Christian Forums Under New Management

[*Starlight*]

The point is this is a Christian site for Christians.

Why do Christians need to bend over backwards and sugar coat the Message because those who aren't want to be here?

If you don't want to hear it then find another site. Going back to the old format brings a habor back for Christians who wish to fellowship and discuss God.

I think I don't understand your post... what are you referring to here?

 

[Andy Broadley]

The point is this is a Christian site for Christians.

Why do Christians need to bend over backwards and sugar coat the Message because those who aren't want to be here?

If you don't want to hear it then find another site. Going back to the old format brings a habor back for Christians who wish to fellowship and discuss God.

Exactly. Well siad sister

 

[chaoschristian]

We are not planning witch hunts and inquisitions, just a Christian site run on Christian principles.

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition . . .

 

[Andy Broadley]

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition . . .

...or the comfy chair

 

[Nadiine]

Why for? You have been a member of CF for over three years. Foru.mess has only existed a few short months of that. The rest of the time it was like it will be again

We are not planning witch hunts and inquisitions, just a Christian site run on Christian principles.

I guess to some that's a horrifying prospect. Here's a passage that might shed some light on what I think is happening today:

2 Timothy 4:3
2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. ​

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,

4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. ​

The bible teaches that Sound doctrine will not be tolerated in the last days, that they will find teachers for themselves to suit their own desires, agendas or preferences instead of the truth.
(this also happened to the prophets God sent Israel in the OT):

​

Isaiah 30:10
9 For this is a rebellious people, false sons,
Sons who refuse to listen
To the instruction of the LORD;
10 Who say to the seers, "You must not see visions";
And to the prophets, "You must not prophesy to us what is right,
Speak to us pleasant words,
Prophesy illusions.
11 "Get out of the way, turn aside from the path,
Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel." ​

 

[Amoranemix]

307]Don't get me started about the atheists.
General Apologetics is a cesspool and the moderators won't do anything about that, but now they've invaded every part of the boards and there's no place to go where our beliefs and our Lord aren't going to be mocked.

You are a bad looser and I have not seen atheists invading Christian parts of the board. The strife I have seen was usually among self-identified Christians (and the occasional Satanist).

314]Fine. I'll take that guess too. Almost 600 people at one time. For a message board that is a lot.
My guess is that the forum is too large and active to make open reports practical. That is my guess.

I don’t see how size would be a problem for open reports.

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316[FONT=&quot]]For the membership who doesn't know him however, it can provide fear, worry, that the forum will not be a good place. Yet, there is every indication here that the changes proposed will be good ones over all and with any change, we need some time to adjust to them, and our feelings over them.

I have seen very little indication that the changes will be good. On the contrary. I am a democrat and not fond of dictatorship.

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[FONT=&quot]Kirsten.NewCreation]

[FONT=&quot] The reason that parents should never disrespect another parent in front of the children is that it provides insecurity and the ability for the children to play parents against each other. The parents need to talk privately to get on the same page. I believe that is necessary for the organization as well.[/FONT]

Parents have an emotional connection with their children and are only two, both elements that make abuse of the availability of secrecy less likely. BTW, you theory is controversial. In many cases it is said to be desirable for parents to quarrel in front of the children ISO in seclusion.

Greenmunchkin : Actually, sorry, wasn't gonna get involved in this thread but you're way off the mark there.
Wareagle 318: That's precisely the problem. Evidently, there are many others here who agree with me.
It is honourable of you to admit that the problem is with you and people like you ISO with atheists.

320]And some people continue to wonder why there has been a mass exodus of members!

I have never noticed anyone wondering about that. Can you provide names or links ?

praying : bUIt why it hasn't been impractical to this point.
Davidnic327 : That is your opinion. There are many here...on staff and off who feel the open reports have been a disaster where flames and venom are spread.
I prefer solving problems over throwing away babies with bathwater. I have seen the quarrels in the Discussion & Debate section, but didn’t bother to search for a solution, although I was tempted to and stopped participating in reports there. I think they managed to calm things down.

[/b]330]However, General Apologetics has gone from defending the faith and answering sincerely asked questions and objections, to atheists and mockers making all sorts of false and insulting claims about our religion and us having to run around cleaning up the mess.

It wasn’t like that before 7/7/07 and my participation in reports did not give me impression it had changed. There were fewer reports made by those with extreme belief differences against each other than by those with similar beliefs. In addition, Christians make false claims and mock sceptic’s (lack of) beliefs as well, but the latter don’t seem so easily offended. If the evolutionist calls God a moron then the creationist is offended. If the creationist calls natural selection moronic, then who cares ?

It's gotten so bad that if somebody asks a question, I usually won't even respond to them publically anymore, but will PM them and explain what the Bible says about that subject, precisely because I don't want to give atheists and mockers any more ammo to blaspheme Christ or insult Christianity.

My not premeditated policy is that when Christians say something mock worthy I do not mock them or their beliefs. But when they do not say anything (usually because other than admitting defeat anything they could say would be mock worthy) then sometimes I mock their beliefs.
This issue is however off topic and so I won’t get into it anymore.

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333[FONT=&quot]]It's mostly off topic anymore too. It starts with "the USA is a cesspool of filth", and 20 pages later, it's "prove Noahs ark existed". (literally)~!!
It's ridiculous when one Christian gets so attacked by so many skeptics, that they have to go searching for 'backup help'.... that should not be ON HOME TURF!!!!
(Supposed home turf).

It’s hard to believe that no rules have been created to combat that. Wikiing an off topic rule can’t be that difficult.

[FONT=&quot]LeeD : Instate a reconciliation team to handle appeals, mediate member-member conflict, staff-member conflict, oversee staff, and make recommendations to my designee as concerns staff discipline, and or staff removal.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Lel [/FONT]365[FONT=&quot] :Could you have told us this before so we could apply? Oh well, guess I'm stuck. Smacks of "new board, same as the old board."[/FONT]
Of course he could have.

[FONT=&quot]LeeD : Issues with staff decisions should be taken to the staff member, then the reconciliation team, period. Don't post them, don't PM them to others, don't take them to Lee.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Lel : So in other words, air our dirty laundry on other boards or via IM?[/FONT]
I take it to real life. I laughed at Christians with my colleagues. The topic has been more respectful since the 7/7/07 reform. Since the forum is supposed to be inward again, how the outside world sees it won’t matter anymore. Jehovah’s witnesses watch their corporate image, which shows in the way they treat me.

386[/b]]Unfortunately, that has NOT been the case here. While there are a few atheists & agnostics who have been very civil here, the majority have not. They should NOT have been invited, and once it was seen how they were going to behave, they should have been banned. Period.

As far as I have seen the majority is not very civil, but civil nonetheless. The same can be said about the Christians they are debating. Do you think the not very civil Christians should be banned as well ?

393[/b]]Perfect! Three words: A Respectful Attitude. And that is precisely what has been missing from most of the atheist internet trolls that were invited here. Again, I'll say, "most".

Are there respectful atheist internet trolls as well ?

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403[FONT=&quot]]It just seems to me more about small groups wanting power instead of wanting to run a good message board. Cause the wiki's could have worked, if people had swallowed their pride and found a way to work together. But from day one, the old cliques wanted them to fail and did everything they could to make sure they did. I remember in the GPD wiki, old debate staff coming in and gloating how none of it would work and magnifying every flaw as an example of how terrible the wiki's are. People like that are the problem, not the wiki's, not the open staff forums, not the open reports. And I don't care if I am alone in that opinion, cause what I think isn't based on popularity polls.[/FONT]

I don’t know whether there was deliberate sabotage, but I agree that the problem with the wiki process was not with the system itself, but with the people using it and that by adapting the system it can sufficiently compensate for or keep in check misbehaviour to be a good and little open to abuse. Of course if Christians want to be controlled without being able to choose how and by who, as in a theocracy, then any system that gives them power and self-governance is unchristian and should not be tested on a Christian site.

410[/b]]But I think it's important to understand that this forum originally was a CHRISTIAN forum. So when non-Christians come in here, and start bashing and mocking Christians, there's a real problem. I cannot speak for anyone else here, but I would NEVER go to a Muslim forum and start saying stuff like, "Allah is a pig and Mohammad is a harlot" or some such offensive tripe.

I have never seen on this message board a statement that rude on any belief that wasn’t considered a rule violation.

413[/b]True, but it is a Christian forum not the other way around. It is changing the name back as well as many of the rules that were in place. If I go to a non-christian board then I am a visitor and not someone who should be trying to change the site to another point of belief. I see no difference here.

If on that other belief site they also think they have the truth and everyone else is wrong, then they won’t mind debating with you to demonstrate their truth.

442][/b]Lee brings and outside eye. That is not a bad thing. If he informs it with advice from a wide range of people who are experienced here it could be a good thing. It could be what is needed.

The range appears to be limited to staff.

So set worry and past concerns aside for a moment. Take a breath and give everyone...especially someone you have strongly disagreed with in the past, the benefit of the doubt.

Problems won’t get solved by setting your concerns about them aside. If a burglar is visiting, you can see that as a chance for a new beginning (with less money and without your car and your jewelry) and pray and fellowship about it, but there are some kind of beginnings I prefer to avoid.

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450[FONT=&quot]]So, given the fact that 3 months of testing the new idea shows it either didnt work, or it worked rather poorly ~ is that particular truth which is the only guage we really need.[/FONT]

I think a year is a better time span for wikis and I disagree they didn’t work. There wasn’t a single new idea. There were many changes, some of which I approve I some of which I don’t.

[FONT=&quot]

Kudos LeeD for seeing the difference and implementing that which actually works.

[/FONT]Have you established that it works after less than two days ?

The Bellman 497: I am very, very scared by these changes.
[FONT=&quot]Andy broadly [/FONT]498[FONT=&quot]: Why for? You have been a member of CF for over three years. Foru.mess has only existed a few short months of that. The rest of the time it was like it will be again.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]We are not planning witch hunts and inquisitions, just a Christian site run on Christian principles.[/FONT]
The taste of freedom is addictive.
Probably not witch hunts, but perhaps Gestapo hunts planned in secret forums.

If the site name is to change again to christianforums, will we get warnings about that beforehand ?

Adding links to the posts seems to encourage the parser to mess up the formatting of quotes.

 

[TheBear]

What are the exclusively Christian principles and strictly Biblical guidelines, used to run a message board?

 

[LeeD]

Lee,
will there be more announcements made this week? will you be answering the questions in this thread? I am sure your busy..just wondering!
thanks
Karen

I have answered some questions in this thread and plan to answer some more. There will be more news to come shortly. We are working on this and should have something more to release in the coming days.

 

[drstevej]

LeeD, hold your ground.

Conservatives will return if you do. Good to see familiar faces posting after an absence.

Be strong and very courageous.

 

[RedTulipMom]

I have answered some questions in this thread and plan to answer some more. There will be more news to come shortly. We are working on this and should have something more to release in the coming days.

thanks for the info LeeD! Praying for you and your advisors and the rest of the staff! Hugs!

 

[Andy Broadley]

The Bellman 497: I am very, very scared by these changes.
Andy broadly 498: Why for? You have been a member of CF for over three years. Foru.mess has only existed a few short months of that. The rest of the time it was like it will be again.
We are not planning witch hunts and inquisitions, just a Christian site run on Christian principles.
The taste of freedom is addictive.
Probably not witch hunts, but perhaps Gestapo hunts planned in secret forums.

Hopefully there will be no secret forums so it won't be an issue.

 

[stumpjumper]

LeeD, hold your ground.

Conservatives will return if you do

And then you can all run out the liberals with pitchforks and burning torches

Yep. I can see which way the wind is blowing now...

 

[KarrieTex]

I have answered some questions in this thread and plan to answer some more. There will be more news to come shortly. We are working on this and should have something more to release in the coming days.

Hey Lee...

Love the shirt on your character.

Got to love texas

 

[Lisa0315]

The bottom line is that we need clear leadership. Lee seems to want to provide that. I am thrilled. No more experiments. The rats cannot find their way out of the maze.

Lisa

 

[Andy Broadley]

The bottom line is that we need clear leadership. Lee seems to want to provide that. I am thrilled. No more experiments. The rats cannot find their way out of the maze.

Lisa

Agreed. And for those who don't like the idea of that, what is the problem?

Lee has paid a not inconsiderable sum for CF.

He has every right to say 'My site, my rules'

 

[WalksWithChrist]

I'm hopeful about most of these changes.

Two handy linx to polls on the two issues I'm concerned about:

Private Staff Forums
http://foru.ms/t6355226-private-staff-forums.html

Open Report Threads
http://foru.ms/t6355216-open-report-threads.html

 

[Nadiine]

thanks for the info LeeD! Praying for you and your advisors and the rest of the staff! Hugs!

ditto here too red tulipmoon

 

[tulc]

We are not planning witch hunts and inquisitions, just a Christian site run on Christian principles.

Whew, because I wasn't expecting the inquisition.
tulc(man! note to self: don't post before finishing the thread)

 

[Andy Broadley]

Whew, because I wasn't expecting the inquisition.
tulc(ok I've set it up)

*Gently puts his arm round Tulc and explains that we already did that one a few pages back*

 

[karen freeinchristman]

I have answered some questions in this thread and plan to answer some more. There will be more news to come shortly. We are working on this and should have something more to release in the coming days.

Thank you, Lee! Praying for you and those working with you on this.

To everyone else, please remember: one of the fruits of the Spirit - PATIENCE!!!