TOL is entering it's 12th year. The following rules are the most current commandments for our forum. Follow these rules and you will be a happy camper here on TOL. Break these rules and you will likely be banned. Keep in mind TOL is a biased forum, leaning very far to the Christian right, and therefore we interpret our rules from OUR perspective. There are many dissenting voices on TOL who have been debating us and fellowshipping with us for years, but those voices understand whose house party they are at and are respectful of that.
1. Thou SHALL NOT use profanity or insinuated profanity on this forum. Crass potty humor is also discouraged here at TOL.
2. Thou SHALL NOT attempt to upload profane images or video to our website or post links to profane material on our website. Profane avatars, usernames, and profile images are also illegal and will result in instant banishment.
3. Thou SHALL NOT be intentionally blasphemous or unnecessarily disruptive. Emphasis on "unnecessarily disruptive." We will ban you if you are presenting yourself as an unneeded distraction (yes this is subjective - live with it). Be mindful of the spirit of the discussion.
4. Thou SHALL NOT call other TOL members names without cause. Appropriately identifying the wicked is not only allowed but encouraged. Again, TOL is a right-wing Christian forum and therefore our bias is not hidden.
5. Thou SHALL NOT hijack threads or be a "thread pest" (Hijacking a thread means intentionally changing the subject of a thread to discredit the thread's purpose. And being a "thread pest" means you pop into random threads just to make a mocking comment with no other purpose than to marginalize the discussion). If you are not interested in the topic of a thread, you might just want to stay out of it.
6. Thou SHALL NOT post copyrighted material on our website (without prior approval). Plagiarism is also a bannable offense - If you are posting material written by others, make sure to give them credit.
7. Thou SHALL NOT troll our forums. If you are here to make outlandish, crazy statements merely to get a rise out of the membership and cause trouble, please save yourself the time and leave.
8. Thou SHALL NOT attempt to redirect members to another forum, website, or blog. (Profile and signature links may be allowed with administrator approval.) Using our PM system to redirect members to other forums or websites is also a bannable offense.
9. Thou SHALL NOT disrespect TOL moderators and admins (if you are asked by a TOL moderator to alter a post, your signature, avatar, or other input on TOL, please respect that request). If you have been banned, please wait-out your ban. Please do not re-register using a new username unless you have made a special arrangement with the TOL staff.
10. Thou SHALL NOT advocate or encourage criminal behavior on TOL. Personal threats and/or advocating criminal behavior will result in an instant ban. Making racist comments and other unnecessary personal comments may also cause banishment.
All of the above commandments are subjective in nature and will be determined on a case by case basis by the TOL staff.
Other things to avoid... These items may or may not cause TOL banishment.
1. Thou SHALL NOT use profanity or insinuated profanity on this forum. Crass potty humor is also discouraged here at TOL.
2. Thou SHALL NOT attempt to upload profane images or video to our website or post links to profane material on our website. Profane avatars, usernames, and profile images are also illegal and will result in instant banishment.
3. Thou SHALL NOT be intentionally blasphemous or unnecessarily disruptive. Emphasis on "unnecessarily disruptive." We will ban you if you are presenting yourself as an unneeded distraction (yes this is subjective - live with it). Be mindful of the spirit of the discussion.
4. Thou SHALL NOT call other TOL members names without cause. Appropriately identifying the wicked is not only allowed but encouraged. Again, TOL is a right-wing Christian forum and therefore our bias is not hidden.
5. Thou SHALL NOT hijack threads or be a "thread pest" (Hijacking a thread means intentionally changing the subject of a thread to discredit the thread's purpose. And being a "thread pest" means you pop into random threads just to make a mocking comment with no other purpose than to marginalize the discussion). If you are not interested in the topic of a thread, you might just want to stay out of it.
6. Thou SHALL NOT post copyrighted material on our website (without prior approval). Plagiarism is also a bannable offense - If you are posting material written by others, make sure to give them credit.
7. Thou SHALL NOT troll our forums. If you are here to make outlandish, crazy statements merely to get a rise out of the membership and cause trouble, please save yourself the time and leave.
8. Thou SHALL NOT attempt to redirect members to another forum, website, or blog. (Profile and signature links may be allowed with administrator approval.) Using our PM system to redirect members to other forums or websites is also a bannable offense.
9. Thou SHALL NOT disrespect TOL moderators and admins (if you are asked by a TOL moderator to alter a post, your signature, avatar, or other input on TOL, please respect that request). If you have been banned, please wait-out your ban. Please do not re-register using a new username unless you have made a special arrangement with the TOL staff.
10. Thou SHALL NOT advocate or encourage criminal behavior on TOL. Personal threats and/or advocating criminal behavior will result in an instant ban. Making racist comments and other unnecessary personal comments may also cause banishment.
All of the above commandments are subjective in nature and will be determined on a case by case basis by the TOL staff.
Other things to avoid... These items may or may not cause TOL banishment.
Please do not stalk another TOL member. If you do not agree with a TOL member, do not follow that member around the TOL forum engaging them in every thread (even unrelated to the disagreement). If we determine you are a forum stalker we will ban you.
Please do not post in ALL CAPS or in all bolded text.
Please do not post SPAM unless its by our design, and even then please be creative and keep spamming to a minimum. Do not make it your obsession or you will be banned. Spam is making posts with just a word or two or just a smilie in an attempt to boost your post count.
Please do not make posts that are extremely long. Anything over 6 short paragraphs may be considered too long. Don't attempt to make your whole argument in one post. (Battle Royale's are exempt from this rule.)
Please do not copy and paste your previous papers and writings (like high school or college papers) without prior approval. TheologyOnLine is for dialogue.
Please do not marginalize TOL threads or TOL members, the topics and threads that interest some TOL members might not interest you. Just ignore threads and TOL members that do not interest you.
Please do not post in ALL CAPS or in all bolded text.
Please do not post SPAM unless its by our design, and even then please be creative and keep spamming to a minimum. Do not make it your obsession or you will be banned. Spam is making posts with just a word or two or just a smilie in an attempt to boost your post count.
Please do not make posts that are extremely long. Anything over 6 short paragraphs may be considered too long. Don't attempt to make your whole argument in one post. (Battle Royale's are exempt from this rule.)
Please do not copy and paste your previous papers and writings (like high school or college papers) without prior approval. TheologyOnLine is for dialogue.
Please do not marginalize TOL threads or TOL members, the topics and threads that interest some TOL members might not interest you. Just ignore threads and TOL members that do not interest you.
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