Guidelines on Hatred and the Religion Forum

It is within the bounds of “open” Religion Forum town square style debate for a Freeper to express his hatred of a belief. But such posts are never allowed on RF threads labeled “prayer” “devotional” “caucus” or “ecumenical.”

It is never within the bounds on the Religion Forum for a Freeper to express his hatred of people who hold a particular belief when any Freeper is part of the belief group.

Some political posters are now venturing onto the Religion Forum probably because Romney’s beliefs are at issue in this election.

Finally, whereas posters may argue vigorously for and against beliefs on “open” Religion Forum threads it is never tolerable to use ad hominems in religious debate because they invariably lead to flame wars when the subject is one’s deeply held religious beliefs.

For something to be "making it personal" it must be speaking to another Freeper, personally.

"Protestants are heretics" is not making it personal. "You are a heretic" is making it personal. "Catholics worship Mary" is not making it personal. "You worship Mary" is making it personal. "Mormons worship many gods" is not making it personal. "You worship many gods" is making it personal.

However, when a poster paints with a brush that accuses an entire religion of criminal behavior - his post will be pulled as flame bait. For example, posts that say "Protestants kill babies" or "Catholics molest children" or "Mormons kill non-Mormons" will be pulled. However, if the post is specific about a non-Freeper, I will not pull it. For example "Rev. Doe says abortion and infanticide are not sin" or "Father Doe was convicted for molesting those kids" or "Mormons killed non-Mormons at Mountain Meadows" would not be pulled.

"Are you a heretic" is not making it personal. "You are a heretic" is making it personal.

Forms of "making it personal" include mind reading, attributing motive, accusing another Freeper of telling a lie (because it attributes motive, the intent to deceive) - making the thread "about" individual Freeper(s), following a Freeper from thread to thread and badgering a Freeper over-and-again with the same question.

When in doubt, avoid the use of the pronoun "you" and Freeper's names - or put yourself in the other guy's shoes.

Despite all these efforts to eliminate ad hominems, there is nothing I can do to keep you from "taking it personally."

If you keep getting your feelings hurt because other posters ridicule or disapprove or hate what you hold dear, then you are too thin-skinned to be involved in “open” RF debate. You should IGNORE “open” RF threads altogether and instead post to RF threads labeled “prayer” “devotional” “caucus” or “ecumenical.”

I’m the Religion Moderator at Jim Robinson’s pleasure and you are correct, mods are not paid.

You should take PRIDE in this.

We MORMONs are quite PROUD of the fact that our preachers don't get paid.

--MormonDude(Heck! Our church doesn't even support our MISSIONARIES! They have to get by on their own!)

As a person who worked many years of Psych, I can tell you that debate in addictive, being part of a mob is addictive and belittling others (even in backhanded ways) to make one’s self feel good is actually a diagnosable disorder.

MORMON

ATTITUDES OF SUPERIORITY

  1. I’m Superior; I have a special gift of the holy Ghost -- you don’t!
  2. I’m Superior; I have God’s true priesthood power -- you don’t!
  3. I’m Superior; I can go in God’s secret Temple -- you can’t!
  4. I’m Superior; I’ve been Endowed with special Gifts and Knowledge -- you’re just normal!
  5. I’m Superior; I’ll have my family with me in heaven -- you’ll be with strangers!
  6. I’m Superior; I’m becoming a God -- you aren’t!
  7. I’m Superior; My women know their place as servants of man and yours don’t.
  8. I’m Superior; YOUR creeds are wrong because they come from man - mine comes from God (you can find each one printed in our Scriptures).
  9. I’m Superior; I don’t HAVE a creed - I’ve got 13 Articles of Faith.
10. I'm Superior; I have 4 "Bibles"-- the standard works (5 if you count the JST) -- you've only got one: in as far as it is translated correctly.
11. I’m Superior; I can lie with impunity about such things as church membership, church growth, church doctrine, church history, church influence, etc. —                           -- You can’t.
12. I’m Superior; I am right (everybody knows) when I say 'evangelical' Christians are lunatics --

-- You’re a hideous narrow-minded bigot, who is persecuting me by practicing discrimination by saying I'm not a Christian.
13. I'm Superior; I have a testimony about a prophet -- you don't.
14. I'm Superior; I have a Scripture-producing Amos 3:7 prophet -- you don't
15. I’m Superior; I have a Living Prophet who talks to god every day -- you have a dim-witted hireling of Satan who only talks to himself.
16. I'm Superior; I have my calling & election made sure -- you don't.
17. I’m Superior; I have magic underwear to protect me from the bogey man -- you don’t.
18. I’m Superior; I have secret clasps and grips to give the angel so I get admitted to the celestial kingdom -- you don’t ;so you can’t.
19. I'm Superior; I know secret handshake codes for afterlife entrances-- you don't.
20. I’m Superior; I will see Joseph Smith setting on the right hand of GOD, when I get to Mormon heaven, and he will recognize me and judge me favorably -- You’re on your own; when you get to wherever you’re going!
21. I’m Superior; I’m going to hie to Kolob -- you’re going to who knows where.
22. I’m Superior; I get to have a harem and act like a celestial stud for time and all eternity -- you don’t.
23. I’m Superior; I have sun stones, moon stones, sky stones, cloud stones, Saturn stones, and the evil eye of Osirus guarding my temple

-- You have nothing but a stupid cross.
24. I’m Superior; My church has billions in assets stashed away -- yours has taken a stupid vow of poverty.
25. I'm Superior; Last - we have the power to keep a whole race out of our priesthood if we wanted to reinsert our 148-year legacy (we ARE still keeping an entire GENDER at bay!)

26. I'm superior; I have the "higher law" -- everyone else "lives under the "lesser law' because I say so...(over and over).

Revision 46.5

Semi-Official creed of the EXclusive club of Freeper Flying Inmans.

All rights liable to be abused.

Those things don't really matter though. Obedience to God is all that matters.

Ask a pointed question: get a pointed answer example:

John 6:28-29 (niv)

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

1 John 3:21-24

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

Your argument that doctrine does not matter is pure evil.

See, that's an example of what goes wrong on the RF. I don't see that BB said that doctrine doesn't matter. And it's not pure evil (or of the devil) to think that. It's really rather realistic and his point is well made.

If our salvation depended on 100% correct doctrine, nobody would make it. NOBODY can claim to have 100% correct doctrine, because we are fallible, limited humans trying to understand the infinite mind of God with our puny human minds.

It ain't happening.

That said, there are those of us who don't believe that correct doctrine gets one into heaven.

Christianity is about a relationship with God, not getting our facts about Him correct.

I kind of doubt that many of the people, like the thief on the cross, had their doctrine down pat when they encountered Jesus and yet Jesus still told them they were saved (today you will be with me in paradise).

Doctrine is essential in order to evangelize, as we are commanded to do.

That those who have some uncertainty (large or small) about doctrine can obtain the promises of Christ is a given as God’s mercy is boundless.

I have not even hinted that one cannot know God in some beneficial way unless one knows everything about God - yet that is what you have concluded.

None of this supports BB’s preposterous claim that (paraphrased)

“we should not worry what falsehoods (erroneous doctrine) or truths (true doctrine) about God are being preached, because we just have to know God”.

What drivel it is to undermine the utter necessity of solid bedrock Gospel truth.

That God can work with us regardless of how little we know about Him is a wonderful thing, but how evil it is to encourage people to take so lightly the obligation we have to know as best as we can (which demands we seek truthful doctrine - not just any old doctrine).

We are invited to run a race - and running a race requires real effort, not a shoulder shrugging “whatever”.

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