Rules and Guidelines For Forum Posting

[Gail]

Originally Posted By: rudywoofs

I'm still going to drink coffee.

So? I eat meat. According to Ellen White I will be lost.

Not so (please correct me if I'm wrong)- I think she said that meat-eaters would not be translated. How could she say that meat-eaters would be lost? She herself ate meat on occasion.

I have heard of others (long ago) who also said that, but I always understood the subject at hand as translation.

[GreatLakesGramma]

Apology is always appropriate if we say something hurtful or offensive, even if the offense was unintentional. If we all would maintain a spirit of humility, realizing that not one of us is perfect, it would go a long way toward making the forum a friendlier place. I try to remember that as a Christian, I am a representative of Jesus in this world, and try to behave in a way that will not disgrace His reputation.

Rules are important. If they were not, God wouldn't have given us the Ten Commandments. Because we are human, and sinful by nature, they could not remain unexpressed. Originally, they were already present within the hearts of all created beings, but sin erased them from ours. Until they are once again indelibly written in our hearts, and all corruption is gone from our natures, we will need them in writing. And we should all (all Christians everywhere, not just forum members) be humble enough to acknowledge our need of them, as well as our error when we fail to abide by them.

We also need to be patient toward moderators when it doesn't appear that they are enforcing them consistently or properly, and not make a big issue of it. They are human too, and sometimes it is very difficult to determine just how to apply them. Anyone who is a parent should understand this from experience.

Just my thoughts on the issue - not really meant to be a specific reply to any one or more posts here.

[messenger]

Greetings Brother John317,

I am a new member here, and I want to say that I agree with you and support you in your effort to post, remind and enforce Biblical Guidelines and Rules in this forum. I am also a member of a few other SDA Forums and in those were there are no guidelines rules etc. They are having more problems, abusive behavior, personal attacks and more by members on other members.

If we lived in a perfect world,which we do not then we would not need guidelines or rules. The Lord Gave us the Ten Commandments and also other Biblical guidelines because In His Wisdom He saw the need for them.

So I want to encourage you brother as the Moderator in this in what you are doing. I would ad that all guidelines and rule should be enforced but with compassion of course. But what good are guidelines if they are not being enforced? The Bible gives us these guidelines for those who are offended and the offenders.

Mat 18:15 "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican."

I would suggest that there should be some enforcement of the rules and guidelines similar too and based on the above bible text. Just my thoughts on the subject. I think you are doing the right thing brother it will help to prevent more abuses and bring God honor and Glory by those of us who professed to be Christians.

Blessings In Christ, Messenger

[Robert]

Originally Posted By: Robert

So? I eat meat. According to Ellen White I will be lost.

Not so (please correct me if I'm wrong)- I think she said that meat-eaters would not be translated. How could she say that meat-eaters would be lost? She herself ate meat on occasion.

I have heard of others (long ago) who also said that' date=' but I always understood the subject at hand as translation. [/quote']

-BC- CD

-TI- Counsels on Diet and Foods

-CN- 23

-CT- Flesh Meats (Proteins Continued)

-PR- 01

-PG- 382

Perfecting Holiness

Greater reforms should be seen among the people who claim to be looking for the soon appearing of Christ. Health reform is to do among our people a work which it has not yet done. There are those who ought to be awake to the danger of meat eating, who are still eating the flesh of animals, thus endangering the physical, mental, and spiritual health. Many who are now only half converted on the question of meat eating will go from God's people to walk no more with them.

[Robert]

Rules are important. If they were not, God wouldn't have given us the Ten Commandments.

The law was given to turn sin into transgression. It made sin exceedingly sinful. It was never given to produce righteousness sin sinful flesh. In other words it made matters worse. See Gal chapter 3

[Neil D]

Ok, guys....you are getting off topic....

This is not about religious law, biblical laws nor health laws...Go make up other threads rather than discussing them here. [see Robert, **I** can touch you !!! ]

This IS about the rules that John is posting and establishing in this forum....and could rightly be used in other areas.

So, whatcha think about them?....are they sound? can you use them without crossing your own personal standards? Are they broad enough to make discussions get animated but still peaceful? What is YOUR take on these rules?

[John317]

....So, whatcha think about them?....are they sound? can you use them without crossing your own personal standards? Are they broad enough to make discussions get animated but still peaceful? What is YOUR take on these rules?

Good questions, Neil, and I hope everyone who has any opinions about the rules will express themselves here about them. There are a number of members who haven't said anything yet.

The rules will be applied or enforced, and a sincere and honest attempt will be made to apply them justly, mercifully, and consistently. What everyone should consider is that moderators are not always online to see what is taking place, and no matter what action moderators take, it is going to make some people upset and feel offended to one degree or another.

Also, every enforcement may appear uneven to some people simply because they will always be able to think of similar occasions when the rule wasn't enforced the way they think it should have been. Moderators are imperfect, of course, and try as they might to do the right thing, they're not going to make everyone happy.

There will be two sections to the rules and guidelines: (a) rules which will be enforced, from editing, deletions, etc., to banning (a last resort); and ( suggestions.

I have to be gone all day Monday, but when I get back, I'll study everyone's ideas and opinions about the rules, and then I'll set about rewriting them and posting them.

[messenger]

Robert, I never said anything about the law producing righteousness in sinful flesh. We can only receive Righteousness by having a genuine Faith in Christ.

But the Law of God is also in the letter as an abstract form was necessary when God gave it in Exodus, because the people were salves use to being told what to do and how and they had to some degree lost there humanity, dignity and respect for humanity by the terrible treatment they received as slaves etc.

Remember that the Law of God is also a transcript of His Character of love. He was teaching them and us also in Egypt symbolically speaking, He was teaching us how to show in an abstract way love for Him and love for one another. If we are transgressing those laws then we are not showing the love and we are sinning.

Rom 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

Rom 7:12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good."

Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

To want to Love God with all our heart... and our neighbor as ourselves is not legalism. It is the Holy Spirit of God working on the heart and the mind. And in faith we Trust Christ and His Word and that includes obedience to the Law of God. The Law of Love!

It is the same Law that God puts into our hearts and minds in the new covenant as promised. It is not a different Law, same Law, but a different Covenant built on Better Promises from God not on a better Law. Christ put the His Law in our hearts and minds. In our knowledge so we understand the relation of the Law and the Gospel and our hearts so that we have the Spirit of the law of Love. It is a better covenant with better promises but the same Law of God but less abstract and more spiritual in Christ.

Brother John3:17. I would suggest that the rules and guidelines reflect the Law of God. Here are two example:

"You Shall Not Kill." (If you have hate or anger against your neighbor or a member it is like killing. (No Personal Attacks, No Name Calling, No Arguing etc.. And No Attacking the Beliefs of the SDA Church. This will also include talking against other members, individual, group or religion and it is prohibited)

"You Shall Not Be A False Witness." If you are posting comments on other articles or blogs,replies etc. Please check your information, do not falsely accuse anyone, member or not! Be sure the information is true and accurate etc.

Just some thoughts I have on the subject brother.

Blessings in Christ, messenger

[Neil D]

I promise not to shoot the Messenger......

However, that doesn;t mean that I can't remind him that since John's away, other moderators are not around to moniter the forum...and help out from time to time....

So, having identified myself as a moderator [and I am... and I make an un-appologictic plug for my forums, the Pirates and Lymericks forums], I need to remind you that this thread is for discussing the posted rules that John placed up. You and Robert need to take your obviously much needed discussion to a new thread. We don't want to pollute your arguements with the "incidentals" of discussing whether John's rules apply or not....

TU

[messenger]

Neil D.Mr.Moderator, Forgive me if I disagree with you. But if you read my entire post it is very relevant to what John317 posted. He asked for suggestions and I gave some at the end of my post. But was answering Robert's reply as well to my previous relevant post to John317.

I do not see the big problem here there is no justification for your critical reply brother!

[Neil D]

Neil D.Mr.Moderator, Forgive me if I disagree with you.

[Neil D]

There are a lot of ADVENTISTs who come into these forums expecting to be chiefs when they haven't learned to be indians yet. So, having said that, I would like to compare your rules with general net ettiquete rules....Tell me what the difference might be...

THE CORE RULES OF NETIQUETTE

The Core Rules of Netiquette are excerpted from the book Netiquette by Virginia Shea.

Introduction

Rule 1: Remember the Human

Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life

Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace

Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth

Rule 5: Make yourself look good online

Rule 6: Share expert knowledge

Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control

Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy

Rule 9: Don't abuse your power

Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes

You can find more explination of each rule HERE

I have a couple of questions....

Are your rules, John, in addition to these rules?

What is the difference between these rules and 'adventist' rules? [or at least the same rules that have been 'retranslated into Adventist', if you get my drift].

[Tom Wetmore]

Your turn, Tom, if you don't mind. I'd like to hear what you think of the rules and guidelines. Are there any changes-- whether additions or deletions-- you would make?

Well... What do I think of them? Not much, actually. What changes would I make, you ask? Delete them all. You asked... Stan may recall a private discussion we had some time back in one of the previous go-rounds about forum rules etiquette, etc. I told him that if I were king of my own forum, I would tend toward the Outback Restaurant motto - "NO Rules, just [write]!" And no room for moderation there...

From a PM to a moderator some time back, here is how I react to heavy handed moderation on a forum -

Quote:

How about moderation in moderating? Instead of smothering mothering moderating... We are all adults here... at least most of us are so chronologically! It is time everyone grows up and acted like adults. And it would be really nice for moderators to just treat everyone as adults capable of sorting these things out and resolving things on their own. It has been a very long time since I needed to hold my mommy's hand to cross the street. Or had my sister tattling on me for pulling her hair. If you cater to the overly sensitive whiners and complainers we are reduced to such an awful and painful level of formal politeness that I feel like I am a little kid with twisted knickers trying to sit still and quiet at high tea with granny and her highbrow stiffly starched old lady friends. Just don't coo sweetly and pat me on the head or pinch my cheek!

All this obsessive PC navel gazing is getting very tiresome and needs to stop. As I have already told Stan, if things continue as they are trending, this will be the death of CA. I have watched other forums implode very much the same way. And the death spiral is accelerated by tightening the moderator grip enforcing very subjective, ill-defined, nebulous, moving target rules of civil and polite conduct.

You asked...

[messenger]

Neil D. Who wants us to know he is a moderator! Mr.Moderator, I personally think that your attitude reflected in your posting is exactly why we do need guidelines and rules and enforce them. You are making some personal attacks, unfounded and not needed and they serve only to distract from the message posted.

There are tares among the wheat and will be until the end. And not everyone is on the same level of Christian maturity! And there are false Christians even in this forum and sometime there conduct is revealed etc. and there should be rules guidelines and apologies by the offenders. As a moderator you should know that your conduct and attitude is not correct. I forgive you, forgive me for the gentle rebuke to you!

[Bravus]

Messenger, let me say this once and clearly. If you have a problem with a moderator, who has identified that they are acting in their role as a moderator, you need to take it to PM immediately. Challenging the decisions of moderators who are acting in that role in the open forum is not acceptable behaviour. See Rule 6.

[Amelia]

*General Post

Please make new thoughts into new threads in the proper forums. This thread is about the rules for this Adventist Forum.

If the off topic posting continues I will move those posts myself to the proper forums.

The rules for this board have been posted. Please follow them. Please do not argue and then ignore them because you feel they are wrong. If you don't like the rules you don't need to post on this board.

The rules were not made for any one member. They are for all members.

If you feel that a member is flouting the rules, don't take it public and post on the board. Take it to the PM. Every member can be contacted through PMs. Not everyone wants to see you whine and fight.

Amelia

[messenger]

Bravus, I see you are a moderator too, because you name is highlighted in green and it is stated on the board. And I mean no offense to you or anybody else. I am fairly new here and have not been online in awhile and I have never seen any rules or guidelines on this site. So do not know anything about the guideline you mentioned. If I knew of some I would try to keep them.

I am also a moderator in a couple of SDA sites and we do not try to Lord it over members, we are all brethern. We should have some respect and kindness not to mention Christian compassion for one another.

I thought the reason John317 wanted to establish new guidelines is because there is not any now or at least none clear to others and not being taken seriously. I see many violation here of Christian ethics etc. And I have no desire to stay on this site with all this bickering and controlling people. If what's is name is a moderator, what is he moderator? He disagrees with guidelines suggested, so what is he moderating, trying to control people is not moderator and is very sad. I just got a personal email from him that was incredible, very angry talking threats etc. This is just shameful behavior for a professed Christian and moderator. I am sending his PM to me to Stan. I am done being insulted and abused here, I will not be back.

take care! messenger

[jasd]

QR frame:

Re Redwood: Capisce!?

>>...you need to take it to PM...<<

Umm, I saw a rather exuberant, though not PC, rush4hire advised on open forum, in front of my bald eyeballs – that “he was ill-fit to participate on a certain board”. [/paraphrased]

I see another Big M often succumb to snarkery – moreso than do the general lister.

I see another M’or who seems to have been stung too often – and is near-unbearable at times: witness the loss of the most recent lister.

Perhaps, we ought to review, “Moderators are imperfect, of course, and try as they might to do the right thing, they're not going to make everyone happy.”

and ask, “That being so, how does that differ from the ordinary lister?”

Let’s all moderate.

I’m not whining, just observing. In fact, as the constant ‘whiner’ can never be satisfied, I note that there is too much busibodyness rather than thought-provoking contributions – and endorse Tom Wetmore’s assessment. That said,

I am...,

not here to love or be loved

not here to make friends

not here to waste my time

not here to presumptuously set forth a Christlike behaviour

Am here to grab a plateful of breakjaw gristle of Holy Writ! as ‘time’ for any one of us – may be shorter than we believe.

[Robert]

[see Robert, **I** can touch you !!! ]

[Liz]

That said,

I am...,

not here to love or be loved

not here to make friends

Really? I find that sad.

[jasd]

>>Really? I find that sad.<<

Priorities.

Perhaps, it is that I define friends/friendship differently from you. Acquaintances, mebbe, ...yes?

Love: I used the term as universally understood. That said, the Xtian stumbles upon the definition of agape. Is it a thing of the heart or the intellect? or, as Biblically suggested, 'a thing of the bowels'?

My mother attended a church of 'love' for sixty years - without evidence of it either flowing among the pews or outside its portals...

I treated 'love' in the above post in clinical fashion. Moreso, I emphasized my presence here thusly...,

"Am here to grab a plateful of breakjaw gristle of Holy Writ!"

[Liz]

>>Really? I find that sad.<<

Priorities.

Perhaps, it is that I define friends/friendship differently from you. Acquaintances, mebbe, ...yes?

[jasd]

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:jasd

My mother attended a church of 'love' for sixty years - without evidence of it either flowing among the pews or outside its portals...

Quote:Liz

Not saying anything against your mom; but it is has been my experience that you find what you are looking for.

“And sometimes, it walks up – and, just gobsmacks you.” Ordinarily, you may be spot-on; however, the feedback from many – substantiates my own observation.

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:jasd

I treated 'love' in the above post in clinical fashion. Moreso, I emphasized my presence here thusly...,

Quote:Liz

Again I think one finds what one is looking for; if one is looking for a deeper more meaningful relationship than merely acquaintances then one can certainly find that here. I just hate to see you limit yourself.

Though indeed, it may be that there are those here who have developed meaningful relationships ...am not looking for a deeper relationship with anyone. I simply haven’t the energy to devote – even to those already considered close friends. That said,

I do appreciate the kind thoughts.

What I do look for – is a satisfied mind – before they plant me wearing my full quill boots. (Thems goin’ with me whichever direction I’m headed – regardless, the wings I’m issued) :-o I suppose

that may be the reason I’m rather dismissive of the ’concerns’ being bruited on this thread. In light of the very few times when and where listers flamed – I find preoccupation with further proscriptions rather superficial-lite.

Oh well, that’s just me. C’est la vie, amigas y amigos!

Quote:

Quote:

Quote:jasd

"Am here to grab a plateful of breakjaw gristle of Holy Writ!"

Quote:Liz

This just sounds painful.

Indeed, it is.

[Neil D]

Quote:

I do not see the big problem here there is no justification for your critical reply brother!

Was I being critical?

I didn't think so, when I asked you to take your off topic post to another thread.

However, that being said, let me officially appologize if I have made any inappropriate remarks that offended your sensibilites.

Most of my posts are taken to be rather friendly, and if my posts seem a bit too forward for you, my appologies.

But you will still have to take your off topic posts with Robert to a new thread, please.

[messenger]

Neil D. your apology is accepted I have already prayed that we could forgive each other and move on to try and bring Glory to Christ in our lives and teachings.

As far as with Robert, I am done with our discussion. I have had discussions with him before and only the Holy Spirit can convince of truth and correct the misunderstandings. I can only sow the seed and hope that it is good seed and that God will make it grow for His Glory!

Take Care, Blessing, Messenger