This group....

[R P]

Just as you will not face your own hypocrisy and evil?

You know, I have been in Christian circles my whole life...the entire
spectrum from Right to Left.

Unless we want to isolate ourselves with the VERY few people who's theology
line up **exactly** with ours, we have to accept and respect the fact that
others Christians may come to differring conclusions from tradition and
scripture.

The key to any group of mixed Christians is to be able to repect other
believers in Christ who have differing traditions, theology and worship
styles.

As a matter of fact, the key to all human relationships is 'respect'. You
would think we could/should see a healthy dose of it here wouldn't you?

While we may have differing beliefs, while we may respectfully disagree with
points of theology, while we may not understand some folks styles of
worship, or the things they emphasize that we do not (Holy Spirit, humility,
works of charity, music, physical expressions during praise, etc.) we must
be able to "get along"...or we should 'leave the room'.

It's one thing to discuss with someone a differing belief. It's one thing
to tell someoneone, you disagree with their interpretation. It's another
thing to out and out insult someone for coming to a different conclusion in
their faith.

Just as you will not face your own hypocrisy and evil?

This is, of course, not as easy as it seems. Christians, must learn to
control tempers, actions...and here in the newsgroup...control their words
and emotions until they ask themselves if their response is respectful.
Comments like the above is like spitting in the face of someone...and then
trying to tell them your helping them wash-up!

I am reminded of one of my favorite scriptures...

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=52&chapter=14&version=31
Romans 14
1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable
matters. 2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man,
whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must
not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything
must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4Who are you to
judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he
will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

I believe the moderator of this group has done a wonderful job of showing
this respect to all of the various flavors of Christians who show up here.

I think some people may indeed need to be asked to "leave the room" if they
can't be respectful. This is a job that is very fatiguing and no one wants
to play policeman.

Groups like this by it's very nature, are filled with all diofferent flavors
of Christianity.

It was mentioned that the number of participants has declined of
recent...and it's true that usenet has declined in popularity.

But many people leave the group for reasons of a few people's uncivility.

[B.G. Kent]

Post by R P
The key to any group of mixed Christians is to be able to repect other
believers in Christ who have differing traditions, theology and worship
styles.

**snip


B - beautiful. This is what I'm been saying all along but not nearly so
succint as yourself. I don't want people speaking FOR me...or MY
Christianity. I will speak for my own..and if you do the same...then we
have respect I figure.
Thankyou

Bren

[Steve Hayes]

Post by R P

Just as you will not face your own hypocrisy and evil?

I believe the moderator of this group has done a wonderful job of showing
this respect to all of the various flavors of Christians who show up here.

Agreed.

Post by R P
I think some people may indeed need to be asked to "leave the room" if they
can't be respectful. This is a job that is very fatiguing and no one wants
to play policeman.

While I would not go so far as that, I think it would be good if the moderator

Post by R P

Just as you will not face your own hypocrisy and evil?

to revise their posts before they are posted.

I'm glad you didn't say who actually said that (no names, no packdrill), but
it serves as an example of the kind of thing that makes for boring reading.
That's probably why I didn't see it the first time, because I usually skip
posts that contain a lot of that kind of thing.

Differences of opinion are one thing, and it's fine for people to say why they
disagree with something and believe it's wrong, but attacks on the opinion
HOLDERS contribute nothing to the discussion, and if that's ALL one reads,
yes, it probably drives people away, including people who came to a moderated
group to get away from that kind of things.

I wouldn't want to place yet another burden on our long-suffering moderator,
but I would suggest that people who post ad hominems like that should be asked
to revise their posts to attack opinions, not opinion holders.

Occasional lapses are not so bad, and there are borderline cases, but when
entire threads degenerate into personal bockering, I just mark the whole
thread "Ignore", and then might miss an exceptional useful contribution.

Post by R P
Groups like this by it's very nature, are filled with all diofferent flavors
of Christianity.
It was mentioned that the number of participants has declined of
recent...and it's true that usenet has declined in popularity.
But many people leave the group for reasons of a few people's uncivility.

Agreed.

I think there are other reasons as well, but that is certainly one of them.

One of the strange paradoxes of the Internet is that the more people connect
to it, the less communication there is. This newsgroup and others had more
participants, and more useful discussions, when the number of people on the
Internet was less than 1% of what it is today.
--
The unworthy deacon,
Stephen Methodius Hayes
Contact: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm
Orthodox mission pages: http://www.orthodoxy.faithweb.com/

----

[It's really hard to know where to draw the line. If I did what I
probably should do, it would probably result in a de facto ban of one
of our major participants. I'm not going to conduct a discussion in
public, but if I get much more reacton of this sort (and I won't post
further responses in public), I'll take the necessary action. --clh]