In celebration of our open minds, here here...II

[FormerFundie2004]

(Trying to remember all that I said in my OP which was accidentally deleted)

I love coming here to this site. I just came back from CF, and this post is a result of my frustration with with that overmoderated website. My original useraname, FormerFundie200419, was suspended for 2 weeks for supposedly dissing Christians or Christianity. But what I said was that people should be more open minded and less hating and bigoted. My statement was taken to mean that Christians should be more open minded and less bigoted. And it's not allowed to criticize Christianity over there. That was the last straw for me. With my secondary username, I PMed a message to the mod that suspended me, saying that I hated being treated like a child for expressing my opinions, thoughts, and reasoning. That username is now having difficulty posting. Coincidence? I think not. AFter registering a third username, and it having the same problems as the second, I think that certain mods may have a personal hang-up with me.

My philosophy coincides with the philosophy of this website: think what you like, and say what you think...WITHOUT BEING CENSORED, HARASSED, AND SUSPENDED/DELETED. I enjoy just saying what I think. It's healthy to openly express what you think, and since I don't feel comfortable doing that around my family, I come here. (They're all fundies, literalists, and very superstitious.)

I don't really fit in at CF anyway, but as a rational, freethinking Christian, I don't fit in anywhere. However, I thought that my thoughts and opinions would be more welcome here than at CF (Censored Forum).

I love being here, I love talking with other freethinkers, I just love this site.

Many Christians seem so superstitious now that I am a freethinker. Example: the tsunami. Religious people (including Christians) think that God might have caused it, because he is angry with them (after all, they're Muslim, right)? Children of Satannnnnnnnnnn!!!!!

We should be ashamed of ourselved, using God to fill in the gaps of knowlege. THIS IS THE 21ST CENTURY!!!! We have the knowledge, but some people dont' care to look into it, or reject it because they think their supersition is better for them. My mom is one of those people. She thinks God was punishing the Muslims. It makes me angry!

Anyway, lets have a toast to our open-mindedness, rational and reasoned thought, and to knowledge. Here here!

[Dragar]

Agreed FormerFundie2004! I'm glad you're here, and that you've escaped (or never fell into?) the trap of fundamentalist religion. :)

Consequence? I think not.

Psst...I think you mean a different word here.

Anyway, lets have a toast to our open-mindedness, rational and reasoned thought, and to knowledge. Here here!

Definately something to poison ourselves to! :prost:

[FormerFundie2004]

Agreed FormerFundie2004! I'm glad you're here, and that you've escaped (or never fell into?) the trap of fundamentalist religion. :)

I was a fundie for over 15 years...due to oversheltering and therefore the impossibilty of exploring my own questions that didn't get answers till I was 18 and began getting books from the library and hiding them under my bed when I wasnt' reading them so my mom wouldn't discover them. *gasp* Pardain the grammer.

Consequence? I think not. Psst...I think you mean a different word here.

Corrected.

Anyway, lets have a toast to our open-mindedness, rational and reasoned thought, and to knowledge. Here here!

Definately something to poison ourselves to! :prost:

hehehehehe

[Dragar]

I was a fundie for over 15 years...due to oversheltering and therefore the impossibilty of exploring my own questions that didn't get answers till I was 18 and began getting books from the library and hiding them under my bed when I wasnt' reading them so my mom wouldn't discover them. *gasp* Pardain the grammer.

Wow! See, now that's a story. A story of curiosity and a desire to learn overcoming all obstacles.

I got given books as a child. I soaked up knowledge like a sponge. I used to read my dad's science fiction and fact collection (still do!) and collect magazines that talked about dinosaurs.

I had nothing to struggle against. :(

Glad you found your way out of it. Many don't. :)

[seebs]

Woo!

This, IMHO, is a great part of what early Christians meant when they talked about salvation. "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."

[livius drusus]

(Trying to remember all that I said in my OP which was accidentally deleted)

Why, whoever would do such a totally idiotic thing? :shy:

I love coming here to this site. I just came back from CF, and this post is a result of my frustration with with that overmoderated website. My original useraname, FormerFundie200419, was suspended for 2 weeks for supposedly dissing Christians or Christianity. But what I said was that people should be more open minded and less hating and bigoted. My statement was taken to mean that Christians should be more open minded and less bigoted. And it's not allowed to criticize Christianity over there.

I don't see how a Christian making a general appeal for open-mindness and against bigotry is criticizing the religion, unless the CF admin actually thinks that bigotry and Christianity are synonyms, which is an odd position indeed for a Christian site to take.

In any case, moderation is a weird beastie. Left unchecked, it can reinforce the worse things and quash the best ones, no matter what the ideological grounding of the site.


My philosophy coincides with the philosophy of this website: think what you like, and say what you think...WITHOUT BEING CENSORED, HARASSED, AND SUSPENDED/DELETED.

Not intentionally anyway. :blush:

I enjoy just saying what I think. It's healthy to openly express what you think, and since I don't feel comfortable doing that around my family, I come here. (They're all fundies, literalists, and very superstitious.)

I'm really glad you're here too, particularly considering how you came to find us. I find myself biting my tongue around my family too, and that's just because my dad is a staunch Republican. I don't know what I'd do if they were literalists and such.

Many Christians seem so superstitious now that I am a freethinker. Example: the tsunami. Religious people (including Christians) think that God might have caused it, because he is angry with them (after all, they're Muslim, right)? Children of Satannnnnnnnnnn!!!!!

I've seen some really horrible things from scary fundamentalists about the tsunami. Fred Phelps' monstruous site said it was punishment from God against the Swedes, nevermind the muslims.

Anyway, lets have a toast to our open-mindedness, rational and reasoned thought, and to knowledge. Here here!

I'll drink to that and to making sure I don't get so self-congratulatory about having an open mind that it's up shutting tight while I pat myself on the back.
:cincin:

[Adora]

HARASSED
Well, at least not by the mods.

But seriously, if CF is so shitty, why the fuck do you hang around it?

[Godless Dave]

First, kudos on overcoming a background that discouraged inquiry and learning to think for yourself. I can't imagine how difficult that must have been.

Second, the expression is "hear, hear". But I assume you spelled it correctly in the original thread that Liv deleted.

[Ensign Steve]

I'm sure she meant it as a pun. Because she likes it here. ;)

(PS: It took me until today to figure out that the "II" is because this thread is the second of its kind and has nothing to do with iidb. duh)

[livius drusus]

But I assume you spelled it correctly in the original thread that Liv deleted.

Now, now, that's threads liv deleted. :hahaha:

[Godless Dave]

FormerFundie2004, have you ever checked out Cross and Flame (http://www.crossandflame.com/forum/)? It's a Christian discussion forum run by some Methodists that has pretty open discussion. Not like CF at all.

Another one I just discovered is Religious Forums (http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/). They're pretty new and don't have many members.

[FormerFundie2004]

FormerFundie2004, have you ever checked out Cross and Flame (http://www.crossandflame.com/forum/)? It's a Christian discussion forum run by some Methodists that has pretty open discussion. Not like CF at all.

Another one I just discovered is Religious Forums (http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/). They're pretty new and don't have many members.

Thanks! I'll check them out.

(although, I'm more Anglican...not methodist...)

[Dingfod]

(although, I'm more Anglican...not methodist...)Aw, c'mon, you're a freethinker.

[FormerFundie2004]

(although, I'm more Anglican...not methodist...)Aw, c'mon, you're a freethinker.

yeah, and that makes me a liberal. The Methodists are too conservative for me.

[maddog]

I'm sure she meant it as a pun. Because she likes it here. ;)

(PS: It took me until today to figure out that the "II" is because this thread is the second of its kind and has nothing to do with iidb. duh)
First: yes, that's how I took it
Second: double duh; I didn't get it till you said it

ETA: Oh, yeah, where're my manners? :doh: Well said, FormerFundie200419! Welcome, here!
#173

[seebs]

(although, I'm more Anglican...not methodist...)Aw, c'mon, you're a freethinker.

yeah, and that makes me a liberal. The Methodists are too conservative for me.

Well, some are pretty liberal...

But seriously, the fact that the site has Methodist roots is a non-issue. There's all sorts there, Christian and otherwise.

[FormerFundie2004]

(although, I'm more Anglican...not methodist...)Aw, c'mon, you're a freethinker.

yeah, and that makes me a liberal. The Methodists are too conservative for me.

Well, some are pretty liberal...

But seriously, the fact that the site has Methodist roots is a non-issue. There's all sorts there, Christian and otherwise.

I just checked it out, and they moderate too heavy over there. See the post by PastorFreud (http://www.crossandflame.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9110) and how it was edited by a mod.

[viscousmemories]

I just checked it out, and they moderate too heavy over there. See the post by PastorFreud (http://www.crossandflame.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9110) and how it was edited by a mod.
Man, seebs seems to lay claim to populating that entire forum. :P

[seebs]

Hee!

PF's post was edited because, honestly, it really was a flame. Not for doctrinal correctness, or anything like that, but because it had a personal insult directed at a specific user.

[JoeP]

I just checked it out, and they moderate too heavy over there. See the post by PastorFreud (http://www.crossandflame.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9110) and how it was edited by a mod.
Man, seebs seems to lay claim to populating that entire forum. :P
Phew. I thought you were insinuating extramarital activities for a moment.

[Token Effort]

CF isn't too heavily moderated; everybody here should check it out at some point in time :).

[livius drusus]

I've read a few CF threads when linked to them, but I find the place unbearable to peruse casually, even for a professional lurker like me. It's so hideously ugly, so chaotically structured, so... busy. It's like standing in the middle of a highway when you're shrooming. Every fiber of my being screams get me out of here.

Edit: Wait, did you mean Christian Forums or Cross & Flame, Token? Cause you said CF and I thought you meant the former (although I suspected you were being facetious about the whole moderation thing). Am I a dumbass? :pardon?:

[JoeP]

I've read a few CF threads when linked to them, but I find the place unbearable to peruse casually, even for a professional lurker like me. It's so hideously ugly, so chaotically structured, so... busy. It's like standing in the middle of a highway when you're shrooming. Every fiber of my being screams get me out of here.
You poor baby. I feel your pain.

[Sweetie]

CF is stifling, there's very little room for personality and humour.

[viscousmemories]

CF is stifling, there's very little room for personality and humour.
Christian Forums or Cross and Flame?

[Sweetie]

Christian Forums or Cross and Flame?

Christian Forums. I've been invited to C+F and have lurked there a time or two but I never registered, bet you can't guess who did the inviting. :P

[viscousmemories]

Well Larry, one of the C+F admins, is a member here too. I'm pretty sure there are a number of others as well. I've browsed there a bit but it's too heavily religion-oriented for my taste. I'm just not that interested in talking about religion per se, except in the context of philosophy discussions in general. :shrug:

[livius drusus]

Yeah, I'm not really interested in participating in primarily religious discussions anymore. If I were, C&F would definitely be the place for it. They've got their phpBB decked out as nicely as it can be, that's for sure. :yup:

[HelenM]

Well Larry, one of the C+F admins, is a member here too. I'm pretty sure there are a number of others as well. I've browsed there a bit but it's too heavily religion-oriented for my taste. I'm just not that interested in talking about religion per se, except in the context of philosophy discussions in general. :shrug:

Larry who's posted here under that name is an admin of Challenging Atheism (http://p067.ezboard.com/bgwnn).

I don't know whether C+F has an admin named Larry also.

Helen

[viscousmemories]

Oh, huh. Thanks Helen, I'm not sure where I got that idea from, then.

[wildernesse]

I just checked it out, and they moderate too heavy over there. See the post by PastorFreud (http://www.crossandflame.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9110) and how it was edited by a mod.

I don't think I would call that heavy moderation--seriously, I have rarely, rarely ever seen any invasive editing by mods at C+F.

[livius drusus]

Yeah, and you see what a total bitch wildy is. :rollpin:

[Token Effort]

Edit: Wait, did you mean Christian Forums or Cross & Flame, Token? Cause you said CF and I thought you meant the former (although I suspected you were being facetious about the whole moderation thing). Am I a dumbass? :pardon?:

Christian Forums and I wouldn't know :).

CF is stifling, there's very little room for personality and humour.

Quite the contrary, I would posit that there is plenty of room for humour, such to the point that every almost atheist has the same dry style of wit as the other, and all conservatives exude an aura of "I don't mean what I say".

[Sweetie]

Quite the contrary, I would posit that there is plenty of room for humour, such to the point that every almost atheist has the same dry style of wit as the other, and all conservatives exude an aura of "I don't mean what I say".

That went right over my head, but then again many things do. :D

May I ask, "what?"

[Token Effort]

Quite the contrary, I would posit that there is plenty of room for humour, such to the point that every almost atheist has the same dry style of wit as the other, and all conservatives exude an aura of "I don't mean what I say".

That went right over my head, but then again many things do. :D

May I ask, "what?"

Essentially, after spending some time at CF, it seems to me that almost every atheist possesses (sp?) the same generic style of witty-humour, and almost every conservative uses basic insincere sarcasm; eventually it reaches the point such that one cannot help but think to oneself "I wish everybody would shut up with the jokes and make a point" (I think I understand though; a lot of these people are veterans, and after less than a year @ CF I just lost inspiration to attempt to put any effort in to my posts).

[seebs]

Hey seebs, hope this PM finds you well.

I noticed in my referrer logs this FreeThoughtForums thread. I saw that we were getting some slack from them for the edited post by PF.

I wanted them to know that PF wrote that edit himself to make fun of CF's moderating system, and how they put those snide little comments at the end of the post. The mod team @ Cross+Flame did not moderate his post in any way. He wrote it in that way as satire. Unfortunately, it was lost on the majority of people there, and the mod team had to ask him directly who edited his post like that! If they would like a better example of how moderating is expressed when it gets nasty, check out the first post of this thread (http://crossandflame.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8346).

Just an FYI, and I *would* appreciate it if you could post this to clear up any misconceptions on how moderating is done around C+F.

Thanks! ~Cross

Hee! I guess I read it wrong.

And PastorFreud's vicious sense of humor rises another notch in my estimation.

[livius drusus]

/me laughs out loud
That's awesome. Although I'm quite hurt that C&F had no comment at all on my phpBB compliment. Doesn't anybody care about my needs? :giggles:

[Sweetie]

Hee! I guess I read it wrong.

Oh man, I read the whole thread and totally missed what the issue was to begin with. :eek: :doh: