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As the moderator for the religion forum I wanted to take a moment and hopefully clear up some questions and concerns. Please feel free to post here.
I've received private messages from people yelling at me that I'm being unfair and just because I'm a Christian I'm deleting their post, or giving them an unfair infraction. When I moderate this forum I do not take my personal worldview into account when deleting posts or giving infractions. I attempt to be as fair as humanly possible and maintain the standards set in City-Data's Terms of Service (TOS). If I believe a post has offensive language, I'll call you on it because I'm looking out for everyone else on this board, including the people who don't post, but do read. Everyone has a different level of tolerance for language, so please remember that when you're posting.
Regarding people who read and don't post. Everyone who posts here should realize, if they don't already, your words are powerful. Remember that you're not only speaking to one person, but possibly to thousands. So when you choose your words, if you really want others to hear you, be respectful and not flaming in your remarks.
I'm here just as you are, to talk about issues and concerns and to learn. I don't begin to say that I've got all the answers to everything...as well I hope no one else thinks that too. When reading my posts please feel free to disagree with me as you would anyone else. Be respectful of my views as I hope to show that I respect your views. I may not agree with your philosophy on life or lifestyle, but I will be respectful. IMO just because we don't agree on a viewpoint doesn't mean we have to be bitter enemies. I work and interact with people everyday that don't agree as I do, and vice versa...and yet we are the best of friends.
This thread is all of my own accord and does not reflect City-Data's TOS or anything else toward C-D. And if you ever have any problems with me, out of respect please do not take it to the boards, please pm me, as I hope everyone would do with one another.
I think you are doing a great job. I moderate on another forum, and everyone always has an answer or an opinion for what should and should not be allowed, and a mod just cannot please everyone. You have to do what is good for the board as a whole. Other forums are very strict about posts on religion, about witnessing, converting, or denegrating other religions. This board is a little lighter on the rules, but the conversations here are very active and people learn from each other.
A lot of times people think that their posts are deleted or edited because only one point of view is allowed. Actually, when a board is well moderated, the opposite is true - you edit, delete, or ban because you want to keep the conversation going, keep people coming back, and not have the discussions killed.
This is one board that has not put everyone into neat little categories - people just write their posts and everyone jumps in - and that is what makes it unique and really great. Thanks!
You're doing a great job Hoosier! I appreciate your wisdom, you are very fair to everyone and you express yourself in a way I wish I could. So keep up the good job!
I agree with your decision to close those three threads yesterday, not for their content (which seemed harmless) but because of the spirit in which they were created—all by the same person. There was a clear attempt to segregate and marginalize people of different viewpoints and life experience for the sole purpose of shutting down debate and the free flow and exchange of ideas, information, and opinions. This exchange and diversity of views is what makes the forum interesting and educational. And people should not be made to feel like they are less of a person or that their testimony is worthless or "not Christian enough."
To me it’s a reflection of weakness and fear when people who cannot withstand debate in the public square resort to name calling, insults, and censorship.
Last edited by TheRealAngelion; 05-13-2007 at 01:05 PM..
Hoosier, hats off to you. You're the perfect person for the religion mod position. You have always kept your cool, a quality I admire and sometimes lack. Nothing unfair about enforcing TOS. I'm betting the Religion forum is one of the more difficult forums to moderate.
You've always been fair and respectul in your posts. I think we all know you'll be the same as a Mod. In my opinion, there's no one better for the job.
Thanks hoosier, I am so glad that you are the moderator here. I couldn't understand why you would close a thread that was so good. After going back and checking some other threads, I understood exactly why they were closed. I'm still learning the ropes here, and the posters
Well, I think that you already know that I don't have any problems with you, either as "one of us", or as a moderator. It is your respectfulness of other people and their opinions, that earns my respect. Personally, I think you're doing a pretty darn good job. Better than I could do, that's for certain. My patience would have unraveled a long time ago.
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