiders? I know that this particular board has had a lot of problems with people coming in and posting whatever they wish and then saying "Oh, I didn't realize I was on the Roman Catholic board; oops" (aside: am I the only one who checks what board I'm on before I post? I mean, everyone's human and bound to make mistakes, but come on folks...it's not that hard!), but I just want to get some clarification here from people who actually post here who are Catholic regarding what it is they intend by marking a thread that way.

It seems like an awful lot of threads are marked like that, including ones from people I have had many good and edifying conversations with (Michie, for instance), so I would not want to transgress the boundaries they have set, but at the same time I have a hard time imagining that they would want to purposely exclude those who understand and follow the rule common to all the confessional forums (i.e., that one may not post against the faith of the forum on said forum).

Thanks for your time and help.

 

[Anhelyna]

I think we have to put it down to what we in TAW would suggest is the effect of the Fast . Yes we all get a bit cranky and oversensitive at these times and as a result our flash point is rather low.

 

[AvilaSurfer]

Hello all,

I am just curious, .......

Is the purpose of marking a thread *CATHOLIC ONLY* that only Catholics can reply to it-

Yes

 

[Michie]

Hello all,

I am just curious, after seeing my participation in one such thread erased despite no protests from the Catholics in it about what I had written, which was in favor of the traditional Catholic position (I think it even got one like from one of them)...

Is the purpose of marking a thread *CATHOLIC ONLY* that only Catholics can reply to it, or to make it clear that the topic itself is not up for debate from non-Catholic outsiders? I know that this particular board has had a lot of problems with people coming in and posting whatever they wish and then saying "Oh, I didn't realize I was on the Roman Catholic board; oops" (aside: am I the only one who checks what board I'm on before I post? I mean, everyone's human and bound to make mistakes, but come on folks...it's not that hard!), but I just want to get some clarification here from people who actually post here who are Catholic regarding what it is they intend by marking a thread that way.

It seems like an awful lot of threads are marked like that, including ones from people I have had many good and edifying conversations with (Michie, for instance), so I would not want to transgress the boundaries they have set, but at the same time I have a hard time imagining that they would want to purposely exclude those who understand and follow the rule common to all the confessional forums (i.e., that one may not post against the faith of the forum on said forum).

Thanks for your time and help.

It because of the debate from outsiders. Or teaching, disrespect of the Catholic faith and Catholics in general. A lot of us got fed up with it. It derailed the topic and sincere discussion was never had.

We have a lot of friends who are not Catholic (including you) that have always been respectful and friendly who I fully expect to feel ok commenting because you are never rude, disrespectful and have even defended the faith. There are several converts like me that know the routine as ex-Protestants and are absolutely sick of it. We want people like you to come in and fellowship with us. The other types? Not so much. A safe haven should not have to go to these extremes but it seems we do. We want a more edifying, kinder, reasoning OBOB. Not one where it's the place to get your entertainment by rudeness and harsh, unreasoning debate that does not do anyone or the forum in general any good.

 

[Sam91]

Hello all,

I am just curious, after seeing my participation in one such thread erased despite no protests from the Catholics in it about what I had written, which was in favor of the traditional Catholic position (I think it even got one like from one of them)...

Is the purpose of marking a thread *CATHOLIC ONLY* that only Catholics can reply to it, or to make it clear that the topic itself is not up for debate from non-Catholic outsiders? I know that this particular board has had a lot of problems with people coming in and posting whatever they wish and then saying "Oh, I didn't realize I was on the Roman Catholic board; oops" (aside: am I the only one who checks what board I'm on before I post? I mean, everyone's human and bound to make mistakes, but come on folks...it's not that hard!), but I just want to get some clarification here from people who actually post here who are Catholic regarding what it is they intend by marking a thread that way.

It seems like an awful lot of threads are marked like that, including ones from people I have had many good and edifying conversations with (Michie, for instance), so I would not want to transgress the boundaries they have set, but at the same time I have a hard time imagining that they would want to purposely exclude those who understand and follow the rule common to all the confessional forums (i.e., that one may not post against the faith of the forum on said forum).

Thanks for your time and help.

(Non Catholic)

I actually welcome seeing 'catholics only' on a thread title. It alerts me to which forum it is in. I do not check which forum something is in before I reply. If I notice Catholic phrases in a thread I then realise and go back to the thread list.

God bless

 

[Tree of Life]

Yes

Simply putting *CATHOLIC ONLY* in the title of a thread is not binding on anyone according to CF's rules. Anyone is allowed to post in the OBOB section. It's just that non-Catholics are not allowed to debate there or to teach/promote non-Catholic positions.

So long as you're not debating or teaching a non-Catholic position, you can post wherever you like. Even if the OP thinks he has the authority to bar all non-Catholics from his thread, he does not!

 

[dzheremi]

Thank you for your replies, AvilaSurfer and Michie. It seems like there are multiple uses of the tag, so the best way to know whether or not you can reply is to check who posted the thread and then try to remember what their thoughts on this were.

I hope all the other people who use that tag will reply to this thread with their own thoughts, then, so that we non-Catholics who might want to participate in OBOB can keep straight where we can and cannot post!

 

[Michie]

Tree of Life-

Look, we just had a moderator in the other day that said that you should respect the *Catholics only* title.

 

[Sam91]

Which I agree with. Same as if someone wanted *men only* opinions or advice

 

[Michie]

You are always welcome in OBOB. Everyone is. It just depends on how they use it. We have many come on here combative from the get go. Or very insincere questioning that does go against our faith and is a way of brinking debate. And no, you cannot debate anything as long as it is not related to Catholicism as another poster said. The forum is about discussing and viewing things from the Catholic perspective. It's funny how the the board is pretty much designed for debate yet they keep landing here repeatedly to do it.

Thank you for your replies, AvilaSurfer and Michie. It seems like there are multiple uses of the tag, so the best way to know whether or not you can reply is to check who posted the thread and then try to remember what their thoughts on this were.

I hope all the other people who use that tag will reply to this thread with their own thoughts, then, so that we non-Catholics who might want to participate in OBOB can keep straight where we can and cannot post!

 

[Gnarwhal]

Hello all,

I am just curious, after seeing my participation in one such thread erased despite no protests from the Catholics in it about what I had written, which was in favor of the traditional Catholic position (I think it even got one like from one of them)...

Is the purpose of marking a thread *CATHOLIC ONLY* that only Catholics can reply to it, or to make it clear that the topic itself is not up for debate from non-Catholic outsiders? I know that this particular board has had a lot of problems with people coming in and posting whatever they wish and then saying "Oh, I didn't realize I was on the Roman Catholic board; oops" (aside: am I the only one who checks what board I'm on before I post? I mean, everyone's human and bound to make mistakes, but come on folks...it's not that hard!), but I just want to get some clarification here from people who actually post here who are Catholic regarding what it is they intend by marking a thread that way.

It seems like an awful lot of threads are marked like that, including ones from people I have had many good and edifying conversations with (Michie, for instance), so I would not want to transgress the boundaries they have set, but at the same time I have a hard time imagining that they would want to purposely exclude those who understand and follow the rule common to all the confessional forums (i.e., that one may not post against the faith of the forum on said forum).

Thanks for your time and help.

I take full responsibility for starting the trend.

I'm 100% intentional in labeling the titles of my threads with "Catholics ONLY" when the subject matter pertains to the Catholic Church. In other words, when I have a question, or am looking for commentary on Catholic theology, history, Saints, Popes, other current and former clergy, parish(es), etc I do not want to waste my time sifting through unsolicited input from people who aren't Catholic.

I come to OBOB specifically because I am Catholic and I want to hear from other Catholics. If I want input from Orthodox, I'll go to TAW, if I want input from presbyterians, I'll go to their sub, if I want general input from every stripe of protestant out there, I'll go to GT, so on and so forth.

It didn't used to be quite as much of an issue, outsiders coming in here and intruding on our threads. But for some reason, the way the forum has been reworked over the past couple years has lead to a lot of individuals coming in here and violating the rules. Especially with that damned sidebar.

Sometimes it's unintentional and people genuinely didn't realize they were in OBOB, they respectfully bow out and I personally have no problem with that and understand the mistake. There are others though who openly defy the rules because they think they're on some evangelical crusade to save Catholics, and thus it's God's will that they defy forum rules and insult the Church.

Now, I realize there are folks around here who have been around a long time. They've been a part of OBOB's history even though they're not (or no longer) Catholic, but they understand the dynamics of the forum and are a pleasure to interact with. That's A-OK with me.

I personally think it saves everyone time when someone like myself is looking specifically for Catholic input on Catholic teaching, for example, to filter the responses by indicating I only want Catholics to respond.

If people disagree with that strategy, they don't have to duplicate it. But the Congregational Forums were put here for a reason, and what I'm doing is just an additional reminder of that.

 

[Rhamiel]

(Non Catholic)

I actually welcome seeing 'catholics only' on a thread title. It alerts me to which forum it is in. I do not check which forum something is in before I reply. If I notice Catholic phrases in a thread I then realise and go back to the thread list.

God bless

basically this
so many come in preaching and teaching and when they are corrected they say "oh I did not know what forum this was on, I just look at 'New Posts' section"

 

[Sam91]

basically this
so many come in preaching and teaching and when they are corrected they say "oh I did not know what forum this was on, I just look at 'New Posts' section"

Except that it hasn't happened in this forum to me yet, I owe that to the forethought of people writing *Catholics only*. Thank you!

It happened to me twice in the discussion and debate forum. That is like falling into a lions den when you unwittingly post there!

 

[Sam91]

And I have replied a few times in the over 50's forum

 

[dzheremi]

Thank you, everyone. I really appreciate it. I just wanted to make sure that I understood as a non-Catholic where the boundaries are. so that my presence here (small as it is) would not be in violation of the rules or an unwelcome irritation to the posters. I guess having my post deleted in the priestly celibacy thread got me wondering if I had broken the rules simply by posting, so I appreciate the clarification and diverse opinions among the Catholic posters who have replied. I'll try to keep them all in mind if I post here in the future.

(Unrelated p.s. - Fenwick, I love your avatar and sidebar text. Go Giants!)

 

[AvilaSurfer]

Simply putting *CATHOLIC ONLY* in the title of a thread is not binding on anyone according to CF's rules. Anyone is allowed to post in the OBOB section. It's just that non-Catholics are not allowed to debate there or to teach/promote non-Catholic positions.

So long as you're not debating or teaching a non-Catholic position, you can post wherever you like. Even if the OP thinks he has the authority to bar all non-Catholics from his thread, he does not!

He asked, I answered. You want to argue? Have fun with yourself.

 

[Gnarwhal]

(Unrelated p.s. - Fenwick, I love your avatar and sidebar text. Go Giants!)

YEA BABY!

 

[AvilaSurfer]

YEA BABY!

Giants suck. Go Dodgers.

 

[dzheremi]

Giants suck. Go Dodgers.

Yeaaaah...perhaps a moderator should close this thread now, before things get really heated.

BEAT L.A.!

 

[Gnarwhal]

Giants suck. Go Dodgers.

I can't hear you over the sound of our EIGHT WORLD SERIES TITLES.