What is the point of forum rule #6?

[Alfred Combes]

There are a number if posters here right now who do not fit in with rule #6.  Some openly state they do not believe in the God of orthodox Christianity.  Others make God out ti be their personal oracle or medium.

Is this place going to be another beliefnet?

[LightHammer]

There are a number if posters here right now who do not fit in with rule #6.  Some openly state they do not believe in the God of orthodox Christianity.  Others make God out ti be their personal oracle or medium.

Is this place going to be another beliefnet?

"Orthodox" Christianity among men is debatable. Eve within this community.

Rule 6 is meant to preserve the focus of this site on the Judeo-Christian God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The history of our faith holds diverse ideas as to what is or is not orthodoxy. As such you can not raise issues simply because there are members here who don't agree with you.

If you have an issue that demands immediate attention you can always hit the "report to moderator" button that is made available for you.

Is there something specific you wanted addressed?

[Alfred Combes]

I had thought because rule #6 specifically states "christian only" that the intent of this board was to be "christian only" and other members who di not agree with the scriptures in rule #6 MAY be allowed to post if it was determined to be helpful.

By "orthodox Christianity" I was referring to agreement with the scriptures given in rule 6.

There are posters here that obviously DO NOT agree with the scriptures in Rule 6.

Is this board to be primarily "christian only" or more and more like beliefnet?

[LightHammer]

I had thought because rule #6 specifically states "christian only" that the intent of this board was to be "christian only" and other members who di not agree with the scriptures in rule #6 MAY be allowed to post if it was determined to be helpful.

By "orthodox Christianity" I was referring to agreement with the scriptures given in rule 6.

There are posters here that obviously DO NOT agree with the scriptures in Rule 6.

Is this board to be primarily "christian only" or more and more like beliefnet?

I'm sorry I have no knowledge of "beliefnet".

This site is established to be a venue of Christian dialogue for all schools of thought established in Christianity.

What or who exactly are you having an issue with?

[chosenone]

The only way you can get things looked at is to to report the posts of that person or people. If enough people report similar posts then that will make a difference.

[Alfred Combes]

When non-Christians are allowed to post here and disrupt, it is obvious that some current moderators are not using rule 6.  What good does reporting posts do at that point?

[DaveW]

LH - and any other mod/admin - have you all looked at Salems TOS and "range of doctrines" statements? 

If not I would encourage you to look at them and make a copy before they disappear forever (or join them over on facebook to get their TOS)

I just went over there to give a link and apparently if you do not have a login, you can't see the range of doctrines statement and the TOS are gone now even WITH a login.  Anyway, from their site (sorry for the length) http://faithcommunitynetwork.com/m_5401242/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm#5401242

Why define a range of acceptable doctrines:

The Body of Christ is more than one denomination and bigger than any one theological tradition. A mature Christian must know what she or he believes and believes passionately. It is almost impossible to be well taught in scripture and doctrine without coming to view the Christian life through the lens of one theological tradition, often as expressed by one denomination. The Church is enriched by these traditions, and each tradition needs the others to provide balance and to generate the healthy tension that requires each tradition to rethink and restate itself to each new generation.

All biblical theological traditions teach the importance of appropriate and practical unity between all true Bible believing Christians even if differing on the many other less central teachings of the faith which distinguish them. The alternative is a divisive sectarianism in which each tradition denies the validity of the faith of all others and denounces all differing beliefs as lies and falsehood. In so doing, they would disgrace the Lord who said his followers would be identified by their love for each other. The ability to enjoy a deepening love of one's own tradition while discovering an ever deeper appreciation for truth in other traditions is an important measure of Christian maturity.

Faith Community Network therefore expects every Faith Community Network community member to treat those believing what is defined as within the acceptable range of views below as brothers and sisters in Christ and to welcome their courteous expression of their beliefs. This is asked of members, even though every member with clearly defined personal beliefs will differ strongly with one or more of beliefs defined as "acceptable" below.

No member is being asked to hold his or her personal beliefs less strongly or to refrain from discussing or even arguing for those beliefs when appropriate. Rather, members are being asked to model wise and gentle tolerance of, and respect for, the range of conclusions on controversial questions known to be held by those who are indisputably brothers and sisters in Christ. It is possible to understand how brothers and sisters in Christ, can view as biblical and reasonable, points of view with which one has strong personal disagreement.

This policy does not preclude any a member from expressing his or her personal point of view on these issues, if so doing promotes the quality of discussion and is clearly presented as a personal belief.

The definition of acceptable doctrines:

Evangelicalism:

Faith Community Network defines as "acceptable" first those doctrines and beliefs viewed as such by "historic Christian orthodoxy," over 2000 years of church history. But the most immediate context for defining "acceptable" is the "Evangelicalism" which has defined the experience of Bible-believing Protestants in North America since the 1950s. While "Evangelical" would be the single most common description of the hundreds of millions of Bible believing Christians around the world, in terms of Faith Community Network policies, it is the North American context of Faith Community Network's staff and the majority of its current users, and not the evangelicalism of believers in South America, Asia or Africa that will serve as Faith Community Network's point of reference.

Orthodoxy:

"Orthodoxy" is a somewhat wider designation than "Evangelicalism," taking in those areas of agreement on core doctrine shared by members of historic Christian tradition that would not necessarily claim to be "Evangelical." These would include conservative Catholics and members of the Russian or Greek Orthodox communions. Orthodox doctrines held in common by these groups and Evangelicals include the dual full humanity and deity of Christ, the centrality of the crucifixion in atonement for sin, the historical truthfulness of Christ's physical resurrection, the reality of an eternal heaven and hell, and the absolute authority of Scripture.

Represents range of NAE, Christianity Today, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association:

The range of views described below would be found in denominations and organizations that are members of the National Association of Evangelicals. They would be represented in the thinking of authors of articles in Christianity Today, and Leadership Journal, and in the sponsoring churches of every Billy Graham Crusade. They would be recognized as being well within the boundaries of biblical Christian theology by all the major evangelical Christian colleges, such as Wheaton, Moody and Taylor, and the prominent evangelical seminaries such as Gordon Conwell, Dallas and Asbury, even if not viewed as "most biblical" or "correct" by the seminary itself.

The designation "O/E" or "O/Es" below is shorthand for "Orthodox and/or Evangelical."

1. "Inerrancy" "Infallibility":

Range of views:

Most Faith Community Network staff, monitors and users believe that the Bible is "inerrant" and "infallible," and happily use those two words to describe their position. However, within Christian orthodoxy, there is a wide range of thinking on precisely how belief that the Bible is absolutely true and totally authoritative is articulated and how to resolve apparent contradictions in the Bible. Not everyone who prefers to describe their position with words other that "inerrant" and "infallible" means to challenge the fundamental truthfulness and authority of the Bible.

Unacceptable:

Forceful and sustained argument that, for example, the Bible does teach certain things to be true but that it is wrong when it does so, that the Bible is riddled with contradictions and is historically unreliable, or that the Bible is a purely human document.

2. "Prophecy" "The End Times":

Range of views:

Many people of faith believe that the second coming will involve a "secret rapture", seven years of tribulation, and a literal 1000 year millenial rule. However, in church history, internationally, and within North American Evangelicalism, there is a wide range of views on the end times. These include the view that the second coming will not include a "secret

[DaveW]

I found a back door (they had a few) into the Terms of Service (TOS) document. 

I am not posting these saying that GCM should adopt them but strictly for reference in case you want to update or ammend the current rules.  These worked pretty well for a forum of over 100,000 members. This was posted last October when they were only a month away from moving over to FB so they are up to date.

1. It will be assumed that community members will have read and agreed to these Terms of Service and, by occasional rereading of them, to be aware of changes and updates to the Terms of Service.

- It is your responsibility to periodically check the rules and make yourself aware of any changes.

2. Use of multiple names as a way to circumnavigate being banned for violating the Terms of Service is prohibited. Salem Web Network reserves the right to ban any new accounts which have been established in this manner as well as remove any content posted.

3. Community members understand that, notwithstanding our commitment to providing the safest and most Christian values sensitive community environment possible, participating in the online community is done at one's own risk. Young children should never participate alone and Salem Web Network cannot be responsible for the safety of children in community areas.

- Users must be at least 13 years old to participate in our Community.

4. You will not use community areas for any unlawful purpose.

- If you are using the community to make drug deals or to plan other illegal activities you are in the wrong place.

5. Any language, text, data, information, graphics or videos that could be considered vulgar, pornographic, obscene, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, hateful, unlawful; that are racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable; or that violate any copyright or other intellectual property rights of any person will not be promoted or transmitted via community areas.

- Referring to someone as a Nazi or their statements as being fascist is in violation of this rule. It is expected that members can discuss topics without resorting to name calling or the use of such terminology. To be clear, referring to any person, group, or country as being Nazi other than those who actually are members of the Nazi party will be deemed inflammatory and a violation of our Terms of Service.

- Referring to particular vulgar terms or words in any manner that brings them to mind such as purposefully misspelling or using symbols to suggest bad language or referring to something by a letter that identifies the word is unacceptable.

- Creating a handle or making comments that are sexually suggestive is a violation of this rule.

- Linking to a site that contains information that violates this TOS is unacceptable.

- Some commonly used slang terms that are unacceptable include but not limited to are: c r a p, screwed, and screwing around

6. You will not harass, threaten, embarrass or distress members, either in the community itself or via personal email, phone, physical mail or in person. You will not engage in name-calling or personal attacks in the course of discussion or debate. You will not post inflammatory remarks simply for the purpose for evoking reaction or starting fights with other community members (Often referred to as "trolling"). Overall, promoting a spirit of divisiveness in the community areas will not be tolerated.

- Attacking the character or motives of someone who differs with your view or denying that he or she is a Christian is unacceptable.

- Sending unsolicited PMs to multiple people in the community area is a form of harassment. Members should be courteous and ask someone if they would be willing to accept the PM. Members who disregard this notice may be banned.

7. You will not ask members for the phone number, physical, email, instant message ID, other identifying information, or any other information considered to be private at our sole discretion of a third party that is not present, nor provide such information if asked. Both the one asking for such information and the one supplying it will be viewed as violating this rule.

- If UserSally asks you for UserRuth's telephone number, home address, or email address and you provide it then both you and UserSally will be in violation of this rule. If UserSally asks you for your phone number that would not be a violation. Additionally, do not post or otherwise distribute someone's "private message" to you or an email sent by another user without first obtaining their consent.

8. You should always view the online community area as a public meeting place. To the extent possible, all conversations are the property of Salem Web Network. By participating you have granted Salem Web Network the license to use them with acknowledgement for any purpose whatsoever. For this reason you may not upload any material for which you do not own the copyright.

Posting entire articles is prohibited, even if permission has been granted by the copyright holder. Instead please only post a portion of the article with a link to read the rest.
--Please note that we define "a portion" as no more than three paragraphs of long articles or books, and one paragraph of very short articles.

"Private Messages" may be recorded by logs as a matter of course and may be viewed by Salem Web Network staff. "Private Messages" are not considered the private property of the sender or recipient of the messages. The "Private Message" system is a free service to Community members. If a member's account is disabled they will not be able to retrieve any saved "Private Messages."

Chat conversations can and will be monitored by Chat staff, often without the knowledge of those present. All Chat conversation is logged and transcripts of conversations are the property of Salem Web Network and can be used for any purpose whatsoever.

9. You will not disrupt the normal flow of dialog in the community or act in a manner that negatively affects other members, including and perhaps especially in the defense of Christianity, in offering unwelcome spiritual counsel, or in debating doctrinal issues.

- Respect someone's request if they say they don't believe in Christ or are doubting their faith and express that they do not wish to discuss it, don't try to "cram" Jesus down their throat. If another Christian disagrees with you theologically do not immediately jump to the conclusion that they are not truly saved just because they disagree, as there are differences of opinion in translating Biblical doctrine.

10. You will not impersonate in the community any person, including Salem Web Network employees and volunteer staff.

- No creating handles or making statements falsely indicating that you represent Salem Web Network as a volunteer moderator or other employee.

11. You will not post disruptive content, such as chain letters, all caps, unnecessarily long messages, or meaningless text.

- No posting long meaningless messages in the community. (Going round in round in circles in a long post and not really saying anything would be considered meaningless text as would someone posting gibberish.) When posting in Forums try condensing your message as this will help to ensure people will read it in its entirety. Be sure to post your topic in the appropriate forum.

12. You will not attempt to "spam", "crack," "hack," or "bomb" the community. You will not attempt to access moderator-only sections or features.

-Posting the same or similar message in more than one place in the community is considered spamming and is not permitted.

- Do not try to crash the site by cracking into the code or hacking the server or sending mass amounts of posts or bomb or in any way do anything that would cause the site to go down or access secure areas.

Posting the same or similar message in more than one place is considered spam.

13. You will not post or transmit either in the Community, or via PM ("Private" message) any unsolicited advertising of websites, products or promotional materials or any other forms of solicitation. (Even if the site is not selling anything.)

- No posting telling everyone to come buy your new homemade honey. No posting asking everyone to send you a dollar or other pyramid schemes. No posting or advocating participation in any pyramid schemes or surveys. No attempts to recruit people for Amway or some other similar service. No asking people to send you money, gifts, or donations of any kind (even in the form of a "prayer request").

- No posting or sending people PMs ("Private" Messages) telling them to come check out your new website or community, or any other sort of advertisement (even if the website is not for profit.)

14. Discussion of sexual issues in any other than a serious and responsible manner is prohibited including "flirtatious" consensual conversation of an intimate nature.

- This is not your personal pick up joint. Check your hormones at the door.

15. You will not promote by repeated statements, by provision of URLs to other Web sites, by recommendation to engage in non-community activities such as watching programs, reading books, or attending events, or by any other means, beliefs or teachings contrary to those of Christianity as articulated by the historic creeds, as understood by Evangelicalism, and as interpreted by Salem Web Network in its sole discretion.

- Refrain from making statements or URLs which promote the acceptability of the homosexual lifestyle, adult entertainment, sexual immorality or pagan and false religions. No repeated posting of URLs to sites which have content that would violate the Terms of Service, the Nicene Creed or other majorly accepted scopes of Christian beliefs as interpreted by Salem Web Network at their sole discretion. If you are unsure about a site or content please direct your question to community@salemwebnetwork.com. This rule also applies to any material whether it be on the web, in print, on video, or on audio. (No telling everyone to go check out Anton Lavey's latest published audio speech.)

16. Salem Web Network reserves the right to determine what forms of Christian "ministry" can be safely practiced within the community and to prohibit at its sole discretion any form of ministry that it deems unsafe.

The practice of and some forms of advocacy of otherwise biblical and legitimate supernatural spiritual gifts can be dangerous apart from supervision by duly appointed spiritual leaders such as pastors and the accountability that comes from being known within a local church.

Salem Web Network prohibits the exercise of prophecy, dream interpretation, "words of knowledge," speaking in tongues and praying for or coaching others in the receipt of speaking in tongues, and various forms of deliverance ministry within the online community. This is not, however, reflective in any way of the views of Salem Web Network or its staff on the legitimacy of such practices in a local church setting.

- No coming into the community and typing in a bunch of non-sense words and claiming to be speaking in tongues. No coming into the community and proclaiming that God told you that everyone should send the Community Manager massive amounts of fudge. You may say to someone that you felt led to share a portion of scripture in order to encourage and lift up a brother in Christ or lead someone to a saving knowledge of the Lord as long as you are not in violation of rule number 9.

17. Please do not use community areas to air your grievances against other fellow members. If you have observed a violation of the Terms of Service please use the Offender Report Form instead. (This includes violations or allegations of inappropriate actions by the volunteer staff and administration.)

-We want this Community to be a fun place to learn and interact with others from a Christian world view. If you have a problem with someone either take it up with them privately or report the violation. If the grievance is with a volunteer or other staff member please report it using the Offender Report Form in community areas.

18. Salem Web Network has designated certain members in the community areas, commonly called Moderators, to moderate the discussions. All members are required to immediately comply with any moderator directive. Failure to do so may result in loss of access to the site. If you believe a moderator directive is incorrect you should not discuss it in the community. Instead send an email to the Community Manager [ community@salemwebnetwork.com ] who will review the problem and make final judgment.

19. Salem Web Network reserves the right to:
- move any discussion in community areas to a different folder or room for any reason at our sole discretion
- edit any discussion, post, or chat room title for any reason at our sole discretion
- respond to the violation of any of the above Terms of Service with any of the responses available to Community administrators and moderators without warning including involuntary movement to another area, "booting" (involuntary expulsion from the online community), and various forms of prevention of access to all community services including "Private Messages" for any duration of time including permanently at its sole discretion.
- to report any violations of the Terms of Service to law enforcement and/or the Internet Community Alliance.
- to bar, restrict, block any user including Internet Community Alliance offenders for any reason as well as remove any content or chat rooms at our sole discretion.

Please email community@salemwebnetwork.com with any questions, comments, or concerns regarding our Terms of Service.

To report a possible violation of the Terms of Service in forums please use the report link located at the bottom of every post. To report in chat please click on the offender link at the bottom of the page.

Salem Web Network reserves the right to revise the Terms of Service at any time, at its sole discretion, and without prior notice; therefore, please refer to this page from time to time.

Welcome to the Salem Web Network community. We hope you enjoy it here and come back often.

Handling TOS Offenders

Ignore | Report
Keep our neighborhood safe. Use the following steps to police misbehaving members.

Ignore: To stop seeing messages from an offender in chat, highlight the user's name in the name list and click on the image above it with an ear and a red line through it. In forums click on the block icon located at the bottom left of the offenders post.

Report: Report offenders.
- Chat: http://icomalliance.com/chatreport.pl
- Forums: Click on the report link at the bottom right of the post in forums.

The chat and forums staff will review and reprimand offenders accordingly.

Moderator Functions
FORUMS
Moderators have the ability to do the following functions.
1. Close Thread. Prevents further replies to a topic or thread. This is done if the thread is a duplicate, if there is nothing constructive to be said on the current subject, or if a thread has been moved to another forum. As an example, threads that are trolling for people to respond will most likely be closed.
2. Move Thread. Moves a thread to another forum more suitable for the current discussion. This may happen in the middle of a thread if the discussion has ventured off-topic.
3. Delete Thread. Done in the most extreme case, this function completely removes the thread or post from the message board.
4. Disable Account. Disables a user's account so they are unable to access all Community services including Chat, Forums, and PMs.
CHAT
1. Kick or boot chatters out of the Chat room.
2. Disable a chatters account in all Community services including chat, forums, and PMs.

General Guidelines for Moderating
Moderators have their own guidelines too, in addition to the rules above.
1. Commit to participating at least 5 hours a week.
2. Take part! Just because you are a moderator doesn't mean you can't take part in a discussion. Try to facilitate a discussion.
3. Report violations and action taken. Report anytime you take action for a violation of the Terms of Service including the following information: Offender handle, Title and URL of discussion or name of chat room where offense occurred, offensive statement, action taken, and any additional comments.
4. Be an active part of your local church. The accountability and fellowship that comes with being involved with a local body of believers is important, don't forsake the gathering together of believers.
5. Be above reproach both on and off the community. As a moderator you will be held to a higher standard. Refrain from participating in behavior that is considered scripturally immoral and/or illegal.
6. Agree to keep confidential and private all information regarding offenders or other content, email or ideas considered to be company confidential.

_____________________________

Fred "Fritz" Alberti
Director of Social Media
fritz@salemwebnetwork.com

[Alfred Combes]

There isn't a need for modified rules.  The current rules should be enforced.

[p.rehbein]

When non-Christians are allowed to post here and disrupt, it is obvious that some current moderators are not using rule 6.  What good does reporting posts do at that point?

FYI Alfred, you will notice that in Rule 6, Admin reserves the right to determine who posts/becomes a member here.  Just because there may be a disruptive presence does not mean the Mods aren't doing their jobs.  As well, Admin displays a great amount of patience with folks who appear to be disruptive in hopes that they can be reached with a message of love.  This does not mean that Admin won't act when it is determined that no other course is available, because Admin will act when that becomes clear.

[Alfred Combes]

When non-Christians are allowed to post here and disrupt, it is obvious that some current moderators are not using rule 6.  What good does reporting posts do at that point?

FYI Alfred, you will notice that in Rule 6, Admin reserves the right to determine who posts/becomes a member here.  Just because there may be a disruptive presence does not mean the Mods aren't doing their jobs.  As well, Admin displays a great amount of patience with folks who appear to be disruptive in hopes that they can be reached with a message of love.  This does not mean that Admin won't act when it is determined that no other course is available, because Admin will act when that becomes clear.

FYI P. Reihben,

I am aware of the rules.  Far more than you know.

[p.rehbein]

When non-Christians are allowed to post here and disrupt, it is obvious that some current moderators are not using rule 6.  What good does reporting posts do at that point?

FYI Alfred, you will notice that in Rule 6, Admin reserves the right to determine who posts/becomes a member here.  Just because there may be a disruptive presence does not mean the Mods aren't doing their jobs.  As well, Admin displays a great amount of patience with folks who appear to be disruptive in hopes that they can be reached with a message of love.  This does not mean that Admin won't act when it is determined that no other course is available, because Admin will act when that becomes clear.

FYI P. Reihben,

I am aware of the rules.  Far more than you know.

s'ok, was just FYI on my part, just in case, sooooooooo, I'll "butt-out",