Closed Communion On Threads

[RZehr]

I'm not a conservative Anabaptist (anymore) and I don't really have a problem with it. You can always start a thread to discuss the same topic. In the past, I've seen non-conservative Anabaptists rehashing the same critiques of conservative Anabaptists over and over. The conservative Anabaptists one here understand the reasons others disagree with them. I think the restrictions on conservative Anabaptist posters are an attempt to avoid that when discussing certain topics.

I wonder how Conservative Anabaptists would like it if Liberal Anabaptists started the same thing and locked them out of giving their views on a thread. I believe some have split off into a fairly new, more Conservative Anabaptist forum where they can isolate themselves and I don't know how this is going. Someone may want to give directions to that forum if you are interested.

I'm not sure if I chimed in on a thread that tried to restrict certain Anabaptists whether my posts would be removed on that thread but I guess I could give it a try. I think some CAs are trying to make this forum something that was not originally intended.

Conservatives do not exclude for no reason. Can you think of what any of those reasons might be?

[Josh]

Anyone is free to start a thread to talk about any topic they wish.

Sometimes, it is helpful to discuss a particularly conservative Anabaptist topic, without the same chorus of people (or sometimes a duet or solo) chiming in with their opinion when said person has next to nothing to do with conservative Anabaptism and doesn't know anything about the topic at hand.

Somewhat related is the person who feels a need to criticise conservative Anabaptism any chance they get. It seems reasonable to sometimes ask to have them go make their own thread about that topic instead of dumping their criticism in every single thread about a conservative Anabaptist topic.

[temporal1]

On a forum approaching 6000 topics, the occasional topic created with allowable parameters (while occasional feelings may be pinched) does not pose a threat to the overall forum. A conservative “takeover?!” That’ll be the day.

Admin+mods have gone out of their way to accomodate delicate sensibilities.

Matthew 5:45
https://biblehub.com/matthew/5-45.htm

44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.
He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same?…

[ken_sylvania]

I'm not a conservative Anabaptist (anymore) and I don't really have a problem with it. You can always start a thread to discuss the same topic. In the past, I've seen non-conservative Anabaptists rehashing the same critiques of conservative Anabaptists over and over. The conservative Anabaptists one here understand the reasons others disagree with them. I think the restrictions on conservative Anabaptist posters are an attempt to avoid that when discussing certain topics.

I wonder how Conservative Anabaptists would like it if Liberal Anabaptists started the same thing and locked them out of giving their views on a thread.

It wouldn't bother me at all. Feel free to do so.

[ken_sylvania]

I wonder how Conservative Anabaptists would like it if Liberal Anabaptists started the same thing and locked them out of giving their views on a thread. I believe some have split off into a fairly new, more Conservative Anabaptist forum where they can isolate themselves and I don't know how this is going. Someone may want to give directions to that forum if you are interested.

I'm not sure if I chimed in on a thread that tried to restrict certain Anabaptists whether my posts would be removed on that thread but I guess I could give it a try. I think some CAs are trying to make this forum something that was not originally intended.

They are perfectly welcome to do the same. No one is telling them they can’t.

I doubt they would as liberal is defined as 'willing to respect or accept behavior or opinions different from one's own'.

Using that definition, I think it's fair to say that the CAs on this forum are no less liberal than the non-CAs.

[mike]

Back when iPhones were new and cool there was a joke that went around:

Q: How can you tell if someone has the new iPhone?
A: Oh, don’t worry, they’ll tell you.

There’s a lot of versions of this joke. I started off the iPhone example because it’s the first version I heard and also because of all the versions I’ve heard it steps on the least amount of toes. Other versions include:

Q: How can you tell if someone on the internet is an atheist?
Q: How can you tell if someone is an anti-vaxxer?
Q: How can you tell if someone is an ex-conservative Mennonite?

That last one isn’t entirely true—actually none of them are, but they’re true enough that the joke is funny. Some people have their hobbyhorses and are going to show up and make the same points they and others that have already been made and rejected.

Take a hypothetical topic: The value of the plain suit for plain people today. The discussion will be of most value to those who wear (or would consider wearing) a plain suit. The person who shows up and and talks about why plain dressing is bad in the first place isn’t contributing much of value but might make those who do have something of value to contribute to just keep quiet or avoid reading further in the thread. That’s not to say that non-plain people wouldn’t have valuable insights, but it’s not hard to understand why someone might decide the signal:noise is worth asking posters to filter themselves. Obviously none of this is limited to conservatives, liberals, atheists, or iPhone users.

Yes. Filters are useful.

[mike]

There seems to be some control being placed on who can respond to a thread by the originator. This appears to be most common from conservative background originators.

Is this forum really an open forum or is it only open where allowed by thread originators ?

Seems to me there is control being taken by some individuals on their threads and I'm curious what the purpose is in this isolation.

I do it sometimes because it helps to keep the discussion limited to what I am actually interested in discussing. I'm pretty sure asking to limit thread participants is something that was discussed a long time ago and approved by board moderators. Anybody is free to do this at any time, and of course you can respond by creating a new thread of your own.

[RZehr]

When I ask for limited participation, I try to restrict it as such for only temporary. Enough time to see if there is interest. Enough time to pass before people who fundamentally don’t approach the matter with enough similarity, start questioning the importance.
Further, I don’t restrict the threads for any topic, but rather only the topics that I believe the liberals don’t hold the same premise. For example, if I want to discuss a headship covering matter, such as cap/veil, I don’t think someone question whether a covering of any type is immediately necessary.

[Sudsy]

There seems to be some control being placed on who can respond to a thread by the originator. This appears to be most common from conservative background originators.

Is this forum really an open forum or is it only open where allowed by thread originators ?

Seems to me there is control being taken by some individuals on their threads and I'm curious what the purpose is in this isolation.

I do it sometimes because it helps to keep the discussion limited to what I am actually interested in discussing. I'm pretty sure asking to limit thread participants is something that was discussed a long time ago and approved by board moderators. Anybody is free to do this at any time, and of course you can respond by creating a new thread of your own.

I believe I have mostly if not always refrained from responding where not invited to participate. If you can give me a reference to board moderators approving of this screening technique, I will continue to refrain where not wanted but I don't recall approval of such being granted anytime in the past.

My personal understanding is that when I was given permission to participate on this forum it was an open forum and the board guidelines under Announcements and Introductions spells out some restraints on participation which does not include a thread originator blocking participation by Christian affiliation or any other criteria.

[mike]

I wonder how Conservative Anabaptists would like it if Liberal Anabaptists started the same thing and locked them out of giving their views on a thread.

I don't see why I would have a problem with that.