On a microcosm level. I don't really think much of any censor attempts. That said, I'd think you are like me and would rather not hear slights against our Lord and Savior but I'm assuming you aren't meaning that, here. :up:
No, I'm not meaning that here at all. It wasn't part of the conversation. I'm talking about Christians posting threads about the censorship of Christians in real life and then doing the exact same thing to others here. The MAD/SOOTs group wanting perceived out-group members banned from TOL because they don't like the out-group beliefs, and pretending it's about out-group 'dishonesty' when it's not - the MAD/SOOTs crowd just doesn't seem to handle very well being challenged. Then there are members crowing over members banned from threads
in the threads they've been banned from, knowing the member they're gossiping about can't respond. Micro, it's small. Anyone can walk away from here and many have. In the macro, this is how the privileged classes maintain their privilege.
We all take away our own meaning from the world politics but to me, (and I'm okay with the disagreement) this is its own site with its own rules and not really duplicated on any other site I've been on. Maybe I need to get out more? :think:
Do you or have you posted regularly (daily or weekly) on any other forum? Just curious.
See, I think this is part of that OP direction...When the Lord Jesus said not to cast pearls before swine, because they'd trample them in the mud, we certainly are risking those pearls at times. For me, the question is: "Is it my fault for casting them?" or "Is it his/her fault for trampling them?" To me, it seems a no-fault encounter when those who cast pearls want them to be treasured and those who don't value them trample them. Yet, at times, if they are asked for, I think infraction appropriate when they aren't even considered, just taunted from the other side of the fence to do a happy dance on them, etc. For me, the short is I see both sides and simply post where I am. I do realize I'm 'respectful' by nature though. I have one infraction warning on TOL and it wasn't intentional. I was saying a guy seemed to have a good head on his shoulders and that I couldn't picture a guy like that being unreasonable to get an infraction. At the time, a mod thought I was questioning the other's infraction. It was against the rules at that time. Since it contained no point value, I wear it as a humorous badge instead of being resentful about something I didn't believe I earned. It was just a no-point warning infraction. It was no big deal but I've seen it every day I log in for over 10 years I've been here on TOL.
Not everyone comes here for the religion forum, Lon. Some come for politics or science or sociological issues or what have you, and have no interest in talking about religion.
At the bottom of the home page it says: "On TOL we encourage spirited conversation about religion, politics, and just about everything else."
Spirited conversation isn't allowed much anymore though. musterion gets miffed because his OP is being challenged so he asks (and receives) the blocking of everyone whose opinion he doesn't want. Thread banning should be rarely used if at all, because it's killing "spirited conversation."
Again, because I didn't see a clear answer to my question: if they're so sure their views are correct, why the consternation at having them challenged?