Comment on Policy Change: What Can't Be Mentioned @ CyB

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Wrangler

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1st, I want to express my gratitude to the The Christianity Board Moderating Team and staff, in general, for all the effort to improve CyB. A lot of changes have been made in ownership, software architecture, advertising and a lot of grace regarding passionate discussion and disputed topics.

2nd, being in a leadership role means being criticized. The POTUS is the most criticized person on Earth. Every decision made is scrutinized by the whole world and often criticized by at least half the world. It's never easy but I respect that fact that it is part and parcel with the territory and realize why the policy decision was made to prohibit a certain topic from being discussed.

3rd, there are at least 2 important reasons I wanted to express of why the policy change should not have been made: forum activity and self-control.
 

Wrangler

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Forum activity is a business measure of success. A self-interested forum should be aligned with encouraging increasing forum activity. (I stopped participating in other forums that had little going on.) Although I do not have access to all the behind the scene data analytics, from my observation, 3 topics came up time and again:
  1. The topic no longer allowed to be discussed (a bit like Harry Potter's 'He who shall not be named.')
  2. OSAS
  3. Millenialism/Oneness
Self control comes into play when the topic thread has been positively exhausted for the poster. I participated in one of the longer OSAS threads pretty heavily and a natural conclusion was reach for me. By that, I mean the main participants had made their case, for and against, and were merely more or less repeating themselves.

I've reminded numerous posters that replying to various topics is voluntary. As a member of this community, we are not required to post on thread topics we feel are worn out and certainly none that are divisive for us. (In fact, I thought it was brilliant mitigation strategy to categorize to the unorthodox forum the topic no longer allowed to be discussed.) One recent thread asked if the forum strengthened one's faith. It turned to doctrinal understanding but I submit, testing and strenghening go hand-in-hand. In another recent thread with a poll, I was repeatedly asked to vote in it. However, I gave my reasons why I would not and left it at that. Self-control.

A test of one's faith is demonstrating the fruit of the spirit, which includes self control. Thanks for reading.
 

Aunty Jane

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As a new member here. I am looking for a place where the brethren can speak freely; a place that abides by the rules of the Kingdom. I completely agree with you.
That used to be the case here, but some ruined it by treating others in an unchristian way.....that is sad because as Christians we should be able to discuss any topic without any nastiness. :IDK:
 
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Patrick1966

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1st, I want to express my gratitude to the The Christianity Board Moderating Team and staff, in general, for all the effort to improve CyB. A lot of changes have been made in ownership, software architecture, advertising and a lot of grace regarding passionate discussion and disputed topics.
I second that! This is the best online Christian discussion community!
 

Karl Peters

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I am not completely against having a subject that perhaps should not be discussed, though freedom, as in freedom in Christ, would seem to imply that we should have freedom of speech! The founding father's of the USA, were Christians and acknowledge that in our laws. Yet even wise judges have put a few limits. What amazes me is the ONE thing that has been removed.

How God is One, has been a basic topic in Christianity going way back in history even to the counsels at Nicaea. Unlike that conclusions made there, I don't believe that actually knowing how God is One means a person is a Christian or not. Faith in Jesus Christ determine if a person is a Christian or not. That is to say that people grow in Christ - meaning they become more aware, get more knowledge and understanding, and even if a person was to get more and more understanding they are never going to have the full knowledge and understanding of God. Still, I have to believe that our Lord is also called the Teacher, and Wonderful Counsellor because it is good that we grow in wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Is that not the real purpose of this Christian Forum?

I believe that along with fellowship, increasing our wisdom, knowledge and understanding is the reason for any Christian Forum, and yet we have place understanding how God is ONE God, this basic topic to Christianity, is the ONE thing forbidden????

Part of getting better understanding, knowledge, and wisdom, must include discernment of spirits!! To me, the counsels a Nicaia were meant to accomplish something in that area - though I don't believe it is by a counsel of people that we truly get that understanding! It is actually obtained by talking to our Lord and Teacher, just like the Bible explains!

Prov 2:6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

And the Holy Spirit causes us to confess Jesus Christ as our Lord (1 Cor 12:3)

So the very basic thing in Christianity, is that Jesus is our Lord - but if the Son is our Lord, then how what about us serving God?

Have we left God for another? This is all very basic to Christianity!! We don't call our religion 'Godianity'! Therefore the ONE thing in Christianity that needs to be discussed is how the our Lord (Jesus Christ) is God - so that we read the Lord our God and know Him as such! It is a question of discernment of spirits!!

1 Cor 12:3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

So where did this ONE exclusion come from???

I do not believe the counsels at Nicaea, got it completely correct. They sought to come to the truth by a vote instead of by hearing the Lord Jesus Christ. I also don't think that a vote work very well when the disciples tried to replace the vacant spot of Judas by having a vote. Who did they vote for - was Paul and option during that vote? It did seem like the Lord's choose Paul not the unremembered guy voted in,

So how did the decision to not allow the trinity (how God is One) come to be? It wasn't a group of Christian coming together to vote for themselves and on their understanding, was it?

As for the Bible, the topic of how God makes things One is an extremely important topic!! Indeed, is it not a topic which explains how we are saved through Jesus Christ???? Yes - is it that basic to Christianity!!

Jn 17: 20 - 22“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;

If and since we are to be ONE with Jesus, like He is ONE with the Father, then the trinity (how God is One God) is extremely important and basic to Christianity!! Therefore, if I was the devil this topic would be the ONE topic would want excluded from a Christian forum!! And that would explain why Moses made it a point to remember that the Lord our God is One God. We can't exactly say the Jesus Christ is Lord, which we say because of the Holy Spirit, and then proclaim that our Lord Jesus Christ is not One with the Father! That would remove us from being ONE with God, by following Jesus Christ. Thus being a Christian would mean nothing to us!

The counsel at Nicaea did actually get that correct, even if they should not have tried to exclude others for not yet understanding it yet. Knowing and understanding the mechanics behind Christianity is not what makes us a Christian, But growing in knowledge and understanding is one of the main purposes of this forum - and someone (the devil) like to get in the way of these things of God!

So we need freedom of speech, otherwise we limit the ability for God to use us to help others - like the Christian Forum is supposed to be doing!! "Their word" (our words spoken as the Holy Spirit leads) are not being allow on this forum, are thus are then keeping us from being ONE!!

If you care to believe it, the removal of this particular topic goes back the that snake whose first words were, "Did God Really Say..."

If we truly understood, we would understand that God's words, which flow from the Father, to the Son, pick up by the Holy Spirit, and spoken to us personally, so we can share with others - is what makes His church One with God!! But to make that happen, God being ONE (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) must first be One God, otherwise we are not saved through Jesus Christ as the Word of God!!

If that is too hard to understand - ok - just make sure you seek Jesus Christ for what He has to personally say to you, via His Holy Spirit. You don't have to actually know how a car runs to drive it. But if we are wanting more wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, it can be had by seeking Jesus Christ and listening to Him via the Holy Spirit, but that only because He, the Lord our God, is One God!
 

Angelina

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The new policy is not permanent. It just needed time for members to accept the fact that not everyone is going to agree with you in relation to your beliefs. We need to agree to disagree on some topics and step away. Attacking members does not make your point of view any clearer. It just brings vitrol rebuttals and unchristian like behaviour and we don't need that here.

This is not a theology or denomination issue..... it's about human behaviour and forum etiquette. Subject closed.

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