Forum Rules and Guidelines

This page is just one section in this site's overall Terms of Use.

If you cannot respect and abide by these rules and guidelines, don't participate in the forums! These rules and guidelines are subject to change at any time without prior notice. The failure of a moderator to enforce the rules does not nullify them.

Rules:

• No anti-Christian content. No, not every post has to be about God or church or "religious" things. But posts which promote things that are clearly in conflict with Christianity are not allowed (this is a site intended primarily for Christians, after all). This would include, but is not limited to, the following:
  • The promotion of belief systems other than mainstream Christianity, defined according to the official core beliefs of this site. For example this would specifically prohibit the promotion of Buddhism, Islam, Wicca, cults like the Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses, atheism, etc. And please note, for the record, the owners of this site do accept members of the Roman Catholic faith as our Christian brothers and sisters.

  • The promotion of homosexuality or extramarital sexual relationships as a lifestyle that is acceptable to God.

  • The promotion of beliefs that the Holy Bible is not the inspired Word of God, or is self-contradictory, or is full of errors.

  • The promotion of any idea that one colour, race, or nationality of people is superior or inferior to another.

  * Please note that there is a very big difference between (for example) discussing what another faith believes for the purpose of education and equipping ourselves for the defense of Christianity and witnessing, and promoting that faith as acceptable to God or being compatible with Christianity. Likewise it's one thing to discuss an alleged biblical error or contradiction, but quite another to insist that it is so.

• Stay legal. Posting of copyrighted materials (photos, icons, text, private emails, etc.) without the express consent of the copyright holder is forbidden, except where common "fair use" practice applies (eg: it is ok to quote a paragraph from a news story and include a link to the rest, it is not ok to post the entire thing).

• No personal attacks. You may dispute opinions and interpretations, but do so with facts and not by taking it to a personal level. On the flip side, try not to mistake a difference of opinion for a personal attack on you.

• Keep it civil. Do not intentionally insult or disparage any other member. If you have a problem with another member, contact them privately. If you can't settle it on your own, bring it to a moderator, but keep it out of the forums. Remain sensitive to the fact that some people are weaker in their faith, and some have "thicker skin" than others, and remember that you can never really know what another member might be experiencing in their life.

• Respect anonymity. This forum allows anonymous posts for a good reason. Please respect that. If you know who the poster really is, do not reveal it to others without the poster's permission. Likewise, do not post private information that you may know about other members (like e-mail addresses, real names, phone numbers, health and family info, etc.)

• Use the correct forum. There are multiple forums on multiple topics for a reason! If you feel we should add a new forum, feel free to suggest it.

  * Note that there are three different 'tiers' of forums. The first tier is available to everyone by default, and contains the majority of the available forums. The second tier is reserved for topics that tend to generate more heated debates. The third tier is reserved for topics that are generally not suitable for children. You can adjust your access level on your own via the forum preferences page, but keep in mind you may not like what you are choosing to view. You are expected to post in the appropriate tier as well as the appropriate forum!

• Watch for pinned topics. Some forums will have their own set of additional rules and guidelines which are available as a 'pinned' topic at the top of the list, and you are expected to read and abide by them, even if you happen to disagree with them.

• Maintain relevancy. Threads that wander all over the place are annoying and difficult to follow. If someone poses a question or makes a statement that is outside the scope of the current topic, start another one to address it. This will help to keep things more readable, and allow people to stick to topics they actually want to read.

• Watch your language. Absolutely no vulgarity or obscenities. Be sensitive to the fact that members come from a wide variety of countries, cultures, and languages, and what is acceptable to you may be offensive to them. The fact that you may be ok with certain words and terms does not mean you are free to use them here. Likewise, if you are offended by a word or phrase someone else has used, you can tell them so politely. They may in fact be oblivious to the negative or offensive meaning of the words they choose.

  * If you can't make your point without resorting to questionable language, then your point isn't worth making.

• No spam. This comes in two forms:
  • Do not post 'ads' (and this is not limited strictly to things of a commercial nature) unless a forum expressly allows it. This includes overt ads in your signature!

  • Do not post the same thing over and over again. It wastes resources and makes you look forgetful.

• Our site, our rules. Ultimately, the owners and moderators of the site have the final say on what is and isn't acceptable in the forums. Whether you disagree with our rulings or not, you must respect them. If you do disagree, your options are to stop participating in the forums, or to contact the moderator(s) in private.

• Search before posting. The forum software has a search tool. Use it first to see if your question has already been discussed before.

• Check the age of a thread. Check the date of the last message in a thread and try to avoid posting to threads that have been 'dead' for a long time. Start a new thread if necessary, as reviving an old one can lead to confusion.

• Know when NOT to participate. If a particular thread upsets you, don't read it! You can save yourself a lot of grief by simply staying away from topics and forums you don't like. Adjust your forum access level to limit yourself to less controversial forums if necessary.

• Take time to cool off. It's inevitable that some discussions will get heated at times. If this is the case, take the time (minutes, hours, even days) to cool off and think it through before you post a reply. Posting in anger will often lead one to say things they later regret, and more often than not it makes one look foolish.

• Don't hear what isn't there. In text based media like forums and e-mail it is far too easy to 'hear' things that aren't there. Spelling, grammar, word choice, punctuation, and the poster's primary language can all contribute to a perceived 'tone', which may not bear any resemblance to the poster's mood at the time. Read posts with this in mind and you may interpret them quite differently!

• Read the whole thread. Try to read the entire thread before posting, and don't assume anything based solely on the first or last few posts.

• Avoid SHOUTING. Please don't type in all upper case letters. It's not only difficult to read, but it's considered to be shouting.

• Avoid long quotes of scripture. The forum software will recognise almost any valid scripture reference and turn it into a clickable link that will display the verses in the translation of the reader's choice. Unless it really makes sense to do so, please try to avoid quoting long bits of scripture when a simple reference will do.

• Quote in moderation. It is rarely necessary to quote large portions of another person's post, so please try to avoid doing so. Likewise, don't quote large sections of other web sites or publications when a brief introduction and a link to the original will do.

• Don't cross-post. That is, don't post the same message in multiple forums. If you post in the wrong forum you can either delete your post or ask a moderator to move it for you.

• Use colors and icons sparingly. The forum software allows you to format your text in all sorts of ways, and you're free to do so. But excessive use of fonts, colors, icons, etc. make messages difficult to read, and are often taken less seriously.

• Take your time, do it right. Slow down, think about what you're saying. If your web browser supports it, use the Spell Check and Preview buttons. Even if your browser doesn't work with those buttons (generally because it can't handle JavaScript), take the time to proof-read your text. Not only will this result in a better quality message, but it will give you a chance to detect mistakes, or perhaps catch a 'tone' or interpretation that you didn't intend.