Guidelines for Latter-day Saint Christian Apologetics Network:
The Latter-day Saint Christian Apologetics Network is a social networking site for apologetics (defense of the faith) related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) or Mormonism in general and related topics of interest to the LDS and Mormon communities.
Open and frank discussions will occur but participants are expected to exercise common courtesy and 'netiquette' when posting.
While we encourage a free exchange of ideas, this is a free idea zone, not a free speech zone. All comments and discussions should be substantive and informative and posters should exercise good judgment in what they post. Posters should act at least as well as they would in a live, public conversation or debate.
While posting here please follow these quidelines:
- Do post respectful comments. Name calling, ad-hominem, insults, flaming, badgering, revealing private information about posters, pornographic materials, vulgar content, illegal posts or any information or links to information that are perceived as harassing or illegal are forbidden.
- Do post substantive comments. While opinions are allowed, whenever possible posters should provide sources, the full context of quotes, scriptures and other citations, and links to relevant information. If asked for documentation for your opinion, you will be expected to provide it.
- Do be genuine. People come here to discuss things that are sacred or important to them. Pretending to be someone you are not, or pretending to have beliefs and opinions that are not yours in order to get a reaction or play with others is considered trolling and will not be tolerated.
- Do post original comments. Comments should contain original thoughts and comments. Posts that are mostly “cut and paste†material from other sources are not allowed. All copied materials and citations should be sourced and referenced. Links to outside sites that are not relevant to supporting a discussion (in particular anti-mormon sites) are discouraged.
- Do post comments relevant to the topic you are posting under. If your posts are not related to the subject of an existing topic, please start another topic. We appreciate a good sense of humor, but quips and side comments should be kept to a non-distracting level.
- Do make informative posts. The participants on these boards tend to be well informed about LDS apologetics. Questions are welcomed and respectfully responded to.
- Do keep quotes and comments in context. Avoid over use of ellipses or quotes out of context in an effort to change or obfuscate their original meaning. Any comments or quotations should take into account the broader cultural and historical context they are addressing. (for example imposing contemporary mores on peoples of the old testament or the 18th century in order to accuse them of sins or crimes)
- Do make readable posts. Posts should be as legible and concise as possible. Taglines, graphics, icons, emoticons and other discussion board features should be used to enhance your comments not distract from them. Please avoid large graphics and pictures that distract from the comments.
- Do enjoy the boards and allow others to enjoy them. A healthy board requires a mix of personalities, temperaments and points of view. Because we have high standards for discussion and debate, we are privileged to have apologists who post here. We ask that you respect their dignity and the investment that they have put into their research so that we can continue to enjoy their participation. We make no claim that everyone will be treated equally. Posters are only as valuable as their contributions to the board are valuable. We have zero tolerance for any comments that invade the privacy or attack the personal dignity of public figures who disclose their identity.
The following will not be tolerated:
- Do not post comments of the LDS temple ceremony, garments, temple clothing or any other topic deemed to be sacred by Latter-day Saints.
- Do not post any personal information about another poster without that poster's permission. This includes (but is not limited to) posting full names, addresses, photos, employment information, etc.
- Do not post anything that could be considered vulgar, pornographic, harassing or illegal.
- Do not use the boards to proselytize (pro- or anti-) or bash others beliefs. Don't post why I left the church or why Mormons are not saved sermons. Appropriate statements of faith (or lack thereof) in the context of apologetic discussions are permitted.
- Do not start personal or personalized threads. Exceptions may be made for topics about public figures or people of interest that are appropriate to the board.
- Do not post personal statement or emotional outburst threads (ex. I'm offended and leaving the board)
- Do not quote other participants out of context. (This includes tag lines.)
- Do not badger participants. We have an asked and answered policy, which means if a reasonable answer has been provided the questioner should not repeat questions just because they didn't like the response.
- Do not engage in generating noise without substance. (Noise is defined by sniping, sneering, constant one-liners, nonsubstantive and unsubstantiated posts, taunting, name-calling, vulgarity, excessive chatter and nonstop nit-picking.) You are expected to add something to a dialogue not simply pick apart everyone else's comments.
- Do not start board wars or cross-posting (duplicate discussions from other boards on the Latter-day Saint Christian Apologetics Network or vice versa in order to continue an argument). Links to other discussion boards will not be permitted in most cases.
- Do not engage in jeering or mockery of the Latter-day Saints or participants on this board. We like strong debate. We expect disagreement and even some quarreling. But we do not expect anyone to quietly submit to continual abuse simply because the topic of this board is about their religion.
- Do not derail threads with off topic comments.
- Do not engage in political discussions. Certain political topics will be allowed limited discussion time when they are directly related to LDS topics.
- Do not accuse others of lying, being delusional or make any other psychological assessments of posters because of a disagreement in belief systems.
- Do not violate accepted rules and norms for discussion or debate. Any violation of Godwin's Law or similar laws (extreme comparisons or hyperbole), or lack of substance will result in the closing of a discussion.
- Do not create sock puppets or multiple ID's for the same person. This is especially frowned upon when used to get around the queue or suspension of a user account.
- Do not use the Latter-day Saint Christian Apologetics Network to advertise goods, services, organizations or web sites. (Few exceptions may be made for long time contributors whos materials may be of interest to MADB members- and only with moderator permission.)
If you are asked for documentation or given a call for references you are required to provide it.
Moderator and Administration actions are considered final word on a subject. Arguing with the moderators and/or any attempts to circumvent moderator actions are forbidden (creating multiple identities to avoid suspensions, cross-posting, etc.) This is a free idea zone not a free speech zone. Moderators are volunteering their time and their editing and moderating will be affected by available time and board volume.
Behavior that is deemed in violation of these rules and guidelines can result in being suspended or permanently banned from the forums. In extreme circumstances members can be banned without notice. Behavior that is deemed illegal (stalking, predatory behavior towards minors, posting illegal images or content) may be reported to legal authorities.
Rules governing poster conduct also apply to personal messages. Blogging system and e-mail hosted or facilitated by the Latter-day Saint Christian Apologetics Network and Discussion Board. Message logs and posting logs may be accessed for cases of reported abuse or harassment.
By posting in the groups and discussion forums you agree to the terms and conditions of this service, and assign the copyright and use right in the material posted to Latter-day Saint Christian Apologetics Network. Materials posted on the Latter-day Saint Christian Apologetics Network not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of Latter-day Saint Christian Apologetics Network and the materials' posters. Participation on these boards is at the sole discretion of Latter-day Saint Christian Apologetics Network administration and can be revoked at any time.
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