Hey peoples,

Look. Mephiston is kinda tired of this whole "cloak and dagger" "censorship causes blindness" and all the stuff surrounding and causing it. So, Im posting this topic to try to fry this fish before it ends up burning....

What I would like the Mods to do is clarify the Mod/Admin policy concerning discussions that involve religion/Politics etc, how it applies this policy equally and fairly to all members and essentially whats going on in real terms. I know that a PM to the Mod account would be more appropriate in most circumstances, but Im sensing an undercurrent of bad feeling, so I believe that it would be best to sort this thing out openly.

Mephiston, Lord of Death

_________________
"This is the hour of the Shire-folk, when they arise from their quiet fields to shake the towers and counsels of the Great. Who of all the Wise could have foreseen it? Or, if they are wise, why should they expect to know it, until the hour has struck? "

We're working on it, actually. But yes, I would also like a specific explanation of religion/politics rules from the mods.

_________________

What's even going on?

Is it because of the Survey thread being closed?
Or something else that i'm not aware of?

_________________




^ By me and my SS *squiggle hugs*

Precisely. JF has hit the nail on the head with that.

Meph

_________________
"This is the hour of the Shire-folk, when they arise from their quiet fields to shake the towers and counsels of the Great. Who of all the Wise could have foreseen it? Or, if they are wise, why should they expect to know it, until the hour has struck? "

Well, just so that you know, they topics were actually moved to the Mod Section. So, we can discuss them....

We're currently examining the Religion rule, since, it seems that it has once again caused a rift in the forum.

Just so that you know.....

The Religion rule states:



However, I would like to add one last thing from a personal standpoint, we really need to learn to respect that everyone is different and we need to accept that.
As you know, the survey thread was closed down because of the Religious comments, yes, we (the mods) allow the mentioning of religious affiliation in passing (as stated in the rules), but the comments in this particular thread were carried further from just mentioning to be on the point of becoming offensive to others. There are members of this forum of every faith, shape, color and orientation and that we should treat others how we would like to be treated.

And will someone please Message me about this whole "Censorship causes Blindness" thing going on? It's confusing me!

_________________




[Will accept any PM! So PM me! ]

I'm rather confused by the whole uproar, to be honest. Yeah, I was a bit bemused to have just written a response to Haldir's thread, only to find it strangely absent, but I figured the mods had decided to cut it off before anyone got offended, were discussing it, and would get back to us on it. I mean, I would kind of like to have this issue open to public discussion eventually, given that it affects how I may or may not express myself, but it can wait. Moderators are supposed to do just that - moderate. If they felt that an issue needed to be discussed before made public, then that's their right as the powers that be.

Here's my opinion:

The religion and politics rule is quite outdated.

Rules should be flexible enough to bend to changes in the world and in mindsets. The userbase of Arwen-Undomiel.com is mostly in the high school and university level. People around this level should be taking an active interest in things such as politics and religion, because they will be most affected by it. I see a willingness to discuss it as an improvement, because it shows that we are not apathetic about what happens.

Unless insult was explicitly stated by someone in either public or private, I see no reason for the survey thread to have been closed. There were no arguments, no insults, etc. I have never gone to a forum and been involved in a religious or political discussion and been insulted. All of the discussions involving such topics have, in fact, been peaceful, mature, and thought-provoking.

It is better that we are able to discuss these things and be able to look at things from an educated angle that understands both sides of the issue thoroughly. I have found the members here at A-U to be delightfully mature, and the few times religion has come up, it has been quite peaceful.

This is just my opinion, but I think it is time to reasses the rules related to politics and religion. Policies can be changed--and if the change proves an issue, then it can be just as easily changed.

In relation to the topics in the creative ventures boards--as long as they were not created in a small minded, ignorant, and flagrant manner, then I see no reason for anyone to be offended, or for the works in question to be locked/deleted. I think that artwork should be able to coexist peacefully, whether it is about God or the Goddess or a lack of religion whatever; or it one promotes the Republican view and another the Democratic view. Artwork is something that should remain untouched by bigotry.

Also, now that I know the topics were simply moved, I see a side of the issue I didn't see before. I believe that a better course of action would have been to notify us that they were moved, and not simply deleted.

These are all just my opinions, of course. I would like to see equality and peace here, as this is a very nice place to go and relax :3

_________________
<center>

i've got a jar of raeg
</center>

Please see Arsarniel's post in Your Life. Locking.

_________________