Godly Love

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

4 hours ago, cuchulain said:

I understand the sentiment.  I have considered the departure myself.  Of course, the pagans are correct in their assertion that life begins, ages, then dies, and is reborn....at least so far as the life cycle of the average forum.  Life here, or conversation, begins with a few brave souls.  Then it ages...or gets old at least.  Then it dies off, just as you described.  Then it begins again later.

 

 

Usually, the Forum just dies.  Interfaith boards require mutual respect.  Fundamentalists don't understand the concept.

 

You've been here long enough to remember when Dan was new here.  He was upfront back then, about being here to witness for Christ.  This is not dialog.  Sure not mutual respect.  Now, he just lies and lays out the bovine excrement.

 

If the usual pattern holds, he'll be the last bully standing.

 

 

[cuchulain]

I've been here through this before.  A couple of times, actually...although the first was under a different user name as I chose at the time to abandon ship as well and when I came back I forgot my password, and the email I used for it was defunct, so I created an entirely new name. 

 

Usually one side or the other(and it's always the atheists vs Christians, not theists, pagans, or anything else...Christians) pounds the other mercilessly with points that nitpick.  Or they aggravate, deliberately baiting the other side.  Sometimes it's both sides.  Sometimes it starts with one person, and when they realize what they are doing and try to stop several other people step up in their place.  

 

Ultimately, the baiting works.  The side being baited responds in a manner that is in violation of terms of service.  They get reported, and the moderators fail to look at the cause of the outburst and ban that particular member.  It works through several members, till there are only a few left in that particular group who go silent.  Since there is no longer two sides debating, one side makes a few posts in victory after having vanquished their nemesis...only to realize there is no longer anyone left debating and it's not fun anymore.  Then they go silent because they go elsewhere looking for what they want.  Or maybe the moderators determine its actually time to do something(believe it or not the mods used to be very active on this board, it has dwindled to non existent lately).  Usually what they do, however, is simply rework the site.  They think an overhaul and change of appearance, maybe changing the sections around and rewording what they are supposed to be about, will work.  And it does for about two weeks, or maybe two months.  

 

Then the debates slowly start up again.  A brazen wanderer as we have observed on numerous occasions will say something so blatantly dim, or unprovable, or just plain whacky, that someone will post that they don't believe it.  They will be nice at first, but you know how the wanderers work.  They don't respond with niceties no matter how nice you are, if you disagree with them.  At this point moderators will still be active, and the wanderer might get themselves banned.  But it's usually enough to break the ice and start small conversations where people are overly politically correct with each other for a while.

 

Then the debates get to a point where one side or the other realizes that they aren't gaining any ground whatsoever and that the other side is being obviously obtuse and obstinate.  It doesn't really matter which is which, this is the point where small little bickering gets in the way.  Or maybe you have a member like Dan who likes to hide insults and pretend stupidity.  It gets to the point where they start deliberately doing so(just like Dan is doing right now actually), and the other side(in this case us atheists) start getting tired of veiled insults(or in songsters case open outright insults) that go unmonitored by the moderators who have wandered off, and starts fighting back.  After a while of fighting back, things have become heated between both sides.  Doesn't matter who started it, at that point it's virtually untraceable because so many petty points have been made over such a length of time.  One side takes advantage of the ill will.  They start "acting" like they have no grievance, and they are just honestly debating.  They continually use points that have negative connotations attached to them.  Maybe they reference things that have been said before, or vaguely insult, or use their special book to do the insulting for them.  But they have decided they aren't going to cross the line any more so that when we do, they can mash that report post button en masse and the moderators just might take notice and ban that particular member....then they target the next, and the next.  It's really baiting, but the mods aren't going to bother themselves with investigating that when there is someone blatantly violating terms of service served up on their platter that they can handle immediately...and then of course rework the website so it looks nicer and spells out differently what each section says.

 

It's a cycle, or at least it has been with this particular forum.  Perhaps one day the site owner might get tired of seeing the same cycle, if they pay attention to the site.  I do not know if they do or not, it may be they simply host it and expect good behavior which doesn't materialize unbeknownst to them.  But at some point, the people in charge will get tired of it altogether I believe, and do away with the site entirely.

 

It won't be a sad passing, excepting some good friends.  For the most part, people on here bicker and whine about each other(myself included at points).  They don't exchange intellectual ideas, or even spiritual ideas in any relevant manner.  They(and I) preach to the choir.  We each of us have our audiences, but they primarily consist of people who already agree with our sides of the issues at hand.  Dan spews his insults, and denies it entirely.  Songster flat out name calls.  I beat the dead horse till people want to slam their heads into the wall.  It's possible that at some point a person in a cycle can realize what they are doing and alter course(you'll notice I post much less now, in an attempt to give that horse a break ).  But ultimately, there are too many small minded people who won't realize for whatever reason that they are keeping the feud alive...and eventually the mods will figure out that things won't change, and this is and will always become a negative place.

 

[mark 45]

i was going to stay out of this,but i can't.where the mods and admin are concerned,i can't make a comment about their current lack of participation other than to say that at one time,some of what i have read(from "both sides")would have gotten a topic locked long before now.all i can see happening is that some are going to get banned,and others are going to get bored,and the board is going to disappear(i don't see bro kevin paying for this,and murph i am guessing is busy,not wanting to deal with a bunch of bull).

i hate to see what is happening here,but to be honest,don't have a solution.

[cuchulain]

I think in a minimally moderated forum, every participant in anything petty or negative, such as myself, holds responsibility for how the forum exists, and that those who remain silent but watch should voice complaint that its turning bad or ugly.  We all control the forum when mods appear to be elsewhere, and are all capable of setting a better tone.  Its difficult personally to witness something and not entangle myself in it.  That's probably obvious, unfortunately.  But recognizing that we each have flaws in communication and accepting that they are valid and negatively impact the forum as a whole is a good step.  Myself, i try to insert myself in a broad range of topics and sometimes my personal feelings about a subject bleed through.  I use logic as a weapon at times instead of trying to teach, and of course it fails to be effective.  Or i see someone deliberately baiting and engage instead of reporting.  I can do better and fully believe others can as well.  I dont need to police others comments with my own.  I can report baiting when observed instead of responding likewise and i can turn the conversation or at least make the attempt.  Perhaps if the mods get enough emails reporting it, they will take a positive interest in participating more fully.

[Dan56]

On 1/21/2019 at 11:14 AM, cuchulain said:

Perhaps if the mods get enough emails reporting it, they will take a positive interest in participating more fully.

 

I'd be happy to volunteer to serve as a moderator.... I'm pretty sure I could have this place shipshape in no time.

[mark 45]

well dan,

it is nice of you to think so,but being a mod has some other responsibilities with it,which include not blocking topics because you dis agree with them,or suspending people(if i remember correctly,up to 3 days).while mods are allowed(and should be encouraged to do so)to express their opinions or thoughts,they are not above the terms of service.

 

i would reconsider your offer,as it isn't just one side who is causing conflict. 

[cuchulain]

I am capable of impartiality...but not full time.  When the mods work(mostly), they do a good job.  There was the one who consistently claimed to receive messages from members who abandoned ship just because of me, and while possible, the claim always came during debate...and i saw it used against others as well.  Definitely some mods are not unbiased...when they're here.

[Dan56]

5 hours ago, mark 45 said:

it is nice of you to think so,but being a mod has some other responsibilities with it,which include not blocking topics because you dis agree with them,

 

Yes, I know, I was semi-joking about being a moderator being that I'm often considered a source of contention..  But believe it or not, I've seen no topics that I'd lock down due to disagreement.. However, I do think when a thread gets reduced to name calling or personal attacks, the offending party should get a warning to be civil.. But hey, it would be a boring place without debate, the whole concept of ULC is a collection of diversified beliefs where no one thinks alike or can agree on much.. I've participated on Christian forums where they have spirited disagreements that get pretty brutal, and the board moderators generally let it ride unless it gets verbally abusive, hacks chime-in to mock the faith, or someone is being belittled for their unpopular opinion/belief. Thank goodness that never happens here 

[mark 45]

ah,yeah.😊

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

I'm back on line.

 

I've been a member here for a long time.  I might as well stick around for a while and watch it sink.

[cuchulain]

It's almost a morbid curiosity for me, as to how long it will take for this place to finish rotting.  But then, I often liken myself to Gomez Addams...

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

On 1/26/2019 at 4:36 PM, cuchulain said:

It's almost a morbid curiosity for me, as to how long it will take for this place to finish rotting.  But then, I often liken myself to Gomez Addams...

 

 

Gomez made me laugh.  Morticia was one of the fires of my youth.  

[RevBogovac]

9 hours ago, Jonathan H. B. Lobl said:

 

 

Gomez made me laugh.  Morticia was one of the fires of my youth.  

 

now I must ask: which one?!?

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

4 hours ago, RevBogovac said:

 

now I must ask: which one?!?

 

 

Morticia, as played by Carolyn Jones.  One of the first women I had fantasies about.  In hindsight, an early indicator that I was straight.  Even now, I still have a thing for long black hair.  I think Morticia is the reason.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cuchulain]

Mmmm....morticia.  

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

59 minutes ago, cuchulain said:

Mmmm....morticia.  

 

 

Yes.  The fire of my youth.  My pulse still quickens.     😃

[Key]

3 hours ago, Jonathan H. B. Lobl said:

 

 

Yes.  The fire of my youth.  My pulse still quickens.     😃

OMG! Morticia! Mine still does, too.

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

27 minutes ago, Key said:

OMG! Morticia! Mine still does, too.

 

 

And Morticia was a lady.  The only skin she ever exposed was face and hands.   

[RevBogovac]

 

6 hours ago, Jonathan H. B. Lobl said:

Morticia, as played by Carolyn Jones.  [...] I still have a thing for long black hair.  I think Morticia is the reason.

 

50 minutes ago, Jonathan H. B. Lobl said:

And Morticia was a lady.  The only skin she ever exposed was face and hands.   

 

Must.Agree.Wholeheartedly. 

[Key]

22 hours ago, Jonathan H. B. Lobl said:

 

 

And Morticia was a lady.  The only skin she ever exposed was face and hands.   

True, but that form fitting dress made no doubt she was in great shape, too.