- Jan 21, 2007
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I'm not one for Good Bye threads, but I have too much to say not to.
CF is a real mess at the moment. It's possibly never been this acrimonious and full of anger. CC was meant to be a bastion of light. From day 1 of its inception, it was meant to be a place where the relativism that's bled into CF wasn't allowed in, and integrity in the Word was never compromised. But it was meant to be done in love.
The ideas of people having to answer questions and make all posts findable in order to then be voted in by 5 people makes me feel a little sick. None of us had to do that. No-one should have to do that. If someone wants to join this forum, it's a blessing, because it means on some level, they are searching for the Truth.
Why does anyone feel this needs to be an elite little country club? We've all become embroiled in arguments here because a cross-denominational forum is automatically going to be inherently contentious. Making people prostrate themselves just so they can join isn't the answer, and it isn't loving.
If we were to make people answer questions, or make all their posts findable, would you feel comfortable in judging their responses and saying they weren't "entitled" to join this forum? Would you feel ok with pouncing on a post of theirs and using it to keep them out?
We don't have the right to turn people away. It's already been decreed that people cannot be a member of both here and WWMC, and that was the right thing to do, because the perspectives of the two just don't go; the wiki clearly states what people must affirm before they can join; there's now a debate sub-forum where any thread that gets ugly can go. That was the point of the sub-forum.
That's all this forum needs. We just do not have the right to make people jump through our hoops while we sit in here comfortably, because by doing so we implicitly state we're better than them, and we aren't. We just happened to join sooner.
I was pming with someone about all of this, and I was saying how the idea of explaining the elitism to Jesus would make Him weep. Because if someone wants to join this forum, we just have to trust they were led here. Providing they affirm the wiki, why do they need to do anything else? Yes, they may lie, but brick-wall questions won't prevent that. And their lying in order to become a member still means they can be witnessed to without any compromise.
Keeping people out isn't the way to love them. People wanting to become members is a joy, and a blessing.
I've argued in here, and I apologise for any hurt feelings I've caused. Am still learning, and still rubbish, and I'm really sorry.
Thing is, I don't want to be a member of this forum, anymore, because it had so much potential, and it feels like it's all being frittered away and turned into something horribly elitist and legalistic. I'm also leaving because I wouldn't feel comfortable being the person who turns someone away, so it'd be dishonest to be a member of a forum that does it. I wanted to write this partly because my closest CF friends are members of this forum and I didn't want to just disappear, but mostly because it feels important.
Please don't turn people away, because this is just an internet forum, but hurt caused is real world, and can genuinely affect peoples' Christian walk. None of us have the right to decide who can and can't be a member of this forum. If they agree with the wiki, they should be allowed to join as easily as we all did.
Anyway. That's everything. I really, really hope the forum goes well.
God bless you always.
CF is a real mess at the moment. It's possibly never been this acrimonious and full of anger. CC was meant to be a bastion of light. From day 1 of its inception, it was meant to be a place where the relativism that's bled into CF wasn't allowed in, and integrity in the Word was never compromised. But it was meant to be done in love.
The ideas of people having to answer questions and make all posts findable in order to then be voted in by 5 people makes me feel a little sick. None of us had to do that. No-one should have to do that. If someone wants to join this forum, it's a blessing, because it means on some level, they are searching for the Truth.
Why does anyone feel this needs to be an elite little country club? We've all become embroiled in arguments here because a cross-denominational forum is automatically going to be inherently contentious. Making people prostrate themselves just so they can join isn't the answer, and it isn't loving.
If we were to make people answer questions, or make all their posts findable, would you feel comfortable in judging their responses and saying they weren't "entitled" to join this forum? Would you feel ok with pouncing on a post of theirs and using it to keep them out?
We don't have the right to turn people away. It's already been decreed that people cannot be a member of both here and WWMC, and that was the right thing to do, because the perspectives of the two just don't go; the wiki clearly states what people must affirm before they can join; there's now a debate sub-forum where any thread that gets ugly can go. That was the point of the sub-forum.
That's all this forum needs. We just do not have the right to make people jump through our hoops while we sit in here comfortably, because by doing so we implicitly state we're better than them, and we aren't. We just happened to join sooner.
I was pming with someone about all of this, and I was saying how the idea of explaining the elitism to Jesus would make Him weep. Because if someone wants to join this forum, we just have to trust they were led here. Providing they affirm the wiki, why do they need to do anything else? Yes, they may lie, but brick-wall questions won't prevent that. And their lying in order to become a member still means they can be witnessed to without any compromise.
Keeping people out isn't the way to love them. People wanting to become members is a joy, and a blessing.
I've argued in here, and I apologise for any hurt feelings I've caused. Am still learning, and still rubbish, and I'm really sorry.
Thing is, I don't want to be a member of this forum, anymore, because it had so much potential, and it feels like it's all being frittered away and turned into something horribly elitist and legalistic. I'm also leaving because I wouldn't feel comfortable being the person who turns someone away, so it'd be dishonest to be a member of a forum that does it. I wanted to write this partly because my closest CF friends are members of this forum and I didn't want to just disappear, but mostly because it feels important.
Please don't turn people away, because this is just an internet forum, but hurt caused is real world, and can genuinely affect peoples' Christian walk. None of us have the right to decide who can and can't be a member of this forum. If they agree with the wiki, they should be allowed to join as easily as we all did.
Anyway. That's everything. I really, really hope the forum goes well.
God bless you always.
Please don't go. 
