toldailytopic: Where should TOL go from here?

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Town Heretic

Out of Order
Hall of Fame
But what does it matter?

I no longer like being here anyway.
And you no longer like it repeatedly too...

Town Heretic has called me a troll forty seven times too many.
That, like so much of what you write, is exaggerated nonsense.

I will leave when I am ready and it will be soon enough...
Is that even possible? :plain:
you can save your breath.
Also coming soon: rainee's TOL Inaction figures. :eek:
 

Rusha

LIFETIME MEMBER
LIFETIME MEMBER
Hall of Fame
Hi this is rainee
and I'm not an alcoholic (at least I don't think I am because I'm not drinking :noway: )

One request would be if you are drinking - stop it.
And why not set up an AA club here at the forums.


Next a word to the Calvinists please.
I don't know and so can't be sure but if any tone has improved here at TOL towards Calvies it has probably more to do with me than you.
I came here wanting to win people not be arrogant or insulting. I do not believe in whipping the weak - no - quite the contrary, I believe in whipping the strong.

Now I'm sorry I have to talk about me for a minute, I will try not to drone on like a fuzzy tiger who needs apparently some hairball medicine because he is really full of it.

I personally came here because I was hunting for PS82.
That's it.
That is the ONLY reason any of you have read one word of mine.
She is the only person who is like me that I know of.
And we are not much alike in many other ways!
She is not Calvinist, I am.
But she works with Scriptures and I can appreciate that.
Sometimes she is way over my head or compiling way too much too fast - but that is that.

Now I love Barbarian but I do not want you to misunderstand -
It is because of PS 82 that I do not mind if people are here who work with Scriptures in wild and zaney ways.
She likes it here and you have to have people here who work with Scriptures.

Now to the rest of you Christians, not just Calvies, I told Trad I made a connection between the "son of perdition" and "the seed" of the
serpent as spoken of in Genesis.
First I did it because I could do it - but I also did it because I thought it would be good.
That's right, I think I can work with Scriptures, and I think it can be good when I share with you who cannot. And I think most cannot.

But I also did it because Bybee called me pedantic! So I did it because I could, I thought it would be good, and I was made angry
by one of you. I think that will only work that way once.

Now to the unbelievers - what can I say?
I'm just angry and disgusted at many of you.
I do not doubt you are foolish and self destructive and
in some ways incredibly not smart.

You are sucking the life out of the very forum you enjoy so much. You are shameless in this. But you should be ashamed. You lack wisdom.
How could I stay around you?

TOL Topic: Where should TOL go from here?


Maybe I missed it, but throughout all your whining and bashing other members, did you happen to make any suggestions that would help make TOL a better community?

Here's the thing, Rainee ... not everything is about YOU. This thread was not about YOU. However, you managed in one post to bash individuals as well as non believers because you apparently are incapable of dealing with what you dish out.

There are those such as myself who actually WANT TOL to succeed because we enjoy the community and the people who are in it.

Now, can you possibly get back on topic and make suggestions that will benefit ALL the members and moderators instead disrupting this thread?
 

grit

New member
AMR said:
1. Safe-haven forums where those of a like mind may fellowship and discuss items without intrusion by those that disagree with the purposes of this sort of forum. For example: Open-Theists Only, MAD Only, Reformed Only, Catholic Only, etc.

I like the rest of AMR's suggestions too, but I've not found these two to be very helpful, especially for broad-based Christian and ecumenical forums. 'Safe-havens' initially seems like a great idea, but they're very difficult to moderate effectively, even if special moderators are appointed who fit into a particular haven by their own confession. I value God's purposes in the diversity of various denominations within His Church, but I strongly suggest that is not what we get when segmenting TOL or an online community into 'safe-haven forums'. Sure, there's certainly a sense in which familial like-mindedness is fostered, but more often than not it breeds far greater hostility and needless hurt toward 'outsiders' or those strongly disagreeing with a particular grouping. I've seen it completely demolish at least two online Christian communities, one of which had been quite large.
AMR said:
4. Ask a Chaplain forum. Initially Chaplains are appointed by management. Later other chaplains weigh in with management on future Chaplain appointments. Must be ordained and provide documentary proof from a church, not from one of the many internet groups that hand out ordination certificates to anyone. All posts therein are moderated and anonymized. No user name appears for the original poster. Only the original poster and appointed Chaplains, whose posts are not anonymized, are allowed to respond in threads created. The first Chaplain responding usually owns the entire conversation with the original poster. Other Chaplains do not weigh in unless asked by the original poster or by the first responding Chaplain. This suggestion has a complication I have noted on another site where I am serving as a Chaplain in a similarly styled forum. The posts are usually from sock accounts as regular members are often suspicious of just how much anonymity is provided. ;)
Nang said:
This is the weakest suggestion AMR makes, as there are many unqualified who might demand to be marked as "Chaplain," plus legitimate church qualifications cannot be proved.
You are correct. This suggestion is a tough one to administer properly. Some denominations do not even keep proper records on file for ordained members. I am ordained by the SBC and all I can point to is my original ordination certificate and my copy of a listing in an old SBC Pastors membership paperback the SBC used to publish; other copies of which probably are lying on a dusty shelf in an archive somewhere.

AMR
I've spent almost all my online forum life in Christian forums, and, again, I find the more we try to make them into a church (or a clump of several distinct churches) the worse they wear it. There's no doubt that having an online voice of spiritual authority can be comforting for certain members, and trying to qualify such by ordination standards might seem like responsible behaviour in offering professional spiritual advice; but there's the rub, I strongly disagree with proffering one's professional credentials online as legal advice in virtual reality in forums like this one. If a person needs a chaplain or pastor or minister, then please direct them to someone they can meet with in person, or direct them to a real church, doctor, lawyer, or social service, even if it must be an online site.

I'm sure there are some situations where aspects of professional help in Internet anonymity may be quite helpful, especially where one is otherwise socially or physically impaired, or where personal real-life identification may be problematic (like in certain settings where religious persecution is tantamount); but, though our priesthood of believers online may be one of the key reasons for participation here, and while we each certainly bring our spiritual gifts to the table of online life, using one's ordination standards in such a community as this is highly problematic and something I personally find somewhat unethical and extremely hazardous for any involved, even if names are named and real churches involved are both notified and completely giving of their blessing to such an enterprise (sometimes, especially so). I just do not find it a wise course, and I have seen pastors and churches ruin both their testimony, ministry, and the lifes of those they sought to help in trying to navigate such waters.
 

fool

Well-known member
Hall of Fame
But what does it matter?

I no longer like being here anyway.

Dude
There's six billion people on the planet, why spend a Saturday afternoon talking to ones you don't like?
Put the computer down and go mow your lawn er sumthin.
 

Town Heretic

Out of Order
Hall of Fame
Fuzzy Tiger,
I do not know why you would know anything about my leaving or my not liking it.
Last aside in a thread aimed else: perhaps you should create a thread entitled "Now I'm really, really leaving" and everyone the least bit interested could stop by and give you the old hoo-hah. Else, I knew because you've announced the intention often enough...and yet. :D

I like AMR's #1, but worry that it might tend to turn what has been a lively rough and tumble into little boring gardens of like congratulating like.

His 2 and 3 are first rate ideas with real potential for adding a little pep into the proceedings and 5 is overdue.

Nicely done, old salt. :e4e:
 

chatmaggot

Well-known member
Hall of Fame
We need a TOL Youtube channel.
So we can have video debates.

I thought that Knight tried something like that in the past. One of the advantages of the YouTube embedding feature was so that it would generate video debates. There were a few that tried it, but it never caught on.

Knight talking about the video debates:

Video Debates


Frank Walton Parody

"Frank Walton"
 

rainee

New member
It is amazing how many clever comebacks you have to people who are not talking to you, Fuzzy Tiger.

And, no, I have not said all over the place that I was leaving
but I read about it on something you wrote before today.

I wondered about it then.

Just like I wonder how often you have to insert yourself into someone else's conversation to get your chance to show off a quick wit.
I was talking to someone who was not you when you so brazenly
butted in to be clever.


Maybe you are not fuzzy, Tiger? Maybe you are mangy?

Maybe you need to get yourself right.
 

rainee

New member
But then again maybe not!
Don't want any poor people who are like Granite to think there is a ghostly experience at your place.

I will shut up and go work like fool said to do.
 

fool

Well-known member
Hall of Fame
I will shut up and go work like fool said to do.

That's the spirit.
With that program you will NOT be irritated by random people on the TOL and your lawn WILL look better which your neighbors will appreciate.
Watch out for dog crap.
 

Squishes

New member
But aside from these, if we want a marketplace of ideas with more weight given to Christian ideas (since it is a Christian-owned site), then we can do little to discourage proselytizing toward unbiblical ideas.

If you can't beat them on the playing field of ideas, you just don't let them post?

What do you have against censorship?

It's petty and destructive.
 

bybee

New member
Censorship

Censorship

If you can't beat them on the playing field of ideas, you just don't let them post?



It's petty and destructive.

Agreed. Within the stated bounds of propriety the freedom to speak one's mind ensures access to what there is to know.
bybee
 
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