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    Ettin in the Playground
     
    TheThan's Avatar

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    Default Christian support thread closure and religious prejudice.

    Someone has recently put up a Christian support thread and it was immediately locked. The mod cited the ban on real world religions. Another thread about the appearances of churches in cities was immediately locked for the same reason. Even though he was simply asking about the design of specific structures in an urban setting.

    I feel that these reactions are not fair. The LBGTAI thread has had well over 50 threads in the past, (in fact, there’s more than one running as I type this). Isn’t the very nature of a LBGTIA thread sexual in nature? According to the Forum rules sexuality is an inappropriate topic.

    Quote Originally Posted by Forum site rules
    Inappropriate Topics
    The following topics are always off-limits on these forums, no matter what (hence, Inappropriate Topics). Any posts including these topics will be edited, and any threads started to discuss these topics will be locked. Please note that, as specifically stated below, these topics remain off-limits even where they intersect with gaming or other activities discussed on these forums, and that putting an alert for "Adult" or "Mature" content on the thread does not allow circumvention of this rule. Likewise, if you can't post something under the Forum Rules, please don't link to that content.
    Real-world religions (including religious reactions to gaming)
    Real-world politics (including political reactions to gaming)
    Graphic violence
    Illegal drugs
    Illegal/Criminal activity
    Explicit sexuality
    Even a single comment, reference, or post on these topics violates the Forum Rules. Please read these terms with the widest possible breadth and avoid such comments.
    So shouldn’t those threads be immediately locked as well?

    I feel that this is an extreme and intolerant reaction towards Christian playgrounders; the moderators ban a Christian support thread yet allow a LBGTAI support thread to exist. If the LBGAI can have a support thread, then why can’t Christians?

    I have noticed that there is an increasing biased against religion, specifically Christianity here on the forums. This is something I feel needs to be monitored by the moderators. I certainly hope that they are. Even though I have seen attacks in the past that I do not believe were dealt with. (I’m sure that thread is long dead, and I’m not one to hold a grudge).

    I feel it is a shame and an embarrassment on the community as a whole that we allow everyone into our midst, except Christians. That Christian gamers can’t share ideas and support each other here.

    Personally I stay out of the LBGTAI threads, (and I certainly don’t know what goes on in there) because I do not agree with them and do not see eye to eye with them. But that’s just it, I try to not make trouble; I don’t hate people for believing differently than me. I would hope other playgrounders would have the common decently to extend that same courtesy to Christians.

    I understand and mostly agree with the reason for the ban on religious topics. However, I feel that if such a ban is to in place, they need to apply to everything that is inappropriate; including LBTGAI topics. After all, isn’t that fair?

    This is still a wonderful community. However I feel that it is slowly growing more hostile to Christians. Which is something we all should be ashamed of. I have been part of this community for many years and I would hate to leave it because I find myself under attack because of my beliefs. I beseech the moderators here that they re-evaluate their decision making criteria on religious topics.

    I simply call for a reassessment of each moderator’s decision making criteria on inappropriate topics. That they extend to Christians the same hand they have extended to the LBGTIA community. Lastly, that if any of them do have any religious prejudices, that they would have the decency to admit it to themselves and step down from the moderator position and make room for someone who does not.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Killer Angel's Avatar

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    Default Re: Christian support thread closure and religious prejudice.

    Quote Originally Posted by TheThan View Post
    Someone has recently put up a Christian support thread and it was immediately locked. The mod cited the ban on real world religions. Another thread about the appearances of churches in cities was immediately locked for the same reason. Even though he was simply asking about the design of specific structures in an urban setting.
    Obviously, you need the answer from a Mod (or the Giant himself), but there's the fact that the thread was closed, but not all the posts were scrubbed.
    Do you know (judging from your OP, probably yes) what was the content of the scrubbed thread? because, for example, churches are often cited in threads regarding topic like "I'm going into this part of this nations. Any recommended place to visit?", and they're fine.
    Last edited by Killer Angel; 2015-05-12 at 01:52 PM.
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    Spamalot in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Christian support thread closure and religious prejudice.

    While I'm not a mod, I'll point out that the prohibition in your quote is specifically against "explicit sexuality" - which I take to mean overly suggestive or even pornographic topics or other materials. I don't think anything in the LGBTAI thread would qualify, though obviously if I'm wrong and you did see something explicit there you would be obliged to report it just like you would seeing it anywhere else.
    Quote Originally Posted by The Giant View Post
    But really, the important lesson here is this: Rather than making assumptions that don't fit with the text and then complaining about the text being wrong, why not just choose different assumptions that DO fit with the text?
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    The Big Footprint Administrator
     
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    Default Re: Christian support thread closure and religious prejudice.

    "Explicit Sexuality" refers to graphic descriptions of sexual activity. Sexual orientation and identity is an allowed topic here, as long as it avoids descriptions or photos of sexual activity. On the rare occasion the LGBTAI+ threads have strayed into that territory, they have been warned and scrubbed as per our Forum Rules. The same rules hold for heterosexual relationship advice or any other expression of romantic attraction. If you are aware of a specific post in any thread that includes Explicit Sexuality, please report it and it will be dealt with.

    Religion, in all permutations and aspects, is not an allowed topic here. This is not singled out to any specific religion, and applies to discussions of atheism and agnosticism as well. A "Christian support thread" would have presumably leaned heavily on Christian theology to provide such support—or, if it didn't, was completely redundant to the existing general support threads and thus existed only to exclude those posters who did not share the OP's religion from the discussion. Both are prohibited here.
    The above words represent the consensus of the entire Giant in the Playground staff, including the moderators, the webmaster, and Rich Burlew.

    (The PM box for this account is not regularly monitored; please direct any PMs to the forum staff to Roland St. Jude, the forum guru. Do send moderator applications to this account, though, as directed in the announcement thread. Thank you.)

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