Main MenuForum Rules of Conduct (please read!)
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Forum Rules of ConductWe have certain "rules" that we ask everyone to live by, as a condition of participating in the AntiBible Project Forum. These are very common-sense guidelines, and we expect that almost no one will have any difficulty in abiding by them.The Forum's PurposeThis Forum exists as a place to discuss the Bible critically, examine its true meaning and impact, and compare its texts to what many people actually believe. Thus, Forum discussions frequently venture into theology, history, philosophy, anthropology, many other sciences, and so on.It's easy to veer off-topic, so we ask that participants try not to go too far off track. Unacceptable PracticesSome things are unacceptable — and obviously so. Treat everyone with respect; no insults or ad hominem attacks. If you have to, simply agree to disagree, and have done with it.We also do not accept what we call thumping (short for "Bible-thumping"). This is, essentially, coming into the Forum, posting a message that we all must repent lest we end up in eternal hellfire, then leaving, or simply repeating the same message over and over. Most of us have heard that stuff, and are not interested in hearing it again. This is not the place to win converts, so if that's what you're after, you may as well just give up now. In general, any time you make an assertion, prepare to back it up. Someone is likely to call you on it. This is not because we're being pedantic, or trying to intimidate you. What we want is to understand what you're saying, and sometimes, a little "interrogation" is necessary. That's all. Cutting-and-pasting, or "C&P," is posting a large amount of text that you've copied from someplace else and pasted into a Forum message. That is not the sort of thing this Forum is about. It's about discussion, which means that our participants ought to post what they really think. C&P is only acceptable when it's appropriate to a conversation that's already underway; for example, a short encyclopedia article explaining a term that's being discussed. What's much better, is for you to post a link to the material elsewhere on the Web, along with your own comments about it (a paragraph or two). C&P is acceptable in the Humor folder ... but even so, a link and a few words from you, would be better. This cuts down on page-loading (which for some folks is already rather slow in Delphi). Proselytizing of any kind is not acceptable. People come here to discuss religion, not to become prey for missionaries. This goes for anyone from any religion. If someone expresses an interest in a religion, then of course, you may respond. Anything else which may unduly affect the overall "health" of the Forum, is also unacceptable. This might range from being simply combative with many people to stirring up trouble in other ways. Copyright IssuesIn today's world you never know who's going to come after you for "plagiarizing" their work. If you use someone else's material, make sure you have permission, or that your use of it constitutes "fair use" under the law. Other than this, copyrighted material is not acceptable in the Forum.Handling ProblemsWhen problems do arise in the forum, we have a procedure for handling them — however infrequent they may be.An initial offense, will receive a warning. A 2nd offense, earns a 24-hour gag (cannot post messages). A 3rd offense, earns a one-week gag. A 4th offense earns a permanent ban. Of course, grievous offenses, such as being overly abusive, could accelerate these penalties. In order to enforce these rules, in addition to the forum manager and assistant managers, we have a Forum Integrity Committee, made up of longtime contributing members. They will have the opportunity to vote on any critical matters. To Devout Theists:The aforementioned rules may seem to be stacked against you. That is not the case, however. We welcome "believers," so long as they are willing to discuss these issues, and defend their beliefs. Don't just tell us you believe something — tell us why, and perhaps more important, let us ask you about it. This is about discussion, after all. |