Post by Maggie on Oct 11, 2013 15:26:37 GMT -6
As anyone who has read our mission statement and rules knows, we are striving for civil but honest discussion. This can be hard to achieve and I appreciate that the larger the forum, the more need for rules there will be. Nevetheless, I was shocked when I visited the mothership today to find that the moderators had imposed more rules on the membership. They are at a point where each new member needs to obtain a law degree in order to understand and follow those rules which are scattered in a half dozen places. How does that facilitate robust discussion? I couldn't believe my eyes when I stumbled on an old thread in which a member was cited in contempt of the plagarism rules for not citing the book and chapter of one of the most famous and familiar verses of the New Testament that he had paraphrased. The mind boggles! There is a point at which the proliferation of rules starts happening for its own sake. It is fun. It is a power trip. It is very much an act of control.
While I will enforce our rules, as necessary, I will not allow them to multiply like rabbits on fertility drugs. At the point that the rules and arguments about them overtake every other subject of conversation, it will be time to shut down. I pledge that I will shut this forum down (or find a new owner) if this forum ever starts being about the rules rather than about the role religion plays in our lives.
While I will enforce our rules, as necessary, I will not allow them to multiply like rabbits on fertility drugs. At the point that the rules and arguments about them overtake every other subject of conversation, it will be time to shut down. I pledge that I will shut this forum down (or find a new owner) if this forum ever starts being about the rules rather than about the role religion plays in our lives.