FWIW, the caucus label was removed BEFORE any non-Catholics posted comments on this thread.
So they can't be blamed for it.
You guys did it to yourselves.
Defconw--you evidently didn't read my earlier post to you.
When I came to this thread my intentions were purely honorable. It may surprise you to learn that I am in fact a sympathizer with the traditionalist Catholics on this forum (even if most of them are illogically evolutionists and higher critics). I have defended Catholic traditionalists from their co-religionists and protested their expulsion (which was brought about, not by Protestant critics, but by their "conciliarist" co-religionists).
All I wanted to do was read what Catholics were saying among themselves about the Pope they were mostly defending elsewhere. I was genuinely curious. I did not intend to post, mock, or interfere in any way whatsoever. I just wanted to remain silent and respectfully read (as befits visitors to caucused threads).
Then, as I understand it, a poster mentioned metmom, a Protestant. That was a violation of the rules of a caucused thread. I did not see this, however. What I did see was your using this caucused thread to mention, reference, and attack another religion that, per caucus rules, is not allowed to defend itself. This is a clear, blatant violation of the rules of caucus threads. I called attention to this and the "caucus" label was removed.
A "caucus" is like a church service. Its purpose is to allow the various religions here to post devotionals or information relevant to the members of that religion and to have discussion among the members. Hostile posts from other religions are not allowed. Members of other faiths are permitted to post if their posts are non-hostile and they get the permission of the Original Poster or Religion Moderator to do so. They are considered "guests" on the thread and are to act as such.
What you and the other poster did was to use the thread, while still caucused, to mention and attack another poster and another religion. This is a violation of the rules of caucused threads. Caucused threads are not intended as a cover for attacking other religions freely without having to worry about a response from those attacked. You violated this rule blatantly. Then and only then did I report your post. That was never my purpose in coming here. Never.
Why don't you understand this? Why are you still crying about it as if you were wronged? The Original Poster is not responsible; she was fully within the rules in starting this thread. But then a couple of her co-religionists come along and start using the cloak of a caucus to attack an opposing religion? Why don't you understand that this was wrong?
I am not a Protestant. I do not believe in sola scriptura, "salvation" by "faith alone," or the perspicacity of scripture. I do not believe in a need to "restore" a supposedly long-lost truth. So no Protestantism inspired my reporting of your post.
However, I do confess that although I am not Protestant, I am a product of the Fundamentalist Bible Belt and am extremely sensitive to ethno-cultural slurs hurled against that culture and its people. Catholics on Free Republic regularly engage in this, using such slurs as "Bible-thumpers," "snake-handlers," "brain-dead bibliolators," and even stooping so low as to refer to "Cletus" and "Billy Bob's Glory Barn." Such slurs are to be expected from atheists and liberals, but as far as I am concerned on a conservative American forum like this they are not to be tolerated from "fellow-conservatives." You did not engage in this (you violated an explicit forum rule for caucused threads), but as a child of the Bible Belt and its culture I make it my job to report each and every such cowardly and malicious slur by people who call themselves "conservatives" and purport to believe the the Biblical G-d.
I advise you to acquaint yourself with this particular rule so you will be more circumspect in the future and will not sabotage perfectly good and valid caucuses by such behavior.
And yes, we all get emotional and violate this rule from time to time, and we all get called on it. One day you will probably report me for violating the same rule.
Now do you understand?
NYer--please begin a new caucused thread and warn all participants to not use it to attack other religions which are not present in the caucus.
Isn't this something.
Every time I've tried posting a Caucus Thread it's been challenged by RC's and I've had to go back and forth with the RM. The end result has been I post open threads and don't worry if the content details the failures of Roman Catholicism.
They sure CAN!!!
We've been doing it successfully (more or less) for CENTURIES!
--Catholic_Wannabe_Dude(Hail MARY!)