In Reply to: OT2 posted by WC (Gen. Coord) on October 04, 2006 at 15:00:47:
My opinion may not carry a lot of weight as i rarely post, but i am an ex cog and i do check out the boards (here and NDN) almost daily. And i'd have to agree with your decision. I find the poster you're referring to to be repeatedly insulting and condescending in the majority of his posts. These types of responses make me reticent to post, and i would suspect others as well.
On a similar topic, and it seems to be where this one sprang off of, is the talk of a separate 'Christian' board. I don't know if two separate boards would flourish or not, but i do think that these boards end up being Christian by default... and thereby can be unappealing or frustrating to those who are not. We all come from a Christian background by definition of the cult... some of us continue with that faith in varying forms, and others of us have no use for it. As the nature of Christianity is to share 'the truth', and the belief that one holds the one true truth, it feels contrary to the belief to NOT want to pursuade someone to convert to your way of thinking. It also feels contradictory to not feel superior (even if in a kindly non judgemental loving sort of way) if you are holding the truth and you 'know' the other isnt. I certainly believed this in the cult, and it has been my predominant experience with Christians outside of the cult. And this is not to criticize Christianity or Christians in anyway, it just seems to be part and parcel of the Christian belief system.
So practically speaking, i dont see how Journeys can be anything but a Christian board, as long as the predominance of posters hold that belief. And i don't see how others can be encouraged to post, knowing that anyone who is a Christian, even at their most polite and open minded, will not likely really consider anything that contradicts it.